Implementation ofFreshmen Football
by
Jose Luis Salazar
A project submitted to
Sonoma State University
in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree of
MASTERS OF ARTS
III
Education with a concentration in Education Leadership
Dr. Paul Porter, Chair
Mr. Valintino Verhunce
Copyright 2012
By Jose Luis Salazar
ii AUTHORlZATION FOR REPRODUCTION
OF MASTER PROJECT
I grant penmSSlOn for the reproduction of this thesis in its entirety, without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provide proper acknowledgment ofauthorship.
DATE: ~ II" ")tJ/2
iii IMPLEMENTATION OF FRESHMAN FOOTBALL
Project by Jose Luis Salazar
ABSTRACT
Purpose of the Project:
I plan to implement freshman football in the Santa Rosa City School District (SRCS). I am developing a freshman football program that I believe would benefit many young men we serve at the high school settings. SRCS does not offer any opportunity for freshmen to play on a freshman-only football team. SRCS is the only local district that participates in the North Bay League in the Sonoma County League that does not offer a true freshman program. Freshmen are forced to tryout and compete against sophomores and juniors for starting positions on the junior varsity (JV) football team.
Procedure:
I arranged weekly meetings with Richard Swain and Rod Lund to address issues, discuss concerns, decide who to contact, delegate the next steps, reviewed updates, etc. We met with Russ Peterich, the SRCS high schools' Athletic Director Coordinator SRCS and Assistant Commissioner in the North Bay League (NBL), and with Doug Bower, who is the SRCS Associate Superintendent in the Business Services delegated to the district financial decisions. We met with all five SRCS high school sites in meeting that included administrators, athletic directors, and coaches.
Findings:
The first objective of the meetings was to confirm a guaranteed "iron clad" self funding Freshman Football Program by reallocating a paid assistant football coach's salary of $2,551 to pay each new head freshman football coach. The second objective was to gain support/buy-in from each site's administrators, athletic directors, and coaching staff. The third objective was to provide a self analysis regarding the impact offreshman football on student movement between schools. The fourth objective was to provide an estimation ofa roster count that freshman football could generate. Finally, the fifth objective was to explain the general benefit that the implementation of freshman football would create.
Conclusion:
Implementing freshman football might potentially help many youths in the Santa Rosa City School District; however, the ultimate decision regarding this simple attempt to provide additional support to many adolescent males district-wide will
iv be made based on availability of funds. The annual budget is the primary driving force influencing school boards and district offices. Although site administrators, athletic directors, coaching staff, parents, school board members, and non-profit organizations involved in school athletics all see the benefits of implementing freshman football, funds may not be made available. During times of economic recession, low test scores, and decline in overall student achievement, it is difficult to make a case for supporting boys playing football when there are so many Ot dS on limited bu~ets
Chair: ------~------Signature
MA Program: Education Sonoma State University Date: ---b~~~------
v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
To begin with, I would like to thank Dr. Porter for his guidance and direction throughout my M.A. project. I would like to express appreciation to Val Verhunce and Chris White, my M.A. committee members, for their trust and their commitment to this project as well. In addition, I am extremely grateful to Richard Swain and Rod Lund for their dedication to youth sports, for their endless hours of volunteer time, and for their vision in freshmen football. I would also like to thank the Santa Rosa City Schools' high school principals, athletic directors, coaches, Booster Clubs members, and Schools Plus for their time and willingness to work with me on this project. Finally, I would like to thank my family ... my lovely wife, Shannon, for her patience, love, and understanding. I would like to thank my daughters, Jessica, Ana, and Angelina. for being wonderful. I also would like to express extreme gratitude to my sister, Rosie, for her constant support in editing and suggestions.
vi TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
List of Figures ...... viii
List of Tables ...... ix
Chapter
1. Introduction...... 1
2. Literature Review ...... 12
3. Description of Procedure ...... 27
4. The Project ...... 63
5. Conclusion ...... 74
References ...... 81
vii List of Figures
1. Sample Meeting Agenda ...... 40
viii List of Tables
1. SRCS High School Summary for 2010-11 ...... 34
2. Disciplinary Hearing and SARB Data, School Years 2009/2010, 2010/2011, & 2011/2012 ...... 36
3. Tentative SRCS Freshman Football Program 2012-2013 School Year ...... 66
ix 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
A passage from A Time to Lead/or Duty, Honor, and Country by Wesley K.
Clark (2007) states,
Public schools are the crucible ofthe nation. Training and testing grounds where standards are set and norms established. They are crucially important in shaping and solidifying the personalities and character traits ofthe young people who pass through them. Sadly, most young people today don't claim the experience ... fixing this is one of America's most urgent problems. (p. 42)
By pursuing the goal of my project, I am willing to help start to fix this problem. My objective is simple: I plan to implement freshman football in the Santa Rosa City School
District (SRCS). I want to shape and solidify the personality and character traits of the many young men who will be involved in this program. For my master's project, I am developing a freshman football program that I believe will benefit many young men we serve at the high school settings.
Currently, SRCS does not offer any opportunity for freshmen to play on a freshman-only football team. In fact, out of all the major high schools in Sonoma County,
SRCS is the only district that does not offer a true freshman program. Freshmen are forced to tryout and compete against sophomores and juniors for starting positions on the junior varsity (lV) football team. For many young men, this is a difficult annual process that must occur under the current district policies. It is a completely unfair process to require all incoming freshmen to compete against sophomores and juniors for starting positions. In addition, once freshmen have made the lV rosters in the SRCS high schools, then they must compete against sophomores and juniors from other schools during games because the other schools have freshman football. There are many distinct differences 2 between freshmen and older students. Young men between the ages of 13 and 16 are experiencing drastic changes in their attitudes and body compositions. Second-year players or sophomores develop much more in the weight room, make incredible leaps in their knowledge ofthe game, physically mature in their awareness on the field, and have a greater understanding ofthe fundamentals that they are expected to acquire.
At Montgomery High School (MHS), many freshmen never bother to try out for
JV football during their freshman year because they feel it is pointless to try to compete against older students. Those students fall behind in learning the fundamentals of football. They lose the opportunity to develop and build a cohesive core group ofplayers that will play together for the following four seasons. They are also unable to fully experience an adequate strength and conditioning program that will maximize their true physical potentiaL At Santa Rosa High School (SRHS), Elsie Allen High School
(EAHS), and Piner High School (PHS), many freshman players tryout for football, but do not bother to come out again as sophomores due to frustration or because of having a negative first-year experience.
Nobody likes to be cut or turned away, so for the players, this process can initially be difficult to accept. At MHS, many freshmen are cut from the team and are encouraged to join local youth football organizations as an alternative; however, those freshmen view the youth football alternative in a negative light instead of seeing it as a positive opportunity to develop as players. Other freshmen quit because they realize that they will not be able to have any playing time and conclude that they will not get anything out of standing on the sidelines watching. Still others endure the constant physical drills involved in practices as they faced overmatched teammates. Of course, there are always 3
those very few freshman players who excel and are able to compete against the best
players. These players develop so well as standouts during their freshman year that upon
entering their sophomore year they are usually pulled up to varsity, so instead of
continuing to develop even more as sophomores on JV, they must compete against juniors and seniors, which is another disadvantage that continues to work against many of
these young men.
So, why promote a freshman football program? What would the benefits of a
freshman football program mean to the players, the families, the schools, and the
community? The freshman program, besides the varsity program, is the most important
program ofhigh school football to the individual and to the school as a whole because the
freshman year establishes the foundation of an individual's success academically,
socially, and athletically. According to Larry Toner (personal communication), former
Servite High School Football coach, "Without a freshman program, those athletes would
merely sit on the bench for a year and not get as much experience. Young players in
general need time on the field to grow, attained playing experience, and to be given the
necessary structure within the team to become leaders." Otherwise, it becomes
disheartening to incoming freshmen to have to compete against experienced players and
to have the possibility to be overlooked because of their lack of size, experience, and/or
because there are too many players on the roster.
According to Joe Ehrmann (n.d.), a former NFL star and current preacher,
Philosophically ... football is a team sport and a real team sport is terrific context to teach boys important lessons and values about becoming a man. The problem for most boys is that there's no definition of manhood. There's been very little modeling or teaching to that. We try to teach them in the context of competitive sports ofthe values and definition and the meaning of being a man.... We're not in this about the X's and the O's 4
and wins or losses. The only measurement, the only standard at the end of somebody's life, isn't about power, prestige, possession; it's about one thing ... what kind of father were you? What kind of husband were you? Our basic concept if we want to help boys become men, who can lead, be responsible, and change for good.
This project is not just about having a freshman football team just to have a separate team from the JV; it is not about fairness, winning, or improving the whole football program. Those will be the byproducts. Freshman football is about transitioning the eighth grade students to high school. Freshman football is about providing a safe haven for so many young adolescent men after school in which they are exposed daily to positive male role models. Ara Parsegian, a former head football from the University of
Notre Dame, once stated, "Good coaches are very special people ... they exert a great influence on young athletes, more so than teachers, more so than Dad, more so than anybody" (cited in Dorfman, 2003, p. xviii). Freshman football is about preparing boys academically, socially, and athletically to become men ... to move from boys to men.
Football is a sport that requires a year-round commitment year after year, in which players learn the value ofteamwork and cooperation. It demands dedication and discipline. Most individuals make a conscious effort to improve and become better, not for themselves, but for the players playing next to them, for their teammates, the team, for the players before them, and for their coaches. There is an undeniable, ever-present team camaraderie. The game of football truly signifies something special and real to me and to millions ofAmericans throughout the nation. Football has had a tremendous impact on my life, and it has contributed to my overall development as an individual.
Football played a major role in my character development, but it was not just simply playing the game; it was the constant presence of my coaches as positive male role 5
models and the core values that they instilled in me that were crucial. The encouragement ofthe coaches and the positive peer pressure from my teammates allowed me to grow and excel in a positive manner on and off the field. My commitment to them and desire to
not let them down was inspirational.
In general, the freshman year is a crucial year in terms of gaining an impression of the school culture, forming social groups, finding success academically, and addressing the foundation ofthe values and character of each individual. The high school years are the years in which boys design their blueprints of whom they are going to be for the next ten to twenty years, maybe even for the rest oftheir lives. A lot is at stake! When
freshmen transition into high school, they realize that they are given a lot of freedom to
make their own choices. They are given a lot more independence than they had in middle school. Unfortunately, many make extremely poor choices. Some are able to rebound and
get back on track, while others continue to go on a downward spiral and eventually lose interest altogether, which leads to dropping out of school. As a juvenile correctional
counselor for the last four years at Los Ouilicos Juvenile Hall in Sonoma County, I have
had hundreds of conversations with male teenagers. When I ask them, "What grade are you in?" many ofthese young men tell me that they are juniors or seniors in high school.
I ask if they are on track to graduate; most tell me no. Then I ask them how many credits they have earned towards graduating and most tell me that they have only earned 20,25,
35, etc. I then say in a disappointed voice, "You're not ajunior. You're halfway through your freshman year." They know the reality that they now face. Most know that they will never graduate from high school. Most hope that they will be able to pass the OED but know that even that will be a daunting task. 6
My argument, in general, is that implementing freshman football will serve to address important issues, such as transitioning students from middle school to the high school, bridging the regular school day to after school by providing structure within structure, increasing parent involvement in schools, reducing the student dropout rate, improving attendance, demonstrating the importance of sports as an alternate to doing nothing, playing video games, skateboarding, etc., and as a preventive measure to counteract gangs, and acknowledging the correlation between athletic participation and academic achievement. Sports in general also provide other various benefits, such as coaches serving as mentors and positive male role models, physical benefits, emotional benefits, psychological benefits, and additional opportunities to develop student leadership capacity. Dorfman states,
Make no mistake about it, athletes not only need effective leadership, they also desire it. Young people want consistent parameters, direction, order, structure, organization, and discipline. They need it ... it gives them security, and that, in turn, helps them to be more confident. (p. 3)
Our modern-day culture and society place a great deal ofemphasis on and interest in leadership. There are thousands of books devoted to the subject ofleadership and thousands of courses, workshops, and retreats established around the country designed to help in developing leadership capacity for millions of adults. Universities offer credentials in education leadership. In schools, we ask students to be leaders, but schools fail because they do not offer adequate opportunities for leadership development. Yes, schools have student councils, class presidents, school presidents, and so forth, but these few positions are now often filled by spirited, ambitious female students. What happened to our boys? If you attend a graduation and look to see the students who are the recipients of awards or acting as valedictorians, you will find disproportionately many female 7 students earning these honors. If you walk around a college campus, you will see that there are more female students attending college courses than male students. Girls are outshining our boys in so many areas. We need a plan! And this is the subject of my project.
As educators we must be able to look outside ofthe box and ask ourselves how we can really make a difference in the lives of so many young men. Should we just concern ourselves with the academic needs of incoming freshmen? Or should we focus on developing true character? Should SRCS promote freshman football? I say, "Yes!" In the book titled Spark: The Revolutionary New Science ofExercise and the Brain, Ratey begins the book by quoting Plato, a philosopher who lived over 2,400 years ago, who would have agreed with me as well. Plato stated, "In order for man to succeed in life,
God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these two means, man can attain perfection" (p. viii).
When I first became interested in implementing a SRCS District-wide Freshman
Football Program, I knew I would need to conduct a wide-ranging literature review focusing on a variety ofaspects of boys, such as after-school programs, boys in schools, boys in society, boys in sports, boys and the dropout rate, bridging the school day to after-school extracurricular activities, youth becoming contributing members of society, correlation between athletic participation and academic achievement, eighth grade transition programs to high school, freshman academic needs, gang prevention, high school football, high school sports, issues regarding the gender gap in scholastic achievement, leadership capacity for athletes and students, mentoring, physical education 8 programs in California schools, physical, psychological, and emotional benefits of exercise, positive male role models, and teamwork.
A real concern for many educators that affects incoming freshmen is the transition from eighth grade to ninth grade. I was able to witness firsthand the transition from middle school to high school and how it affects students academically, socially, and athletically while working as an assistant principal for two school years at Slate Middle
School in the SRCS and then teaching immediately afterwards for two school years at
MHS.
I have seen many students come into high school underprepared and therefore fail academically. I have seen them become unmotivated, lose interest in school, and become immersed in the social aspect of high school. They become involved in gangs, get pregnant, or transfer to alternative settings like Ridgway, which is a 10th-12th grade continuation high school in the district. I have also seen students expelled from the school, forcing them to continue their education at community schools such as Airway,
McBride, or what is now known as Amarosa Academy. Often students end up dropping out of school altogether. Often the dreams and hopes of many parents are crushed by the reality that their children will not complete school.
In my research, I discovered various ways of transitioning middle school students to high school. Temescal Canyon High in the Lake Elsinore area provides a freshman orientation program called "Link Crew." According to Kabbany (2007), a one-day event consists of an assembly, campus tour, and "getting to know you" games and activities led by an upperclassman. Students are encouraged to get involved in school clubs, sports, band, or cheer leading. Upper classmen assigned to the Link Crew wear special shirts 9 throughout the school year to signify that they can answer any questions.
Joplin High School's website states that it has a Freshman Transition Program that consists of the following:
1) Parent Night
2) Student Orientation
3) Student Enrollment
4) Freshman Transition Course of.5 credits
5) Eagle Academy ... Half-day of information for a successful school year (Eagle
Academy ... Freshman Transition Program, 2012)
The Ursuline High School of Youngstown freshman transition program is known as "The
Freshman Success Transition Program," and it seeks to ensure that all freshmen have a successful school year. The components of the program include:
1) Physical Education Summer School ... Students earn credits and meet new classmates
2) Freshman Success Study Skills Program ... Students learn about and practice effective study skills and work habits.
3) Freshman Orientation
4) Parent Orientation
5) Social/Class Unity Programs ... Special events that include Freshman
Olympics, The Freshman Retreat, and other social activities
6) National Honor Society Mentors ... freshmen are paired with a senior from the
NHSM and serve as a resource throughout the year (Ursuline High School, 2012).
These six components are similar to what I envision. Traditionally, incoming 10
freshman players begin JV football the week after graduating from middle school.
However, with a freshman program, the whole summer freshman football program would
aide in the transition from middle school to high school as freshmen began to develop
team unity, class identity, school spirit, and an undeniable connection with their coaches.
Using the Ursuline High School's "The Freshman Success Transition Program" (Ursuline
High School, 2012).as a model, incoming freshmen would participate in the following
manner:
1) Summer football strength and conditioning! skills practice
2) Freshman football players would spend time in the classroom learning the
playbook during Chalk and Talk periods
3) Freshman coaches would visit the middle school to discuss the summer
program and summer expectations of eighth graders.
4) Parents would attend a parents meeting to meet coaches, review times and
dates, and understand expectations.
5) Freshmen would attend and participate in the week-long Sonoma Blue Chip
Freshman Football Camp.
6) Freshmen would be paired with Senior Brothers from the varsity football squad
to serve as mentors and resource throughout the year.
Freshman boys come into high school expecting and wanting to be part of
something. They have ambitions to connect and belong to a group. They are eager to
develop a self-portrait of themselves. Unfortunately, some accomplish this by gravitating
towards friends who drink or do drugs, they find comfort and stability in gangs, or they just become anti-social because they feel as if they do not belong. Hopefully, they are 11 able to meet their need for belonging through sports such as soccer, cross country, wrestling, basketball, golf, track and field, baseball, and/or football. Hopefully, they can make positive choices, but what makes football different is that it brings together individuals from all walks of life and forges them into true teammates. 12
Chapter 2
Literature Review
When I first became interested in implementing a SRCS district-wide Freshman
Football Program, I knew I would need to conduct a wide ranging literature review
focusing on a variety ofaspects of boys, such as, after-school programs, boys in schools,
boys in society, boys in sports, boys and the dropout rate, bridging the school day to
after-school extra-curricular activities, contributing members of society, correlation
between athletic participation and academic achievement, eighth grade transition
programs to high school, freshman academic needs, gang preventions, high school
football, high school sports, issues regarding gender gap, leadership capacity for athletes and students, mentoring, physical education programs in California schools, physical,
psychological, and emotional benefits of exercise, positive male role models, and
teamwork.
I immediately began to read Dr. William Pollack's (1998) book, Real Boys:
Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths ofBoyhood. The book contained insights regarding
thousands ofyoung men. Pollack describes the reason he wrote the book, saying,
Boys today are in serious trouble ... when a boy tries to see his own genuine attributes, his true self, in the mirror, he can't; he only sees how he falls short of this impossible and obsolete ideal. Is it any wonder, then, that he may later become frustrated, depressed, or angry, suffer low self esteem, and fail to succeed in intimate relationships, or even turn violent?" (pp. xxi-xxv)
Pollack examines how raising boys is different from raising girls, boys' self- esteem and how to improve it, society's double standard of what it means to be masculine and the double standard of masculinity, how boys can become more confident and expressive men, and how to help boys find their genuine voice. Football is the perfect 13 vehicle to bring boys of all walks of life together. If someone were to ask me what I thought the problem was with boys in today's society, I would respond by stating that not enough boys play organized sports, especially football, as violent as the game may seem to be.
In baseball, everyone has to know how to throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball, and run the bases. In basketball, everyone needs to know how to shoot the ball, dribble the ball, catch the ball, and pass the balL In soccer, everyone needs to know how to kick the ball, dribble the ball, pass the ball, trap the ball, and control the ball. But in football, not everyone needs to know how to how to pass the ball. Not everyone needs to know how to catch the ball. Not everyone needs to know how to run with the ball. Not everyone needs to know how to kick the ball. If you are fast but unable to catch the football, it's okay, a football coach will find a position for you. Ifyou are big and slow, a football coach will find a position for you. In fact, whether you are big, small, tall, thin, it doesn't matter. As long as you show that you have heart, as long as you make a sincere effort, a football coach will put you on the field. In addition, most offensive linemen are considered to be less athletic than the skill players. They are looked upon as big and slow, but are expected to develop incredible strength as they become the most unselfish players on the field. Offensive linemen sacrifice their bodies every down to protect others; they protect the quarterback, they protect the running backs, they protect each other.
Offensive linemen go full speed, not for their own glory, but for the persons next to them; for the persons playing by their sides.
A chapter in Pollack's book focused on "Sports: Play and Transformation." In it, he shares with the reader the importance of sports in the lives of boys and young men. 14
Pollack (1998) explains,
Sports provide boys with a theater for the unfettered expression of their feelings, a place where it's OK to be spirited, emotive, passionate .... For many boys, sports are a form of intimacy and a way to be honest. By temporarily freeing boys from the Boy code - especially from the rule that says boys shouldn't express feelings, show affection or expose their yearning for connection - sports can become one of the most important activities through which our sons, as their genuine selves, can relate closely with girls and other boys. (p. 272)
In all sports, but especially in football, boys have an opportunity to express their emotions within certain traditional behaviors. For example, in football as teams walk out of the locker rooms and out towards the field ofplay, players tend to walk in two lines holding hands. Players also hold hands while in the huddle to signify unity. During celebrations after an important play, players embrace one another to show their sincere gratitude towards one another. Players also display their emotions by consoling each other, especially those in tears, after a tough loss.
Furthermore, Pollack (1998) says that through sports, boys are able to "sense it's all right to show what they really feel" (p. 276). Pollack (1998) states that for many boys, sports allow them to be more affectionate, boost their self-esteem by contributing to a team, and teach boys lessons on "emotional resilience how to overcome the fear of being shamed .... Sports teach this capacity for resilience" (p. 279). Sport taught me perseverance, to always keep chipping away, to never give up, and more importantly, to never give in!
"Participation in School Athletics" is a paper published by Child Trends
(Bachman, Jolmston, & O'Malley, 1976-2006), based on the research analysis of Jerald
Bachman, Lloyd D. Johnston, and Patrick M. O'Malley from their book Monitoring the
Future: A Continuing Study ofAmerican Youth (8th, 10th, and 12th-Grade Surveys), 15 which outlines the importance of school athletic teams that provide "enjoyable, supervised activities, for youth" (Child Trends Database, 2012, p. 1). The article touched upon how "student athletes report healthier eating habits, increased in parental support, and decreased in anxiety and depression" (p. 1). The article also stated that there is a positive association between participation in athletics and academic achievement. "High school athletes were found to have higher GP A than non-athletes, lower absentee levels, a significantly smaller percentage of discipline referrals, lower percentages ofdropout, and higher graduation rates" (p. 1). This is very common when sports are used as a dangling carrot to sustain student interest in school. When students participate in sports, they tend to have high self-esteem and confidence because they just feel good about themselves, their teams, and their school. They have a strong desire to continue to do well so that they can continue to play.
In a very inspiring investigative book titled SPARK: The Revolutionary New
Science ofExercise and the Brain, Dr. John Ratey (2008) presents extensive research demonstrating how physical fitness is imperative and crucial to overall learning and brain function, improving mood by reducing depression and lowering stress and anxiety; he also describes how physical fitness is able to contribute to fighting addictions. Sports in general provide young adolescent males with the motivation to continue to wake up on time, attend school, complete homework assignments, and to stay out oftrouble. When young boys do not have sports, they may get lazy and be constantly fatigued, which can easily be considered a form ofdepression. I have to be honest, as a young Hispanic male growing up in Southern California, I had plenty of opportunities to go astray and to come offthe right path, but it was sports, my involvement in football, that kept me motivated to 16 always attend school, to work out seven to ten times a week, to eat the right nutritional foods, to avoid alcohol consumption, to never experiment with any form of drug, and to go on to college.
There is an abundance of literature that refers to boys in schools that describes how boys in general struggle academically. One article, titled "Boys in School: What
Every Teacher and Parent Should Know" (n.d.), list school-related areas in which boys are negatively affected. For example, boys fall behind girls in reading; more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD; more boys than girls are held back a grade, repeat a grade, or drop-out of school; boys tend to engage more in drugs or acts of violence; and boys are less likely to continue their higher education by attending college. I know firsthand through my experience growing up as an English language learner that for years, I struggled academically. Excelling in sports gave me the confidence, the will, and the desire to excel academically as well as in sports. Participating in high school football also gave me the motivation not only to stay in school, not only to stay on track to graduate; not only to graduate from high school, but to go onto college to play football at the next level.
In the article, "Disappearing Act - Where Have the Men Gone? No Place Good,"
Michael Gurian (2005) shares his observations as a college professor ofhow male students are not only vanishing from his classes, but from college campuses across the nation. Although he does point out the success of thousands of men in the professional and industrial worlds, he also describes "millions of young men who are floundering or lost" (p. 1). Gurian describes how what happens to a young man who doesn't finish school or go on to college: "He'll be three times more likely to be unemployed and more 17 likely homeless. He'll be more likely to get divorced, more likely to engaged in violence against women and more likely to engage in crime. He'll be more likely to develop substance abuse problems" (p. 2).
Unfortunately, this describes my life and the life of someone very close to me all too well. Although we grew up in similar households, with the similar parents and similar educational opportunities, we have taken two distinct paths. I played football in high school and after high school; I continued my education and continued to play football while attending college. My wife and I are in a stable married relationship with three beautiful daughters. I have also been blessed with several successful employments.
However, my counterpart decided not to attend college, but joined the workforce after high school. His life has not turned out the way he imagined. He is divorced, unemployed for the last fifteen years, and in a three-year span, he has been incarcerated twice for a total of eight months; he has been homeless for the last two years. He continues to self medicate with alcohol and marijuana. Perhaps his life would have been different ifhe had had an opportunity to play organized sports, especially football, in high school. Perhaps that might have motivated him to play in college.
Julie Newberger (1999) explains Dr. Michael Gurian's reasons that we all have a stake in raising boys to assist them to fulfill their "four ba<;ic goals of socially and personally responsible adult life. These goals are 1) contributing to society; 2) committing to mates; 3) taking responsibility for children; and 4) participating in ongoing spiritual grO\vth" (p. 1). She also argues that boys need stability, love, disci pline, mentors, and a tribal family. For this last example, she uses positive examples of schools, churches, or neighborhoods. I would like to add that team sports in general can also fulfill 18 the need of a tribal family in a positive manner; in contrast, so can a street gang.
According to Lingren (1996), in G96-1294 Gangs: The New Family, gang members
are looking for acceptance, love, companionship, leadership, encouragement, recognition, respect, role models, rules, security, self esteem, structure and a sense ofbelonging. When children's emotional needs are met in families, the results are positive; otherwise they may look to gangs, and the outcome is usually negative. (p. 4)
For an incoming freshman playing football or for a high school student playing football all four years, football and coaches can provide the stability and structure that young men consistently need. Participation in football provides a warrior-like, even gladiator-like tribal family that draws young men. According to U.S. Department of
Education (2001),
Fatherlessness in America is at historically high levels. Four out of 10 children - an estimated 24 million - do not have their fathers present in their homes. Research shows that children from father-absent homes are more likely to do poorly in school or drop out; suffer from lower levels of self-esteem; get involved with drugs, alcohol and gangs; become teen parents; get into trouble with the law; or become incarcerated.
In contradiction to the above articles, the article, "Evidence Suggests Otherwise:
The Truth about Boys and Girls" by Sara Mead (2007) shares that there is a misleading outcry about the status of boys and that "the real story is not bad news about boys doing worse; it's good news about girls doing better" (p. 1). She agrees that there are groups of
Hispanic boys, black boys, and low-income boys that are struggling in schools, but it is not until high school that all boys begin to show a decline in various areas. She also argues that even then boys are still outperforming girls. She uses SAT score data as an example, saying that "boys have higher average scores than girls do, on both (SAT and
ACT). In fact, boys score significantly higher than girls on both the verbal and math subtests ofthe SAT, and they have done so throughout most ofthe exam's history" (p. 19
11). What she does not seem to understand is that yes, there are boys that are scoring high in the SAT and in the ACT, but these are the young men who have stayed in school, who have made the commitment to education, and who plan to attend college. SATs and other tests for entrance in universities are not taken by the hundreds of thousands of boys who are dropping out of school, the hundreds ofthousands who are entering the workforce after graduation, and thousands who are enlisting in the military. Those exams are not taken by the boys that are incarcerated, by those students who are expelled from schools, or by the hundreds of youths killed every year because of gang violence.
Pollack (2000) blames the "Boy code" for misleading boys to assume that they are supposed to behave in a certain way based on ninete~nth-century society. According to Pollack (2000),
The Boy code puts boys and men into a gender straitjacket that constrains not only them but everyone else, reducing us all as human beings and eventually making us strangers to ourselves and to one another - or, at least, not as strongly connected to one another as we long to be. (p. 6)
In a thesis written by Sandra Christenson and Martha Thurlow (2004), titled
"School Dropouts: Prevention Considerations, Interventions, and Challenges," the authors describe the dropout process as taking place over a period of time of disengagement from school caused by poor attendance and lack of school success, and say that these "indicators of disengagement are generally accompanied by feeling of alienation, a poor sense of belonging, and a general dislike for school" (p. 37). In their conclusion, the two writers insist that
the dropout problem ... is solvable, provided student performance is systematically monitored to ensure students are provided with realistic opportunities for academic and reading success ... encouraged to see the relevance of school and learning in their personal lives and future goals, and helped with personal problems across the school years. (p. 39) 20
Research has shown that students who participate in sports tend to have a better attendance rate than students who do not participate in sports. As a football player, I always felt a sense of belonging that gave me a feeling of pride and accomplishment. If students are able to stay engaged in school, then they will stay in school. In my experiences and observations, students who participate in after-school sports use that as a vehicle and focal point to stay engaged in school and to continue regular attendance.
Freshman football will increase school spirit, team unity, class pride, and self-identity.
Freshman football will increase parent involvement in school. It will foster a sense of self-worth and belonging in the students who participate.
In a document addressing the issue ofhigh school dropouts titled, "Understanding and Addressing the Issue ofthe High School Dropout Age (2003)," the North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory (2003) conducted an investigation focusing on high school dropouts and found that in 1993, 12 million people 18 years and older were reading at a lower than the ninth grade reading level. The article shared that there is no one reason why people decide to stop attending high school. The article did state that
"decreasing the dropout rate requires the active participation of school, districts, local communities, parents, and state government working in conjunction with one another" (p.
2). According to Hale and Canter (1988), dropouts across the country continue to cost our government over $200 billion during the dropout's lifetime "in cost earning and unrealized tax revenue. The loss oftaxes, loss of production and the cost of assistance provided to dropouts make the problem of high school non-completion an issue for every tax payer." Although there is no single cause of students dropping out ofschool, unemployment, poverty, failure in school, being retained in a grade at least once, having 21 a terrible feeling about themselves, and having a feeling of hopelessness all contribute to the drop-out crisis. Students who continue to miss school, earning a "truant status," are more likely to be at risk of dropping out. Other major contributors to the dropout crisis include student disconnection to school, poor academic achievement, disciplinary problems, disengagement from school, lack of involvement with school activities, and the absence ofa formal transitional program. The article states that parents playa crucial role in the overall educational experience of a child and their involvement will determine their child's success. Football is played by millions of boys, young adolescent males, and men every year. The impact of football in their lives as students and for years to come is immeasurable.
A very interesting data-based report produced by the Educational Research and
Evaluation Consultant, Department ofEducation of the State of California (2005) titled
"California Physical Fitness Test: A Study of the Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in California Using 2004 Test Results" demonstrated that there was a positive relationship between student performance on fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade physical fitness tests and the Language Arts and Math Test within the same grade level. Those students who scored higher in the physical fitness test also scored higher on the California State Tests (CST). These test had similar results when similar subgroups were compared, such as gender, race, and socio-economic status. However, the report also included a disclaimer that "there is no evidence that improving physical fitness causes academic achievement to improve or vice versa" (p. 1). Why did students who had higher fitness score have higher CST scores? The explanation was that those students who had the inner discipline to actually be physically fit would also have the 22 same inner discipline when it carne to their academic studies.
Over the summer of2011, new California physical fitness test results for the
2010-2011 school year were released and the results were poor. About 1.32 million
Californian fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade students were tested during the 2010-2011 school year and only a third of the students passed the fitness test. What does this mean?
Students throughout the state ofCalifornia need to focus on being physically fit as well as academically able. Football, as a unique sport in which players must engage in strength training and conditioning year round, year after year, encourages such fitness.
An excellent source of reference pertaining to boys in school is found in the paper, "Five Powerful Strategies for Connecting Boys to Schools," written by Judith
Kleinfeld (2006), a professor of psychology at the University of Alaska and the director of the Boys Project. She states, "Many boys ... lag far behind in school achievement. ...
Boys are disengaging from school. ... How can we engage boys in school despite boys' belief that success in school is 'unmanly' and 'uncool'?" (p. 2). The writer describes how many experts carne together in the Boys Project to identify the best strategies to help with change. The following are Klienfeld' s (2006) five powerful strategies for helping boys in schools:
1. Educate teachers on gender differences in development and learning,
2. Start school at a later age for slower-developing boys,
3. Create "Focus Schools" which offer nurturing personalized education,
4. Connect boys in groups with caring adults, and
5. Respect boys.
The fourth strategy emphasizes the importance and "power ofteams and coaches 23
in helping adolescent boys get on the right track in school and in life. But the principles
that make teams and coaches effective in reaching boys apply to realms beyond sports."
Klienfeld describes a team as a "Band of Brothers" and a method of acquiring rules for
success. In order for students to find success in school and beyond, more mentoring in
life skills is needed and students need to be informed of the importance of school and
learning. In addition, it is widely believed that "a supportive environment enhances
students' sense of belong, O\vnership oflearning, recognition of good choices and the ability to make good choices" (Freshman Transition Program, 2006, p. 3). Therefore, if
schools provided a transitional opportunity for eighth graders entering ninth grade, those
students would develop enthusiasm and appreciation for the educational process,
allowing them to discover their self-identity and enhance their developing self-esteem.
Schools would probably also see a decrease in absentee rates, an increase in grade point
averages, decreased truancy, fewer disciplinary actions, and parents who became more
involved.
Pollack (2000) explains that competition alone does not unite players. Games
alone will not bring boys together as true teammates or build character, but
when sports are kept in proper perspective when we see sports primarily as a chance for boys to come together for joyful, spirited high-energy play they can help boys discover new competencies, buttress their feelings of self-worth, and reunite them with their authentic voices, enabling them to express the deepest stirrings of emotion in their hearts, widening their circle of connections.... Indeed I believe that with the right attitude and the right coach, sports are transformational for boys. (p. 273)
Just as the United States military is able to transform boys to successful young men,
sports and football in particular help develop the foundation for boys to transform into
successful adolescent men of whom society will approve. 24
In an informative and useful book titled After-school Education, Noam,
Biancarosa, and Dechausay (2003) state that "after-school programs offer the ideal conditions for learning for this kind of learning with their small groups, voluntary participation ... and opportunities to forge strong relationships among peers, as well as staff and students" (p. vii). In football, so much learning takes place during daily practice when players are engaged in drills with their position coaches in small groups. These players will never forget their early teachings in any position at this level ofplay. Players who play football sacrifice their long summers, their time after school, and make a year- round commitment year after year. Ofcourse, the relationships that are developed are priceless and often last a lifetime. Players who develop great team play tend to play above and beyond their coaches' expectations.
In the same book, After-school Education, (2003) the authors state,
In general, after-school programs consist ofthree main blocks: 1. Homework help and tutoring 2. Projects, service-learning, journalism, and other enriched learning experiences that are directly tied to the school days 3. Non-academic activities such as sports, crafts, and play. (p. 3)
In my ultimate vision of freshman football, I do envision a twelve-month program that would include after-school nutritional snacks, homework help and tutoring, enriched learning experiences that focused on core values and character development, and, of course, football and strength and conditioning as the non-academic activity described.
Noam, Biancarosa, and Dechausay (2003) strongly recommend that staff attend professional development opportunities that will enhance the program.
We recommend for after-school staff ... training and ongoing support in order to be able to cultivate what is different and indeed best about after school teaching, including working with children in small groups, managing behavior in new ways, trying different curricular approaches, 25
and building relationships with children that do not center on academics. (pp.30-31)
In the state of California, coaches do attend required professional development training such as that offered by American Red Cross CPR and first aid training classes. Coaches are also required in the state of California to attend and pass the California certification test prior to assuming coaching duties. This year (2012), both the JV and varsity football coaches from MHS attended the Cal Football Coaches Clinic for high school and junior college football coaches. About 500 coaches from the San Francisco Bay area attended the two-day event. I, like many other coaches attending the clinic, purchase football- related books that will assist me in coaching my position, focus on weight training, special teams, team building activities, and overall coaching.
According to Noam, Biancarosa, and Dechausay (2003), "Project-based learning is founded on the theory that children should learn through sustained engagement with the topic of interest to a group (and important to the community), which yields some product or performable skill." It is "an approach to teaching and learning that emphasizes collaboration and group determination .... Four main elements guide project-based learning: participation, fun, learning, and a product that matters" (pp. 64-65). When I read this, it makes so much sense to me that football has led to success in the lives of so many young men. Seemingly, it is the perfect tool to engage students in learning and participating in activities that will result in positive outcomes academically, socially, and athletically.
One ofthe most curious articles that I reviewed, written by Herb Childress
(1998), is titled "Seventeen Reasons Why Football Is Better than High School." Childress admits that he is not even a true fan of football, but he lists seventeen reasons why 26 playing football in high school is actually better than attending high school itself as a student who does not participate in such extracurricular activities:
1. Teenagers are considered important contributors rather than passive recipients, ... 2. Teenagers are encourage to excel, ... 3. Teenagers are honored, ... 4. A player can let the team down, ... 5. Repetition is honorable, ... 6. The unexpected happens all the time, ... 7. Practices generally run a lot longer than 50 minutes, ... 8. The homework is of a different type from what's done at practice, ... 9. Emotions and human contact are expected parts of work, ... 10. Players get to choose their roles, ... 11. The better players teach the less skilled players, ... 12. There is a lot of individual instruction and encouragement from adults, ... 13. The adults who participate are genuinely interested, .. . 14. Volunteers from the community are sought after, .. . 15. The ability isn't age linked, ... 16. Football is more than the sum of its parts, ... and 17. A public performance is expected.
Nothing can describe the feeling ofwhat a young man goes through during a season. Sacrifices are intentionally made to attend practice, to get into seasonal shape, and to consistently consume appropriate nutritional food that will provide benefit throughout the day, throughout the daily practice, throughout the season, and throughout the off-season. Nothing can describe the feeling of getting dressed, putting on the pads, putting on the helmet, buckling the chin strap, putting in the mouth piece, and knowing that you are about to go full speed into someone in a hellacious collision! Nothing can describe the reward of making a great play, looking into the faces of your teammates, hearing the roar of the crowd, and knowing that you have the approval of your esteemed coaches. 27
Chapter 3
Description of Procedure
The goal ofthis project is to implement a freshman football program for the
SRCS, which will include all five high schools: EAHS, Maria Carrillo High School
(MCHS), MHS, PHS, and SRHS. SRCS is the largest school district in Sonoma County.
It even hosts one of the oldest high schools in the state of California, but it is unable to provide a freshman football program. I know that the outcome ofthis project will affect hundreds of incoming freshmen annually and alter their high school experience in a positive manner.
During the month of August of2011, while working as the MHS .TV assistant football coach, I began to inform certain individuals of my concerns and goals regarding the lack ofa freshman-only football program in the SRCS. I spoke individually to the following MHS coaches and representatives: Jason Franci, MHS Varsity Head Football
Coach; Frank Scalercio, MHS Varsity Offensive of Linemen Coach; Marcelo Bautista,
MHS Varsity Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator; Dean Haskins, MHS
Athletic Director (AD); and Marty Martinez, MHS Equipment Manager. After sharing my Sonoma State University (SSU) educational goals with these five individuals and then informing them that I wanted to spear-head a freshman-only football program for the
SRCS, each one ofthem thought that it would make a significant difference to the program, and they also encouraged me to immediately contact the former MHS JV head football coach, Rich Swain.
I learned that in 2007, Rich Swain and Rod Lund, a long-time SRHS supporter, attempted to implement a SRCS district-wide freshman program, but were unsuccessful 28 because ofthe inability to gain commitment from the EAHS and PHS varsity football coaches. At the time both coaches stated that it would impossible to field both a freshman program and a JV program simultaneously due to the number of players that had been participating at the time. I knew both men very well. I coached three football seasons with Rich Swain and while I was the Head JV Football Coach at SRHS, I had many friendly interactions with Rod Lund as a SRHS Boosters.
I contacted Rich Swain and provided him, via e-mail, with materials that illustrated my initial thoughts about the whole freshman football process. His response to my e-mail was as follows:
I spoke with Russ Peterich before school started and he said that our next move should be to talk to Doug Bauer at SR City Schools. We should get together to discuss how to move forward and when to schedule the meeting. I took a quick look at your material for your masters' project and it looks very good. Rod and I would be happy to work with you on this and since it is part of your school project we may be able to get some additional support. Let's discuss a time for the three of us to get together and get this program moving forward! (Personal communication)
We began weekly meetings in September to address issues, discuss concerns, decide who to contact, delegate the next steps, review updates, etc. Per Rich Swain's conversation with Russ Peterich, the SRCS high schools' Athletic Director Coordinator
SRCS and Assistant Commissioner in the North Bay League (NBL), we knew that we had to meet with Doug Bower, who is the SRCS Associate Superintendent in Business
Services delegated to the district financial decisions. However, before we met with Doug
Bower, I knew that we had to meet with other people in order to have some type of financial backup plan or something bigger to impress him. We needed to show him that we were well prepared. I was able to arrange a meeting for Rich Swain, Rod Lund, and I 29 to meet with the mayor of Santa Rosa, Mayor Ernesto Olivares, to address Measure O.
We were looking for direction and guidance regarding Measure 0, but in actuality, I was looking for some type of hope for financial stability to bring to the meeting with the SRCS district personnel. Measure 0 is a Santa Rosa city ordinance that assesses a Y4 cent tax and allocates 40% of the money received to the Santa Rosa Police
Department, 40% to the Santa Rosa fire Department, and 20% to after-school programs such as gang prevention, tutorials, sports, and athletic activities. This would be perfect. I even had a chance to speak with Rueben Lopez, who is familiar with the measure program through Double Punches, and he gave me some informal background on it. He mentioned that we had to meet five criteria. We needed to have a plan to work with an organization with non-profit status. We needed to be located in an impacted area that had a lot of gang violence. I felt this requirement would be met due to the spread of gang violence now affecting all of Santa Rosa and no longer just in isolated areas. We had to be open to everyone regardless ofrace, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. We also needed a mission, a plan of some sort, or objectives to show that we were striving to focus and improve one particular area for the kids. Finally, we would need a budget plan.
How were we planning to spend the money? We needed a plan for spending on staff
(coaches), tutorial sessions, equipment, nutritional snacks, etc. I shared with Rich Swain and Rod Lund the following information. I was confident that our needs would fall into their criteria, as listed below with other components:
Measure 0 Five Criteria
1. Non-profit 501C3 plan
2. Located in an impacted area 30
3. Diverse and open to all backgrounds
4. Mission statement desribing a vision, goals, objectives
5. Budget outlining disbursement of funds
A. Publication ... outreach funds
B. Equipment
1. Gear
2. Computers
3. Whistles
4. DVDs
C. Materials
D. Tutorial teachers
E. 12 Month sessions
F. Social events ... volunteer in the community
G. Transportation for games
H. Possible snacks
1. Contract for a commitment to the program
Rich, Rod, and 1 met with Mayor Olivares on Friday, September 30, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. We introduced ourselves, our situation, and said that we were looking for direction for dealing with Measure O. The Mayor was positive and extremely informative in this area. He was able share with us great insights regarding the whole process and what was needed to obtain Measure 0 funding. We actually needed to have a yearly commitment of funding from a non-profit organization due to Measure 0 being designed to match those funds. We would also have to be able to evaluate the success ofthe program by 31 implementing a site evaluation measuring the targeted goal of the program. For example, was the after-school program improving daily attendance? Was it improving grades?
Were more students graduating? The mayor also stated that we would have to include a community service portion. We would have to include parent participation. One suggestion that the mayor provided was to get parents involved in the after-school tutorial sessions. The last recommendation that the mayor gave us was to implement my vision of the after-school program to one ofthe high schools, such as PHS, that already had existing programs funded by outside resources, evaluate the process, and then apply for the Measure 0 funds in the spring of2013. This would be great for future possibilities, but our first priority was (and is) to implement freshman football.
Rich, Rod, and I continued to meet weekly. By October, I was able to arrange for
Rich Swain, Rod Lund, Doug Bower, Russ Peterich, and I to meet together in the district office. I had hoped to demonstrate to the district representative, Doug Bower, that freshman football could be an asset to the schools, to the football program, and to the community. I knew that the district would be concerned with the financial aspects in this decision due to state and district-wide budget cuts in personnel and programs, but I believed that this was the right time to implement a freshman program with the possibility of including so many more young men.
We met with Doug Bower and Russ Peterich early Wednesday morning for about an hour on October 12, 2011. From the very beginning, it was obvious that Doug Bower was not excited about the whole idea ofimplementing freshman football. He declared that the district would not finance this endeavor. He informed us from the very beginning that the freshman program would have to be self-funded and that all five schools would 32 have to participate. I presented several 'what-if scenarios' and asked what would happen if EAHS and PHS did not enough players to fill freshman-only football teams. I reminded him that the two schools would be in separate leagues. He quickly responded and said that all the schools must have freshman football.
I then reminded Doug Bower that for the last seven years both Proctor Terrace
th th and Hidden Valley had 4th_6 grade boys basketball, 4th_6 grade girls basketball, and 4th_
6th grade girls volleyball, and that they played schools from Bennett Valley, Mark West,
Roseland, Bellevue, and other surrounding districts. No other elementary school in the
SRCS offered those after-school sports for its school site. His only response was that
"those two schools' Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) self-fund the programs and therefore they are not funded at all by the district." But the district allowed those two schools, which are the only two affluent elementary schools in the district, to provide enriched athletic opportunities for their students. According to Stephen Mayer, the principal of Proctor Terrace Elementary School, the sports teams are "100% parent funded this is After-school Enrichment, not district-sponsored sports our parents have chosen to have their children participate. No public funds are spent on this activity." This is a perfect example ofhow the district contradicts itself in terms of stressing the importance of having parity for all the schools.
Another example of the inconsistency of attempts to achieve parity among the schools and athletics occurs at Rincon Valley Middle School (RVMS), (another school site of high affluent student population and strong PTA support), which has the only boys' volleyball team in the district. For the sixth consecutive year, boys' volleyball at
RVMS travel to play against West County school teams, Windsor, Sebastopol, 33
Guerneville, and Rohnert Park. I sent the coach, Jan Vam Buhler, an emailing inquiring about the whole process of getting started and this was his response:
The district would not support it as a team under the athletics umbrella for a couple reasons: money, liability concerns, and a 'one size fits all' philosophy (if we did it, the other schools should too). And our athletic director was OK having it happen as long as it didn't add to her workload (which means I function as athletic director as far as scheduling, managing equipment and funds, etc .... ). So in order to get the program going, I had to classify it as a club, even though it counts as an athletic team for the other schools we play. Our principal at the time, Mr. Agapinan, helped to get it approved at the district leveL One of the requirements was that I had to clearly state that it was "not a school sponsored sport" (liability again). (Personal communication)
When I asked Doug Bower if only the three schools (MHS, MCHS, and SRHS) that could sustain a self-funded freshman program would be possible hosts of a freshman football program, he expressed high concerns that instituting freshman football would lead to additional student movement throughout the district in favor of MHS and SRHS.
In fact, he temporarily excused himself from the meeting and returned with an Excel spreadsheet that recorded all ofthe SRCS high school students' residential assigned schools and the actual schools students were attending for the 2010-2011 school year.
Doug Bower stated that ifthe three schools had freshman football, then a lot of students would transfer from EAHS and PHS just to participate at one of the three sc~ools. The following is a data spreadsheet that he provided (See Table 1). 34
Table 1.
SRCS High School Summary for 2010-11
SRCS High School Summary for 2010-11 MHS PHS SRHS EAHS MCHS Total by Residence MHS 1217 11 123 24 73 1448
PHS 89 849 I 352 I 35 57 ;382 SRHS 54 41 934 27 151 1207 EAHS 193 104 250 940 54 1541 MCHS 83 9 137 5 1153 1387 Out of SRCSPO 59 11 128 9 76 283 Box Total by Attendance 1695 1025 1924 1040 1564 7248
Doug Bower pointed out specifically that 193 EAHS students already attended
MHS, while he failed to note that 408 EAHS students were attending one of the other three district high schools. He also pointed out that 352 PHS students attended SRHS. His complaint was that if MHS and SRHS were to add freshman football, then there would be an additional student movement to those schools just to play freshman football. What he failed to understand is that the SRCS district has open enrollment, which encourages students to transfer from school to school. According to the SRCS district website (Santa
Rosa City Schools, 2012-2013),
Open Enrollment is offered once a year to all students who reside in the attendance area of any school within Santa Rosa City Schools ... Students who live within the SRCS attendance area may apply ... The District will decide the number of openings (capacity) at each school that can be filled by Open Enrollment students ... Requests for a different school (other than Open Enrollment) may be submitted at any time. These requests are submitted on Intradistrict Transfer Request Forms. Transfer requests require a reason for the request, and expire at the end of the school year. (pp. 15-16) 35
Open enrollment clearly states that students may apply to transfer to any school within the district and that the district may approve the transfer.
The district and school sites also strongly encourage students to find interest in the magnet schools. At MHS, they have the International Baccalaureate (IB) program of study, which offers students an advanced curriculum with an international focus in grades
11-12 as a diploma program or students may take individual IB classes as certificate candidates. SRHS is home of the renowned Art Quest program that specializes in visual fine arts, dance, drama, instrumental and vocal music, and multimedia/video. At PHS, they offer an Early College Magnet Program in which PHS and Santa Rosa Junior
College (SRJS) joined in an educational partnership, and EAHS offers the University
Center in which it partners with SSu.
Another important aspect that strongly affects the district, which Doug Bower did not address, is that each site presents numerous expulsion hearings at the district office.
As of 2009-20 10 school year, the district had conducted 635 expulsion hearings (398 for the five major high schools). Here students may have their expulsions suspended and then be asked to attend another high school within the district. If students do not attend an expUlsion hearing for violating education codes, then they may attend an Administrative
Review and Placement Committee (ARPC) hearing, which forces them to choose another school within the district to attend. As of 2009-20 10 school year, SRCS had conducted
316 ARPCs (135 for the five major high schools). The following chart shows how it is actually divided up per school (See Table 2). 36
Table 2
Disciplinary Hearing and SARB Data School Years 2009/2010,2010/2011, & 2011/2012
School Expulsi ARPC SARB Expulsic SARB ExpulsioJ ARPC SARB on 2009- 2009- 2010- ARPC 2010- 20ll- 20ll 20ll 2009- 2010 2010 2011 2010- 2011 2012 2012 2012 2010 2011
Elemen- 4 9 14 0 5 0 4 2 tary Middle 66 65 40 50 76 15 81 26 11 Seh. Other 9 dna 1 7 dna 8 dna 0 HS Total 79 74 55 57 77 21 89 30 13 EAHS 25 3 60 24 10 10 23 3 2 MHS 29 6 30 24 24 0 36 5 0 MCHS 22 6 24 28 1 0 15 0 3 PHS 22 5 I 24 14 7 39 16 10 SRHS 32 18 10 30 19 0 25 5 0 TotalS 130 38 125 130 68 17 138 29 15 HS Total 220 112 183 187 145 41 228 59 34 Revised: 3/28/12 (09/10 school year: CWA conducted 3 SARB Hearings for SCOE students) dna-does not apply (10/11 school year: CW A conducted 3 SARB Hearings for SCOE students)
Prior to meeting Doug Bower and Russ Peterich, I also contacted Schools Plus via email. Schools Plus is a non-profit organization that supports all eleven major secondary schools in the SRCS by funding sports, music, art, and drama programs. The eleven schools include the five high schools, all five middle schools and Ridgeway Continuation
High School. I wrote,
SRCS does not currently offer a freshman football program. I am in the process of spear-heading the implementation of freshman football for all five high schools. I would like to implement a 12 month trial program as well at one site that will include after school tutoring, enriched learning activities, weight training, plus football. Then, after a year, evaluate the program to see ifthe objectives were met. I would love to meet wI Schools Plus representatives to discuss my goals and share my ideas. I look forward to hearing back from you. Thank you! Jose.
John Bribiescas, the Schools Plus chairman, called me and we had a lengthy 37 positive conversation. He was in complete favor of instituting freshman football as long as it included the West schools, meaning EAHS and PHS. I promised that it would. He wanted me to tell Doug Bower that I had spoken with John and that Schools Plus fully supported a freshman football program. Even though Schools Plus had just committed
$200,000 to save all spring sports in the SRCS, Doug Bower was not impressed. Doug remarked that the SRCS budget cuts were so bad that they might even cut out fall sports altogether. I immediately reminded him that he would then see a major student movement to neighboring districts, such as Rancho Cotate High School (RCHS), Windsor High
School, Analy High School (AHS), and especially Cardinal Newman Catholic High
School. He had no response.
Doug Bower did, however, leave us with specific instructions. First, we had to confirm a guaranteed "iron clad" self-funding Freshman Football Program. Second, we had to meet and gain the support or buy-in from each site's administrators, athletic directors, and coaching staff. Third, we were also directed to provide a self-analysis regarding the impact of freshman football and student movement. Fourth, we were to provide an estimation ofa roster count that freshman football would generate. Finally, we had to explain the overall general benefit that the implementation of freshman football would create.
Rich Swain, Rod Lund, and I continued to meet weekly_ We decided to first meet with each school to confirm that at each site, the administrators, athletic directors, and football coaches were all on the same page and in full support offreshman football. I sent emails out to each site separately to arrange dates and times for all ofus to meet. The following is the first email that I sent out to all of the sites and specific individuals. 38
Dear ---- Rich Swain, Rod Lund and I would like to set up a meeting after school with you, your administrative stan: athletic director, and current varsity and JV football coaches to discuss the possibility of the implementation of Freshman Football for the 2012-2013 school year. Mondays and Wednesdays work best for our schedule, please indicate a few dates and times that would work best for you and your staff. Thank you for your time and cooperation. We look forward to meeting with everyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Respectfully, Jose Salazar
There was no immediate response from any of the schools. There was no sense of urgency coming from the high schools. In fact, several weeks passed by, so I sent out a second notice to each site in hopes that schools would begin to respond.
Dear ---_. I haven't heard back from EAHS at alL Rich, Rod, and I met with Doug Bower and Russ Peterich last week, so meeting with each site is the next step in the process of hopefully implementing freshman football in SRCS for the 20l2-20l3 schooL Please let me know which Monday's or Wednesday's work best for your school. Again, I look forward to hearing from you and having the opportunity to meet wI your school. Please feel free to call me this weekend ifyou have and questions. Sincerely, Jose
After this second notice was sent out, I began to receive responses. One response was from Laurie Fong, the principal ofMHS. She responded by stating, "Jose, none of the SRCS high schools have frosh football. There are costs involved, as you know. We would not be able to field a team without District approval and support The best thing would be to contact the District's Athletic coordinator, Russ Peterich." That is when I decided to send out a third email that read as follows:
Dear ---- Rich, Rod, and I met with Doug Bower and Russ Peterich last week, so meeting with each site is the next step in the process of 39
hopefully implementing freshman football in SRCS for the 2012 2013 school. Please let me know which Monday's or Wednesday's work best for your school. Again, I look forward to hearing from you and having the opportunity to meet wi your school. Please feel free to call me this weekend if you have and questions. Sincerely, Jose
This last email was more effective in stating that we had already met with the district office and that meeting with each site was the next step. On Thursday,
October 27, 2011, at 3:15 p.m., Rod Lund and I met with EAHS. The principal, Mary present as well. As I began to inform EAHS ofthe meeting that had taken place between
Rich Swain, Rod Lund, Doug Bower, Russ Peterich, and I, I handed out an agenda that included our information, the five parameters that Doug Bower provided us, and the benefits that the implementation of freshman football could provide the students and schools. Below is a sample agenda that we provided at every meeting we attended to discuss freshman football:
3:00 PM Thursday. OCT. 27,2011 "Meeting wI EARS" Introductions Jose Salazar; Rod Lund; Rich Swain
SRCS...Mtg. wI Doug Bower & Russ Peterich 1. Confirm a guaranteed "Iron Clad" self-funding Freshman Football Program A) Current JV Head Football Coach ... $2,982 X 5 $14,910 B) Current Assistant JV & Varsity Coach ... $2,551 X 5 $12,755 2. Gain Support/Buy-In from site Administrators, Athletic Directors, and Coaching Staff 3. Provide a self-analysis regarding the impact of freshman football and student movement 4. Provide an estimation of a roster count that freshman football will generate 5. Explain the general benefit that the implementation of freshman football create
The 2012 League Reconfiguration North Bay League = NBL Sonoma county Leae;ue = SCL *Cardinal Newman High School * Analy High School 40
*Casa Grande High School *EI Molino High School Maria Carrillo High School (SRCS) Elsie Allen High School (SRCS) Montgomery High school (SRCS) **Healdsburg High School *Rancho Cotate High School *Petaluma High School Santa Rosa High School (SRCS) Piner High School (SRCS) *Ukiah High School *Sonoma High School *Windsor High School *Schools with a Freshman Football Program; **Pending on freshman participates
Pros for a Freshman Football Program Transition from middle school to high school Year-round commitment from June to May Bridges the regular school day to the after-school extracurricular activity Provides structure within structure on a regular daily and weekly basis Positive correlation between athletic participation and academic achievement Improve attendance and decrease dropout rate Mentors...Consistent positive male role models Develops leadership capacity Gang prevention/intervention ... a sense of belonging Builds team unity, creates a class identity, and adds to school spirit Instills core values Relies on teamwork, cooperation, and trust Encourage sportsmanship Respect for the game, teammates, coaches, opponents, and officials Increases physical benefits, as well as psychological, emotional and spiritual Increases parent involvement over the four years Increases additional gate and concession stand revenue Provides Volunteer Services opportunities at JV IVarsity football game Players often become contributing members to society and give BACK!
Freshman vs. JV Twelve-Month Program (handouts) Measure 0 Court Order Slot
Figure 1. Sample meeting agenda
After covering the agenda, there were some questions asked by Larry Mahre including, "Where's the proposal? Last time Swain and Lund had presented a real nice proposal." I reminded him that this was not a proposal to the board, and that we were coming together for a necessary meeting to inform them of Doug Bower's parameters and to gain their support. Larry Mahre then mentioned the fact that he believed that it 41 would be difficult to field a JV team and a freshman program. I then provided certain facts that I believed would help. First, I shared with him and the group that the current JV football team had 21 freshmen, 4 sophomores on the team, and that the rest ofthe sophomores were playing on varsity. I then stated that they pretty much had a freshman team already. Those 21 players could have benefited more in a season during which they only played against other freshmen. So, instead ofa record of 0-10, they could have had a better chance of winning against players of their own grade level.
Second, I also shared with the group a current situation at EI Molino High School and a conversation that I had with their AD. I had contacted Mike Roan a week earlier because it was brought to my attention that EI Molino did not have a JV football team that season. When we spoke he confirmed what I had heard. For the 2011 football season,
EI Molino did not field a JV football team because their numbers were too low. So, instead ofdropping the freshman program and forcing the freshmen to play up, they felt that the freshmen would benefit from continuing to play on a freshman-only team, while moving up the sophomores to varsity. It is not uncommon for schools in this area to have
6 to 12 sophomores playing on varsity. The overall plan for El Molino was to suspend the
.TV football team for one season, have a freshman-only football team, and for the following 2012 football season, those freshmen that participated on the freshman squad would then make up the 2012 .TV football team, and a then there would be both freshmen and JV for the 2012 season. Mary Gail was extremely intrigued and thought that fielding a freshman team and not a .TV team for the first year would be a great temporary solution.
We then attempted to tackle the self-funding issue. The first item that they brought up was the fact that they did not have a Parent Athletic Committee (PAC) to help 42 fundraise for athletic needs. One solution that Allan Petty brought up was the possibility ofreallocating unused coaches' stipends. He mentioned that the school had several unfilled paid coaching positions because of the lack of students participating in sports.
For example, last year EAHS did not have a track and field team because no one came out for it. EAHS does not have a girls JV soccer or a girls JV softball team because, unfortunately, not enough girls play those sports. He proposed possibly utilizing two unused coaches' stipends to pay for two freshmen coaches. He wondered if it would be possible to reallocate those unused funds towards two paid freshman football coaching positions. This seemed like a reasonable solution to their inability to fundraise.
An unexpected discussion also took place at this meeting with EAHS. Mary Gail asked me specifically why I was so involved in trying to push the whole freshman football idea. This is where the meeting made a 180-degree turn. I informed her that I was a former SRHS JV head football coach, but that I was a current MHS JV football coach.
Once I mentioned MHS, there was immediate animosity present. Mary Gail made sure that I was aware that most MHS athletic players were actually EAHS students. At that point, Larry Mahre and Allan Petty began to name more players that should have been
EAHS students that were now participating in MHS athletics. They also began to share their frustration regarding other students who now attended RCHS and AHS as well. The meeting continued to be unproductive, so I had to redirect everyone and reconfirm that they were willing to have a freshman team. EAHS did agree as long as they would not have to fundraise and that they would be permitted to reallocate coaches' stipends to pay for the coaching position/so
PHS was the second school that we met with to obtain their buy-in. We met with 43 them on Monday, November 7, 2011, at 3: 15 p.m. Rod Lund and I met with Sally
Bimrose, the principal, Stephen Mizera, the assistant principal, Rick Aistrope, the athletic director, and the first-year head football coach, John Antonio. I was really looking forward to this meeting because PHS had a unique situation among schools in SRCS.
PHS had just begun a Freshman Transitions Program.
I had to really cover the SRCS history at this meeting and I explained that up until
1997, the SRCS had junior highs and three-year high schools. When the decision was made to change the junior high schools to middle schools and the three-year high schools to four-year high schools, one component was overlooked intentionally or unintentionally. During the change, freshman sports were not included. All freshmen, in all sports, had to try out for JV sports. In 1999, freshman basketball was added, but this was one of Doug Bower's points. When freshman basketball was added, the committee that made the proposal had assured the district that it would be self-funded. However, those parents soon left and their promise evaporated. The district eventually began to fund the SRCS freshman basketball program.
Currently, the only area in which the district was responsible, financially, was the funding ofthe coaches' salary. There were four paid positions at the varsity level and two paid positions at the junior varsity level for a total of six paid positions at each site. There were five sites, which brought the total to 30 paid positions. The head varsity coaches received a stipend of $3,845, the JV head coach made $2,982, while the four assistant paid coaches earned $2,551. Therefore, for all five sites, the district office was paying a grand total of$85,155. Again, at the PHS meeting we covered an agenda that was similar to the one we provided at the EAHS meeting. 44
Towards the end of the meeting, Sally Bimrose said that she did not want to make a full commitment at that time. She wanted to think it over for a couple of weeks. Several days afterwards, 1 sent her the following email:
Thank you for the opportunity that you gave us to meet with you and your staff to discuss the possibility of SRCS Freshman Football. I feel that it was a promising discussion. 1 also would like to reassure you that a freshman football program plus the reconfiguration of the North Bay League and the Sonoma County League will benefit PHS the most. Unlike SRHS, MCHS and MHS who will have to face Casa, Rancho, Newman, and Windsor in back to back games, PHS will definitely find itself in the driver's seat in the new SCL. ..
Sally responded, "I too appreciate the clarity ofyour proposal and the work you did prior to meeting with us. The one difficulty is the expense of freshman football. 1 believe that there needs to be a district-wide fund that can support all five schools so that if there are financial shortfalls, no one has to eliminate their program." She makes an excellent point that will be echoed in future meetings.
It was interesting that at the PHS meeting, I couldn't really get a lot of information regarding their freshman program, only that a freshman transition program now existed. I had to come back to meet with Barry Sullivan, the counselor responsible for overseeing the program. He explained to me that their program was the result of a top-down decision and that it was funded through Measure O. It was a concern ofthe district office that so many students would attend PHS as freshmen, but for one reason or another, would end up transferring out to another school for their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Barry Sullivan shared the following components that made up the program:
1. A Computer Class was required of all ninth grade students. Students had a choice to take a computer class through the Early College Magnet program or a computer class for college and career. This class involves Study skills, time management, and 45
organization skills. 2. Counselors from CAPE (Crisis Assessment Prevention Education) made PowerPoint presentations regarding self-care, anxiety, depression, and suicide. 3. Lifeworks, an outside counseling agency, also met with students and granted six free individual students or family counseling sessions. They would also provide support for students receiving three or more F's. 4. Padres Unidos provided weekly supp0l1 for parents. 5. Parent Involved in Quality Education (PIQE) also provide additional support for parents who did not attend school in the United States. PIQE provides information of the whole school process leading up to graduating requirements. 6. Santa Rosa Community Health Care provided a three-day HIV prevention program. Kaiser Permanente also provided additional HIV presentations. (Personal Communication)
Barry Sullivan and I also discussed the drawbacks of the program and he said that the Freshman Transition Program does not offer an after-school tutorial component to help the students with academic needs. This could be accomplished with a teacher working a 2°_7° time period, instead of a 1°_ 6° time period. He also wished that it had a
"Link Crew" component in which freshmen would be paired up with seniors and that they would meet a least once a month.
Over the next six weeks, Rich Swain, Rod Lund, and I continued to meet with the three remaining schools: MCHS, SRHS, and finally MHS. Each meeting followed similar steps. We discussed Doug Bower's position and attempted to come up with creative thinking to fund the coaches' salaries. Each school agreed that they were all done fundraising. Each site thought that the district should fund it since the sites pay for everything else.
This would not be the sole source of funding. The additional freshman program would add to the funds raised through the $50 transportation fee required for all football players, and a freshman program would add sales to the gate collection and increase 46 revenue collected at concession stands during the Thursday game days. Additional freshmen would also contribute to the total amount of funds raised through other fundraisers, such as the sale of discount cards. Other budget costs could be paid through alternative means. For example, the cost of bus transportation would be funded by the players and their families. Each player pays a $50 transportation fee. So, if there are 50
JV players and 30 varsity players, that's a total of$4,000.
At MHS, the money collected as entrance fees at both the football and basketball games pays for all officials and for security. Therefore, the gate money goes towards the officials, not only for football and basketball games, but for all officials for volleyball games, tennis matches, baseball games, softball games, wrestling meets, etc. Every sport program benefits from this process. At MHS, all sales profits collected at the concession stands go towards the Booster Club, which in turn helps pay for new equipment, night lights, coaches' uniforms, etc. The Booster Club usually contributes around $8,000 a year from the concession stand alone. Again, at MHS, JV players must purchase their own practice jerseys for $25 and their two home and away game jerseys for $80. In addition, players must participate in fundraisers by selling 10 or 20 discount cards to the community for $10 each. Fundraisers are conducted in the spring during spring football and in August. The discount cards usually contribute about $6,000 a year. At MHS, there is separate athletic program funding that helps maintain the facilities, such as replacing the score boards and PA system at the stadium.
After meeting with all five SRCS high schools, administrators, ADs, and coaches,
I sent Doug Bower an email asking for clarification on the reallocation of stipends. I summarized for him the following three alternatives: 47
1) Schools would like to reallocate the coaches stipends of unfilled paid coaching positions and pay freshman coaches using those funds. For example, last year EAHS did not have track and field, a girls .TV soccer, and girls .TV softball. So, would they be able to reallocate those funds towards freshman football and have two paid positions, since they are not able to field other sports? 2) Schools would like to reallocate one ofthe current paid varsity positions and use it to pay the freshman coach. For example, the varsity football coaches receive four stipends while the .TV coaches receive two stipends, so can schools just pay their coaches this way instead ...varsity=3, .TV=2, and Frosh=l? 3) Schools would like to reallocate a stipend from the freshman basketball program, who receive two paid stipends for working w/ 12-16 players, if schools could just reallocate one of the paid position so instead oftwo paid coaches for freshman basketball it would only be one and the freshman football coach would then receive the other stipend.
Doug Bower's response was,
Thanks for the detailed information. Your questions get into areas ofgeneral fund budget management and collective bargaining, so I cannot provide direct answers other than to say the principals and/or athletic directors do not have the authority to simply shift funds and staffing allocations to create a new program. With your permission, I would like to forward your e-mail to the high school principals so that Mark, Russ and I can hear directly from them on these issues. You've done a good job of providing these details and scenarios, so the next step is to get the conversation to the management level which is the established route to the Board of Education and/or the bargaining table for the contract-related issues. Please advise if it is okay for me to share your e-mail with the principals.
I then contacted Andy Brennan, the president of the Santa Rosa Teacher
Association (SRTA), to inform him of our intentions. I wrote to him a detailed email; however, the following are excerpts from that message:
Dear Andy, I am currently spearheading the implementation of freshman football in SRCS. Russ Peterich instructed me that I had to go through Doug Bower. I met with Doug Bower and Russ Peterich back in October. Now, according to Doug, in order for this proposal to be placed on the agenda for the Board, I have met his FIVE requirements. I have already met with each school site and 48
most ofthe schools are definitely in favor of the program. EAHS said that they don't know ifthey can field both a freshman and a JV squad, but there are still in favor of it. EAHS also stated they will not be able to fund raise any money needed for the program, especially the coaches' stipend. However, they were wondering if they can reallocate other coaches stipends and place it towards two paid freshman coaching position. I am hoping that you can clarify for me. So, how can we reallocate coaches stipends? Is it possible? Is this a union issue? Are these questions for HR? Let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Andy Brennan's response was,
I have reviewed this carefully and technically, this is an administrative issue, not a union one. If someone were not getting paid or they denied you something that you were contractually guaranteed, then it would be something the union would handle. This would be a situation that the DO would handle and since you already talked to Doug about it, then you have a pretty good sense ofwhere he stands. As for allocating money, the site should be able to do that as long as it is funds that are not being spent ...
This last sentence really made sense because when I spoke with all ofthe schools and the varsity coach, I learned that not all ofthe sites pay their coaches the same. EAHS, MHS, and SRHS currently paid only four of their varsity coaches and only two JV coaches; the rest were considered volunteer coaches. When I had been the head JV football coach at
SRHS, five of the varsity coaches were paid while I was the lone paid JV coach. At PHS, three of the varsity coaches were paid and three ofthe JV coaches were paid. At MCHS, all ofthe varsity coaches were also the JV coaches, so they were all paid coaches. So if the sites were able to determine on their own how to pay coaches, they should be able to pay for a freshman coach as well.
Why is there a need to have a paid freshman football coach? Why can the coach not be a volunteer? There are district policies and procedures that dictate that we have to have a paid coach present at all times with the players. If the players are in the weight 49 room, there has to be a paid coach there as well. Ifthe players are out on the field, a paid coach has to be on the field as well. During travel games when players go and return on the bus, it is required that a paid coach be present on the bus as well. However, most of the coaches are considered volunteer coaches. All coaches have to be fingerprinted, CPR certified, and have to pass the state of California's certification requirement prior to assuming coaching duties.
At this point, I had not heard back from Doug Bower; however, we were still hoping that we could try reallocating the stipends provided. At this point, we still needed to push on and explore other options to fall back on financially in case we are unable to reallocate an assistant coach's stipends. I contacted John Bribiescas of Schools Plus in order to discuss the issue in more depth and to bring him up to date of what had occurred with the meeting in the district office and with the sites. I was also hoping to receive confirmation from Schools Plus that they would be making a commitment to provide direct funding towards the Freshman Football Program in order to implement it for the
2012-2013 school year; however, while we met, John Bribiescas informed us that the
Schools Plus bylaws do not allow the funding for a coach's salary or for lights. He said that they could make equal donations to all of the school towards equipment and gear.
My next task was to contact the Montgomery Boosters. I emailed the president of the Boosters, Jerry lroz. The following is the email:
My name is Jose Salazar and I am on a committee working to implement a freshman football program for the Santa Rosa City School District (SRCS), which will include all five high schools. The purpose of implementing freshman football is not just to improve the football program; not just for the X's and O's, but it is meant to transition students from middle school to high school, to improve grades, increase student participation, increase attendance, and enrich the overall high school experience for students. 50
However, we have been directed by the SRCS that the Freshman Football Program must be self-funded. Is there a time and place in which we can meet with you or a Booster Club representative to discuss a possible partnership? I look forward to your response.
I received a response immediately. Jerry Iroz's response was,
Thank you for the email and your commitment to developing a Freshman program for Santa Rosa City Schools. As I am sure you can appreciate, our ability to partner on such a project may be limited, but I would be interested in sitting down with you to learn more. I have also ccld my colleague, Bret Sackett. We share the duties ofrunning the Montgomery Booster Club and I suspect he would be interested in joining us too.
Rich Swain, Rod Lund, Jerry Iroz, Bret Sackett, and I met during the SRCS winter break. It was a positive meeting in which I was able to give them insight as to what had occurred thus far. The two ofthem had great questions that they wanted us to explore, such as a "Pay to Play" policy, because under their bylaws as well, they are not permitted to fund coaches' salaries.
We knew that the best solution to the coaches' stipends would be to reallocate a current assistant coach's stipend and utilize it as the freshman head coach's salary. In late
January of2012, I happen to be at the district office so I stopped by Doug Bower's office to see ifhe could reconsider using a coach's stipend. This would be great because no additional funding would be necessary. While I was speaking with him alone in his office, he became irate and was adamant that the reallocation ofthe coach's stipend was not an alternative and that we needed to fund it ourselves. He pointed to a stack of papers, picked them up, slammed them back down and said, "Parks and Rec just turned-in a proposal for soccer at the middle school level and it's fully funded by their organization.
Maybe, you should just present your proposal to the board now, so that you can stop lingering around!" 51
This led to two new areas that we now had to pursue. First, we had to go over
Doug Bower's head and consult an actual SRCS board member to ask for direction and guidance in dealing with Doug Bower. Secondly, I had to attempt to contact the Boys and
Girls Club to see if they would be willing to partner up in this solution. I spoke with Rich
Swain regarding my encounter with Doug Bower, and Rich Swain agreed to set up a meeting with Bill Carle. I had just recently had a discussion with a young man from the
Boys and Girls Club located in the Sonoma County Juvenile Hall and he had recommended that I contact his boss. I sent an email to Jason Weiss, the co-CEO of the
Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County:
Dear Mr. Jason Weiss, My name is Jose Salazar and I am a teacher in the Santa Rosa City School District (SRCS) and a JV football coach at Montgomery High School. I am working on a district proposal to implement Freshman Football for all five SRCS high schools. I envision a year-round after-school project, but I am currently running into an obstacle which, fortunately, is forcing me to connect to the community outside of the district. I am pursuing this project with two other gentlemen, Richard Swain and Rod Lund, who are very strong supporters in this initiative. On Friday evening, I spoke with Ricardo Navarrette and shared with him a lot of my ideas regarding freshman football. He then mentioned that he will share these ideas with you Monday morning in your meeting with him; however, I would really appreciate if we can all meet together to discuss in further details the project at hand. Rich, Rod and I can meet with you on any day, time, and location that works best for you. I am reaching out to you because I know that the Boys and Girls Club can playa crucial role in making this dream, for so many, a reality by providing support and resources. I look forward to your response and to creating, building, and developing a strong partnership with you and The Boys and Girls Club. Respectfully, Jose Salazar
Rich Swain and I met with Jason Weiss on Wednesday, February 22. It was a 52 promising meeting that unfortunately took place a month too late. Jason Weiss told us that we had great ideas that would work well with the vision of the Boys and Girls Club, but they had already submitted their proposal for EAHS and PHS; otherwise, he would have included the freshman football component to the after-school program. Jason Weiss also informed us that he would find out by April 10th if they were recipients ofthe bid.
One interesting topic that did come up was that the Boys and Girls Club is in the beginning stages oftrying to implement a middle school flag football league at the middle schools that they currently serve, such as Roseland Accelerated Middle School,
Hilliard Comstock Middle School, Lawrence Cook Middle School, and soon-to-be Santa
Rosa Middle School. What makes this so interesting is that the Boys and Girls Club is hoping to have flag football at three of the five middle schools. Ifthis program does pass without parity, then the district office would be contradicting itself again.
While I set up the meeting with Jason Weiss, Rich Swain arranged for the three of us to meet with Bill Carle. We met with Bill Carle on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.
We explained our objectives, updated him on our process, and informed him of our concerns with the obstacle we were currently facing regarding the reallocation ofthe coaches' stipends. He let us know that he would contact Doug Bower to get clarification regarding this matter. The following day Bill Carle left me a voice message regarding his conversation \vith Doug Bower in which he reported that Doug's three main concerns had to do, firstly, with parity and making sure that all of the schools had football. Secondly, he was concerned that utilizing unused girls' coaches' stipends was not an option.
Thirdly, he wanted to make sure that the district office did not end up paying for the coaches' salaries. Nothing was mentioned regarding the usage of the sixth football 53 stipend and because of that I asked Rich if he could get clarification from Bill Carle. I wanted Rich to contact Bill Carle alone in a more relaxed setting.
The following email was sent to me by Rich Swain after his conversation with
Bill Carle:
Hello: I spoke with Bill this afternoon and here are his comments: Doug seems to be ambivalent regarding the schools choosing their method ofpaying for the freshman coach's stipend. His concern is equality, more of girls vs. boys' sports. The example would be taking a girls track position (EAHS) and using it for a boys football position. In this case Doug would prefer not to touch a funded position. I discussed the idea of using one ofthe 6 football stipends already allocated and using one ofthe 2 freshman basketball positions. Bill liked this idea as it would utilize a position that would serve more boys. It sounds as if we may have some flexibility here but we need to be sure all schools are on board with this. Asking Bill where we go from here, he said that the concern can still go back to EAHS and PHS. The concern is that they might not have enough participants to field a freshman team. I mentioned the EI Molino example and Bill liked it as a potential solution. The bottom line is that we should meet with the two schools again, insure they understand the objectives and potential alternatives and insure that they are on board and supportive. Let's see ifwe can get together to update our summary; clearly identify the alternatives for funding the freshman stipend and support from EAHS and PHS. Thanks, Rich
The second part of Rich Swain's conversation with Bill Carle seemed to be promising. However, I still felt that I should ask for confirmation from Andy Brennan regarding the SRTS's position regarding the usage of the sixth coach's stipend. I emailed
Andy Brennan as follows:
Dear Andy, I just wanted to get your perspective again regarding the Freshman Football and the allocation of stipends. In the email below Doug 54
Bower stated," ... that principals and/or athletic directors do not have the authority to shift funds and staffing allocations to start a new program ... the next step is to get the conversation to the management level which is the established route to the Board of Education and/or the bargaining table for the contract-related Issues. In our last email conversation, you stated, "As for allocating money, the site should be able to do that as long as it is funds that are not being spent." I think right now, we are trying to stay away from using funds that are not being used to reallocate them towards a freshman football coach's salary, especially those stipends that are allocated for girls' sports. However, we are leaning towards MCHS idea of shifting one of the current paid assistant positions and use it towards paying the freshman coach. If you recall, the varsity football coaches typically receive four stipends while the JV coaches receive two stipends. At PHS, the varsity coaches already receive three varsity stipends while the JV coaches receive the other three stipends. When, I coached at SRHS the varsity coaches received five paid stipends, while I was the lone paid JV coach. So, if we can currently just pay varsity and JV coaches in any particular way without a true formula then why wouldn't we be able to use this strategy to pay a freshman coach? Why can't we say that the varsity will now receive three stipends, JV will receive two, and Frosh will receive one? Or we can also just keep the four varsity stipends, and just shift the assistant .IV stipend to the freshman program. Just so you know how much we're talking about ... the varsity head coach makes over $3,800, the JV head coach makes over $2,900, while all varsity and .IV assistants make $2,551. So, that what we're looking for to shift one of the assistant paid positions and $3,800, the .IV head coach makes over $2,900, while all varsity and .IV assistants make $2,551. So, that what we're looking for to shift one of the assistant paid positions and moving towards the head coach. We are NOT asking for additional funding. We are just asking to SERVE more students are our current high school settings! Please let me know what your thoughts are regarding this issue. Has this topic been brought up in district discussion regarding the bargaining table and so forth? I look forward to hearing back from you. I still have HIGH HOPES that we can start this summer!!!
Andy responded with a short email letting me know that he did not "see a problem with allowing sites the flexibility to structure their programs as long as it is not 55 resulting in an involuntary reduction." He added, "I am copying the chief negotiator on this. Have you met resistance to this idea by anyone?"
Several days passed, and I finally heard from the chief negotiator, who is Kurt
Kettleburg. His response was as follows:
In talks today with Mark this does not look like it is going to happen. New positions are negotiable and we have been negotiating some new positions. But this is not one ofthem because it did not come up soon enough. It could be, but it has lots of resistance at DO mainly based on the accountability ofputting together players before they reach high school. The comparison of switching duties around in define positions vs. switching duties around to create a new position will not fly at this time.
In this email Kurt Kettleburg made a reference to Mark. Mark Kick is the SRSC
Superintendent of Human Resource. This is not looking good again.
Again, I asked Rich Swain ifhe could speak with Bill Carle to clear this matter up with SRTA and the district office. I felt that it would be best if Rich could discuss this with Bill Carle alone so that Bill Carle did not feel as if we were ganging up on him. The following is the second email that Rich Swain sent to Bill Carle:
Hi Bill: We have hit a road block as you can see below from Kurt, who I believe is a teacher at MCHS. I am not sure how he fits into the equation but w~ had support from Andy, as far as the union is concerned. We have also met again with the folks at Piner and communicated with Allan P ofEA and they are supportive ofour project. We are continuing to meet with the various fundraising entities including boosters clubs and Schools Plus. We will be meeting with the MCHS PAC on April 16th and the SR AD's at their quarterly meeting in May. We seem to be very close to getting the freshman football program started and need additional input on where to go now. If we can get approval for each school to be able to identify how they want to fund their freshman coach, we can finalize the schedule and start working toward the fall season. Introducing a freshman program at the five SR high schools will allow more than 100 additional boys to become involved in an after school program. With the increase in drug usage and gang activities this seems to be 56
a very positive addition for the city high schools. If you have time this week, I would like to meet with you to discuss our next steps. Let me know if this will work and I will call your secretary to schedule a meeting. We appreciate all your support for this project, especially with all that you have on your plate...Thanks, Rich
Rich called me and wanted me to confirm that all schools had agreed to the proposal and that the SRTA was in full support as well. I told him that everyone was in support. On Wednesday, April 11, Bill Carle was to discuss our intentions with the
SRCS board in a closed session. He would get back to us to discuss the result ofthe meeting. On Monday, April 16, Rich Swain received a message from Bill Carle stating that no decision had been made and that additional information was needed. Rich Swain then set Bill Carle the following email from all of us:
Hi Bill: Thank you for your prompt reply, especially since you were out of the office on Thursday and Friday. You said that you had a discussion on Wednesday evening with the district folks and have asked them to do some work on your behalf. In particular, this will include checking with the various sites and their staff regarding the freshman football program. You also mentioned that there is some reluctance on the part of the folks at the district office. We would like to understand what their reluctance is as it most likely pertains to issues that we have already covered. We have focused only on using one ofthe six positions for the freshman head coaching position that already are allocated to each SRHS football program. By doing this, we are not taking anything away so that there won't be any union opposition. We have also addressed the issue of additional funding sources for each schooL If there is a scheduling issue so that we can't get into the existing freshman schedule for the 2012 season, we can always start with the 5 SR city schools playing an 8 game schedule, 2 times (horne and away) against each other. Bill, we really appreciate your help with this program and know that we can't do this without your support! You said that you hoped to hear back from them by mid-week and we will wait for your reply. Thanks, Rich, Rod, Jose 57
Bill Carle then responded with a simple response,
The reluctance is not defined and is my impression. I think what I have asked them to do in checking with sites will shed light on any concerns that might exist. Let's see what I get back later in the week. Bill.
The week came and went and we still had not heard back from Bill. We all held high
hopes that there would be a positive decision.
On Thursday, May 10, at 9:00 in the morning, Rich Swain, Rod Lund, and I
attended a SRCS Athletic Directors' meeting in the district boardroom. All ofthe
secondary athletic directors were supposed to attend; however, less than half were
present. Halfway through our presentation/discussion, which lasted about an hour, the
assisted superintendent ofcurriculum and instruction 7-12, Arlen Agapinan, quietly joined the meeting and began to observe. At this meeting, we were scheduled to present
as the first item on the agenda. Russ Peterich announced that we were there to make a
freshman football proposal; however, when I began to address the group, I stated that we
were actually there to update the group on where we were at the present time. I was really
looking forward to meeting with all the AD's because this would mean that we would
finally all be in the same room. I was really truly anticipating their verbal and unanimous
support. Since middle school athletic directors were present as well, I gave a thorough
overview ofour intentions, what our instructions were from Doug Bower, the schools
with which we had met, and what our next steps should include in order to make
freshman football a reality.
In fact, I even presented a worst-case scenario and informed the group that ifthe
board was not willing to allow us to implement an official freshman football program in
which the five SRCS high schools would compete in the NBL and the SCL, then the 58 schools could possibly look for an alternative by having the SRCS freshmen scrimmage each other twice in a season. The athletic director from SRHS, Jake Fitzpatrick, then asked, "Well, what would that accomplish?"
I responded that more freshmen would be given the opportunity to participate, freshmen would compete against other freshmen, and more sophomores on the JV would playas well. He also mentioned the possibility of EAHS not being able to field a freshman program and a JV program. Again, I addressed that by using the EI Molino HS scenario that had occurred this year. Plus, I explained to him that this past EAHS .TV football team had consisted of20 freshmen and 4 sophomores, and asked, why force those sophomores to compete against older players while they can simply compete against other freshmen? This makes perfect sense; therefore, he had no response. It did not seem as if he cared.
Russ Peterich then added his thoughts and gave us a sincere recommendation to follow. He stated that if we were to include in the proposal a guarantee commitment to raise funds, using one school as an example, that if we could fundraise $100,000 for five years, then the school board would approve our proposal. I sat there in disbelief. I internally questioned his suggestion because his proposal was just for one school. In my mind, I did the math: $100,000 for one school, but there were five schools in the district.
That would equal a commitment to fundraise $500,000 for all five schools for the next five years. At that point, I knew that there was not going to be any support from this meeting.
Rich Swain then quickly summarized our next steps. He suggested that if it were determined that we were too late to enter the Sonoma County leagues, then we should 59 continue to push for the reallocation of the sixth coach's stipend and assign it to a freshman head football coach position, establish a SRCS freshman football league, which would eliminate the need for bus transportation because the league would be within the city limits of Santa Rosa, schools would play twice in a season, freshmen would play on
Thursdays, and then we could continue to push for the freshman program for next year.
At this point, Arlen Agapinan made some suggestions and offered to assist us in this process. We then ended our discussion and left. Later that day, I emailed Mr.
Agapinan the following:
Dear Arlen Agapinan, Thank you for your input this morning during the SRCS Athletic Director's meeting. Rich, Rod, and I were wondering if you are available to meet to discuss further how we can work together. We would really appreciate your perspective and directions in this matter. The three of us are available to meet after 3pm. Please, let us know which dates and times work best for you. We look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day! Jose, Rich, and Rod
At this point, Rich Swain was sending Bill Carle continuous updated emails regarding our progress.
Hi Bill: The following is a summary of our meeting this morning with the SR city schools AD's, which included the junior high AD's: 1. Our proposal to the school board will include the use of one ofthe existing six football coaching stipends to staff the head freshman football coach position. Each high school can determine how they want to allocate their 5 remaining stipends. 2. We will start this season with a SR freshman football league. This will simplify establishing the schedule since we will not need to try to get into the existing Sonoma County freshman football schedule for the 2012 season. This will also eliminate the transportation issue since all games will be within the SR city boundary and transportation will be provided by the parents. These two points will allow the district to approve of the plan without incurring any additional expense. Regarding any additional expense that may occur for 60
equipment, officials, etc., MHS, MCHS and SRHS can fund these through their existing boosters clubs and foundations. We believe that PHS can fund at least a portion of any additional expenses. We will secure a commitment from an outside funding source, such as Schools Plus, to provide necessary funds to EAHS and if a portion is needed, to PHS. This will insure parity between the high schools so that they can move forward with a program if they choose to. We can also assist ifthere appears to be a shortage of players. One idea models that of El Molino in that a school could decide to play this season with a freshman team and no JV team. Arlen Agapinan was at the meeting this morning and Jose is scheduling a time to get together with him to get more of his insight into the project. Let us know your thoughts on this direction and ifthere are other avenues that we should follow. Thank you for your support, Rich
It had been over a month since we last heard from Bill Carle. We finally received a response and it was not the response I was hoping for: "My understanding was that you guys were going to be doing a board report which would be submitted, added to by staff and put on the Board agenda. Thought this was on its way to the Board?" We then responded back to clarify; however, Bill Carle responded again with another disappointing email:
I think the main concern is going to be whether some sites have the time, energy and sufficient kids to make a program work. That raises parity issues. Sounds like you are trying to address that with schools plus. My understanding from district office was that you were going ahead with a Board report/proposal and that it would be on our agenda.
Mr. Agapinan responded eleven days later to the email I sent him requesting that the four of us to work together on this project. He responded as follows:
Dear Jose, Rich and Rod: Before I proceeded further with a meeting, I wanted to fully understand your group's request to promote freshman football in the high schools and to gain some background knowledge on the topic. Besides, discussing this with Russ, I took the liberty of 61
consulting Doug Bower in the Business Services Office and was told you've broached his office numerous times over the years with this same proposal and to be honest, this endeavor has not been fully supported. It is especially difficult to lend support even now, given this current dire fiscal climate. I understand your group is strident in bringing this proposal forward, but I cannot make time to discuss this further when the support is lacking. If you insist with bringing forth a proposal, it will be one that you independently develop and submit to Business Services for review and ultimate decision by the Board. Please know that you must address all aspects of the program - fiscal, staffing, facilities - and that you must have full support of the school principals and athletic directors to make this proposal tenable. Sincerely, Arlen Agapinan
Clearly, this was not the response we were hoping to receive. Mr. Agapinan's words really made it clear that this proposal would not be approved anytime soon.
Sadly, the expected outcome of this project was and is to improve the overall experience of ninth grade students academically, socially, and athletically in order to produce future leaders and contributing members to society. I envision more freshman students participating in freshman football throughout the five SRCS high schools. This increase in numbers is important because I believe that there will be a domino effect of students improving grades, increases in attendance, fewer students dropping out of school, fewer students joining gangs, and more students increasing their self-esteem, motivation, and confidence. More students will be exposed to positive male role models.
The lack ofpositive male role models is a major reason that so many young men join gangs and end up incarcerated. Implementation ofa freshman football program will increase school spirit, school and team unity, and reinforce individual and group identity.
It will increase respect for the game, teammates, coaches, officials, and opponents.
Freshman football will promote social interaction, help participants develop coping skills, 62 and teach them to deal with the consequences oftheir behavior. It will instill discipline, dedication, determination, desire, perseverance, and commitment. Players will display acts of courage.
The purpose ofimplementing of freshman football is to transition students from middle school to high school, improve grades, increase student participation, increase attendance, and enrich the overall high school experience for students.
I know that with the addition of freshman football, player participation will increase to an additional 25-35 player roster per freshman squad that would otherwise not even bother to play. The more players who participate, the more students who stay engaged in school, the fewer students who drop out, and the more students who will eventually become
contributing members to society. All of these little things count and are bound to make all the difference. Dwight D. Eisenhower is reputed to have said, "There are no victories at
bargain prices" (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/dwightdei12473 6.html). 63
Chapter 4
The Project
I envisioned two separate freshman football projects for the SRCS that might be developed simultaneously. The first project was simply initiating a freshman-only football squad at all five SRCS high schools beginning in the summer of 2012 and continuing through the fall school year. The second possible freshman football project might involve not only initiating a freshman-only football squad at MCRS, MRS, and
SRHS, but also implementing an official 12-month summer and after-school program, in cooperation with the Boys and Girls Club from Central Sonoma County, that would include various components, such as nutritional snacks, tutoring, an enrichment learning curriculum, and freshman football itself.
The inaugural SRCS freshman-only football season would begin in the summer of
2012. Upon graduating from middle school on May 25,2012, eighth-grade graduates interested in participating in high school football would officially be recognized as incoming freshmen on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. On this date, the freshman football practice would officially begin for all SRCS.
At MRS, summer practices would consist of weight training on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays on the field and in the weight room, while skill practice development would take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the football field. All freshman boys and girls would have an excellent opportunity to become stronger, learn the basic fundamentals at an appropriate developmental level, and begin new lasting friendships with their teammates. At MRS, incoming freshmen would practice from 3: 15 until 5:30 p.m. At MRS, one way to help incoming freshmen transition from middle 64 school to high school would be to assign all freshman players a senior brother to serve as a mentor. Seniors would be assigned to freshman players and would be introduce to each other at a freshman/senior BBQ event.
During the summer, incoming freshmen would also have an opportunity to attend the Blue Chip Football Camp for additional skill development and for many, their first introduction to the usage offull pads and full contact. During this week of Freshman Blue
Chip Football Camp, players would build a stronger team unity. In football, as in many other team sports, team unity is germane in order for the team to be successful, but more importantly, in order for each individual to understand that there is a need for others. The former Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, best described the concept ofteam and effort when he said,
Winning isn't everything, but making the effort to win is .... People who work together will win. Whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems ofmodem society .... The achievements of an organization are the results ofthe combine effort ofeach individual. ... Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. (http://vincelombardi.com/quotes.html)
After the football season begins in August, the weekly freshman football schedule would consist of two intense practice days on Mondays and Tuesdays to cover the offense and defense. Wednesdays would be used to review the offense, defense, and special teams. Freshman game days would be scheduled for Thursdays.
One unique aspect of freshman football is known as "The Fifth Quarter," which reserves additional playing time for all players who do not have a chance to play during the regular four quarters. The game officials do not participate in this tradition, and it is usually run by the coaches. Freshman teams would playa season of 8-1 0 games with no 65 playoffs at the end ofthe season. Fridays would be a day to review the game film, incorporate light conditions, and also provide an opportunity for freshmen to volunteer their services for JV and varsity home games. Freshman volunteers would be assigned to a rotating schedule and be asked to assist during the JV and varsity football games in the concession stands, on the field, or wherever else they might be needed. When the season ends, freshmen would continue after-school weight training during the off season. Other freshmen who did not play freshman football will be invited to join the players after school to begin weight training in preparation for the upcoming year. During the two week spring football session in the middle of May, freshman players would officially become recognized as JV players.
The second possible freshman football program might occur only at EAHS and
PHS. It would be part ofthe summer and after-school Boys and Girl Club. It would still consist of a 12-month football schedule, but it would also include a daily nutritional snack, a homework help/tutorial session, an enrichment curriculum, football, and weight training. An estimated budget proposal would include the coach's salary of$2,551, supporting year-round staff that might include the freshman head coach would cost
$15,000, and an additional $5,000 would be needed for snack and materials. The total budget would be $22,551. Ifthe Boys and Girls Club ofCentral Sonoma County were to receive their grant, they would receive a budget of $250,000 for each school for the following five years -- that is a half a million dollars. The schedule would be broken down to the summer, season, and off-season. The following schedule shows specifically how the twelve-month football schedule would be organized (see Table 3): 66
Table 3. Tentative SRCS Freshman Football Program 2012-2013 School Year 1) SUMMER 2012 (JUNE-JULY-AUGUST) MONDAY TUESDA Y WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 3:00 *ELE ELE ELE ELE ELE 3:30 3:30 * *CIT Offense CIT Offense CIT Defense CIT Defense CIT Special 4:00 Playbook Playbook Playbook Playbook Teams 4:00 Strength & Offense Strength & Defense Strength & 6:00 Conditioning Skills Conditioning Skills Practice Conditioning Practice *Enriched Learning Experiences=ELE **ChalklTalk=C/T
ELE includes the following components: 1. Life Skills ... Organization Skills 2. Character Building, Core Values, Leadership Skills ... 3. Nutritional Facts
CIT includes the following classroom discussion: 1. Offense run-plays broken dO\\;TI by position 2. Offense pass-plays broken down by position 3. Defense run-coverage broken down by position 4. Defense pass-coverage broken do\vTI by position 5. Special Teams ...Punt, Punt Return, Kickoff, Kickoff Return, and Field goal unit
2) SUMMER 2012 (JULY 10 - 14) MON. TUES. WEDNESDAY THURS. FRlDAY SAT 3:00PM- 5:30PM- 9AM-12Noon 9AM- 9AM-2PM 9AM 6:00PM 7:30PM 12Noon l1AM ELE I CT Freshman Blue Chip Football Camp @ Montgomery High School Strength & Condition 67
3) FALL SEMESTER 2012 (AUGUST-SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER) MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY (*ER) 3:15- Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & Progress 4:15 Homework! Homework! Homework! Pregame Walk Reports Due Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Through Review Game Film 4: 15- ELE/CT ELE/CT ELE/CT GAME DAY Light 4:45 Conditioning 4:45- Football Football Football Volunteer for 6:15 Practice (Off.) Practice Practice JVN arsity (Def.) (Review) Game *MONDA YS are EARLY RELEASE DAY =(ER) Homework/Tutoring begins at 2:30 Ten Game Schedule (No Playoffs)
4) SATURDAY 2012 (Field Trip in NOVEMBER) Tour & Attend Santa Rosa Junior College Home Football Game
5) OFF-SEASON 2012 (NOVEMBER-DECEMBER) MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. 3: 15 Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & Homework! 4:15 Homework! Homework! Homeworkl Homework! Tutoring & Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Progress Reports 4:15 ELE ELE ELE ELE MOVIE 4:45 NIGHT 4:45 Strength & Strength & Strength & Strength & 6:15 Conditioning Conditioning Conditioning Conditioning Possible Football Films: The 5th Quarter (20 I 0) PG The Blindside (2009) PG-13 Brian's Song (200 I) PG The Express (2008) PG Friday Night Lights (2004) PG-13 Invincible (2006) PG Remember the Titans (2000) PG Rudy (1993) PG They Call Me Sir (2001) PG-13 We Are Marshall (2006) PG Possible Alternative Films: Coach Carter (2005) PG-I3 The Greatest Game Ever Player (2005) PG Hoosiers (1986) PG Miracle (2004) PG Rocky (1976) PG Tough Enough (1983) PG 68
6) FINALS WEEK in DECEMBER 2012 I End of 2nd Qtr. Ilst Semester) MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. 2:30 Snack & Minimum Minimum Minimum Day No School 4: 15 Homework DayRR DayRR RR Teacher / Tutoring WorkDay
REST and RELAX=RR
7) SPRING SEMESTER 2013 (JANUARY 7 - MAY 3 MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. 3: 15 Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & 4: 15 Homework! Homework! Homework! Homework! Homework! Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring & Progress Reports 4:15 ELE ELE ELE ELE ELE 4:45 4:45 Strength & Strength & Strength & Strength & Strength & 6:15 Conditionin Conditionin Conditioning Conditioning Conditioning g g
8) SPRING FOOTBALL 2013 (MAY 6-17) as JV Players MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. 3: 15 Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & Snack & 4: 15 Homework Homework Homework! Homework Homework! / Tutoring I Tutoring Tutoring I Tutoring Tutoring & Progress Reports 4: 15 Football Football Football Practice Football Football 6:15 Practice Practice Practice Practice
9) FINALS WEEK in MAY 2013 (End of 4th Qtr./2nd Semester) MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. 2:30 Snack & Snack & Minimum Day Minimum Day Minimu 4: 15 Homework Homework! RR RR mDay I Tutoring Tutoring RR
10) SUMMER 2013 (JUNE-JULY -AUGUST) ...New incoming freshman class
I would like to explain further how life skills or character building might be introduced to the players. From my experiences as a player and as a coach, life skills and 69 character building go hand and hand with sports. An example of like skills comes from an online program known as "Life Skills for Teens ... Creating Leaders Who are
Committed to Making a Difference!" (Life Skills 4 Teens, n.d.). Their program focuses on helping teens learn the following skills:
To set achievable goals with specific measurable outcomes visibly in existence. To see themselves as others see them. To communicate in a way that leaves people empowered. To eliminate gossip from conversations. To study in a way that is productive and proactive. To be a leader with a commitment to making a difference. To live life as a Human Being not a Human Doing. To be able to say what they mean and mean what they say. To discover their unique entrepreneurial gifts and talents.
Suitable ideas and materials to share with players and to incorporate into the life skills portions of the after-school program are provided by Ron Clark (2003) in the book,
The Essential 55. He provides fifty-five rules that he generated for his fifth-grade elementary students, but which also apply to incoming freshmen. His top five out fifty- five rules are as follows:
RULE 1. When responding to an adult you must answer saying "Yes ma'am" or "No sir." Just nodding your head or saying any other form of yes or no is not acceptable (p. 1). RULE 2. Make eye contact. When someone is speaking, keep your eyes on him or her at all times. If someone makes a comment turn and face that person (p. 2). RULE 3. If someone ... wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person (p. 6). RULE 4. During discussion, respect other students comments, opinions, and ideas ... (p.9). RULE 5. If you win or do well at something, do not brag. If you lose, do know show anger ... To show anger or sarcasm ... shows weakness (p. 14).
Most football coaches pride themselves in instilling some form of character building, core values, and/or leadership skills into the players. Coaches love to use quotes 70 from coaches ofall sports, athletes from various sports, famous people throughout
history, etc. Most players are willing to listen, learn, and accept the understanding,
meaning, or message of each quote, because not only are these statements being presented by their coaches/mentors but because most players are drawn to the concept of
having a warrior's spirit. Players are opened to adopting a warrior's code. This warrior
spirit is similar to the Japanese samurai's bushido, which means "the way of the warrior."
In bushido, the samurai believed and lived by a warrior's code ofloyalty, devotion, obedience, duty, filial piety, respect, self-sacrifice, and honor to the death.
The warrior's code is also similar to that of the medieval knights of King Arthur or even to that ofthe modem-day soldier. The knight's code is suggested to have been as follows:
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. Thou shalt defend the Church. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born. Thou shalt not recoil before the enemy. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word. Thou shalt be generous ... Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and EviL (http://www.medieval-spell.com/Medieval-Code-of-Chivalry.html)
A warrior's code suggested by Mark Divine (2007), NavySEALS.com founder, is as follows:
Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate Serve with Honor and Integrity On and Offthe Battlefield 71
Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit Take responsibility for your actions and the actions ofyour teammates Excel as Warriors through Discipline and Innovation Train for War, Fight to Win, Defeat our Nation's Enemies Earn your Trident every day
The cadets at West Point simply follow the West Point's Cadet Honor Code: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." At my alma mater, Servite High
School, our coaches stressed to us the Four D's: Discipline, Dedication, Determination, and Desire. Now, the current football coaches stress, "Love your teammates. Do your job.
Playas hard as you can. Be physical when you get there!"
In a book that deliberately focuses on character building written for coaches and athletes titled Be an Eleven: Guidebook/or Success, Dr. Greg Shepard (2002) describes what it means to be an Eleven,
On a scale of one to ten, what do you want to be? How about an Eleven! Do you want to be average, above average, or outstanding? .. . . Elevens are awesome people. They strive to be excellent in all areas of life. Elevens make every effort to be great students. Elevens are trustworthy and dependable. They are people you can count on. They are goal oriented and make success happen. They are morally strong. Elevens pull others up spiritually, mentally and physically. They are pleasant to be around in every situation and among all groups ofpeople. Elevens are loving and respectful to others, especially to their own family members. They are leaders and do the right thing, even if criticized.... An eleven holds himself or herself to the highest possible standard in order to attain his or her highest personal destiny and to help others to attain their true destinies. (p. 10)
In terms of character building, Dr. Shepard explains perfectly the true objective of developing one's character.
Dr. Shepard's book also reminds me ofmy freshman year and how my football coach stressed to us everything but playing footbalL In fact, during the summer of my 72 incoming freshman year, we, the players, did not see a football, learn a play, or do anything that was directly football related. We did jumping jacks as a team until they were perfect. If we were unable to do ten jumping jacks in a row together, then how could he expect us to run a play together? Everything we did was indirectly focused on football. We learned to line up. When our coach commanded us, "Toes on the line!," we had to line up with our toes on the line, shoulder to shoulder, socks pulled up, shirts tucked-in, no talking, eyes forward, and ready for the next instruction. Our coach, literally, talked to us about taking out the trash and doing our chores at home without having to be reminded by our parents. If we did not have chores assigned to us we would have to do them anyway. I will never forget the correlation between our chores at home and football. Coach Toner would ask us with the utmost sincerity, "If your parents who love you so much cannot count on you at home, then how can I count on you here?" He was demanding and had high expectations for us to excel as an individual and as a team on and off the field.
In the book, 101 Positive Athletic Traditions, Bruce Eamon Brown (2007) shares a player's pledge which illustrates another example of the warrior's spirit and the pursuit of character building,
An example of a player's pledge that the University of Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti uses in his program: "I promise to play the game with great courage and never make excuses. I will play with great intensity and give everything I have. I will finish plays and never give up. I will take responsibility for actions and inactions. I will continue to push my teammates and myself to be the best in athletics, academics, and in life. I will support my teammates and treat them like family. I will enjoy myself and make football fun for everyone." (p. 16)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is reported to have said, "The function ofeducation is to 73 teach one to think intensively and to think critically .... Intelligence plus character; that
is the goal of true education"
(http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_function_oCeducationjs_to_teach_one _toI146485.
html). But how do students achieve this goal on their oVvn? How do educators ensure that
students not only learn to think intensively, but develop true character? It has been
explained differently by famous people. Helen Keller is reported to have expressed,
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and
suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved"
(http://quotationsbook.com/quote/59841). Incoming freshman football players can develop true character as they endure a whole year of football year after year for four years, and what they build can become a legacy that they can stand on its own for a
lifetime. 74
Chapter 5
Conclusion
As I reflect on the importance of life choices that young adolescent males face daily, I am saddened to think even though implementing freshman football might possibly help so many youth, the possibility seems remote at this time. I know, personally, that the reason that I stayed in school, the reason that I studied, kept my grades up, stayed in top physical shape, and watched what I ate, was football. I studied and trained as often as possible to make myself eligible to participate. Not only did I want to be eligible, I wanted to be the strongest, the fastest, and the hardest-working player possible. I wanted to be the best teammate. I wanted my coaches and teammates to have the highest confidence in me at all times. For me, football allowed me to build my self esteem in order for me to reach my full potential.
Now, it seems so common to see many good young men out of shape and not caring about school, sports, what their parents think of them, or what other adults think of them. They don't seem to care about themselves, period. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the childhood obesity rate has tripled in the past 30 years. In an article titled, "The Physical Fitness Test Results Are In!" (California PE
Flops, 2011), even the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom
Torlakson (2011), has expressed his concerns regarding California Physical Education
State Test results: "Nothing is more important than the health of our children and today's results show that many of them need helping hand to get fit and stay in shape." He is specifically referring to physical education fitness test results from 2010 and how
California physical education is a failure, with only one in three students in fifth, seventh, 75
and ninth grade passing the fitness test. The American Heart Association recommends
that children get a least 60 minutes ofmoderate physical activity every day. Are they
getting this?
With the rise of video games, time spent watching television, popularity of social
media, and the overall increase in computer usage, it's very discouraging to think of the
inevitable direction future generations are heading in regards to their physical wellbeing.
According to an article, "The Effects ofVideo Games on Children: What Parents Need to
Know," in the June, 2004, issue in Pediatrics for Parents, Dr. Douglas A Gentile
describes research conducted that
seems to show that parents have an important role to play. Children whose parents limited the amount oftime they could play and also used the video game ratings to limit the content ofthe games have children who do better in school and also get into fewer fights. Regarding limiting the amount, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children not spend more than one to two hours per day in front ofall electronic screens, including TV, DVDs, videos, video games (handheld, console, or computer), and computers (for non-academic use). This means seven to fourteen hours per week total. The average school-age child spends over 37 hours a week in front of a screen. We all like to think our children are above average, but on this dimension it's not a good thing.
Parents can not only help monitor time in front of the computer, video games, and/or the television, but they playa huge role in the success of a football program.
Parents involvement includes assisting with the concession stand, helping out with the chain gang during games, driving players to games within the city of Santa Rosa,
attending practices, games, and other functions, such as weekly team dinners or fundraisers held by the high school booster clubs. Parents also playa huge role at the end-of-year team banquet.
In this whole process of attempting to implement freshman football in the SRCS, 1 76 have developed a new perspective regarding individuals and roles they play in various organizations. I realize that, although I and many other individuals see clearly the benefits of sports and athletics, there are also those that clearly never grew up having a positive experience with sports. When I did meet with individuals or groups, it was obvious who had backgrounds in athletics because they showed their appreciation.
I also realize that when working with a large organization and individuals at various high levels of decision making, it is imperative not to be naive about the whole political process. One must understand the political structure that one faces, whether it is a small local non-profit organization, a school district, a city, a county, a state, or higher.
One must also be prepared to deal with a long, tedious decision-making process and know that every political decision is bound to have funding or a budget as the primary driving force. Seemingly, all decisions that are made in organizations are based on politics. The budget is a huge factor because money drives a lot of decisions. Certain organizations are only concerned about money. In various encounters, there seems to be a real lack of pride of ownership.
The Roseland School District is a local school district in the City of Santa Rosa and is a significantly smaller district than the SRCS district; however, in the Roseland
SchooI District there seems to be more of a sense of pride of ownership in Roseland than in other schools districts. The school grounds are well kept and beautiful, the buildings are well taken care of, the gardens are tended on a daily basis, and trash is collected daily.
However, at the SRCS schools, the school grounds and buildings are tired and barely maintained, which to me translates into an overall lack of pride of ownership.
When dealing with certain individuals from larger organizations, I thought that 77 they did not seem very connected to the schools nor to the students. There is a definite disconnection between the district decision-makers and the common staff. These money driven administrators seem to really want to preserve a structured chain ofcommand from the top down that creates an unfriendly environment.
Whenever people have to deal with a governing body, such as a school district office, they find that they must work with different individuals that have to take part in decisions. Everyone has a role; therefore, communication is a key factor. Elements ofthe infrastructure do not always communicate and are not always on the same page.
Everyone has a say, yet no two people seem to be on the same page. With large organizations, especially with a district office, individuals seem to be more fragmented and isolated instead of forming a more collaborative environment. There are many laws, by-laws, policies, and regulations that have to be observed, which prevent many good ideas from succeeding. An example of these restrictive controls has to do with SRCS unions. The MHS Boosters wanted to repaint the weight room to give it more of an updated look; however, they were quickly prevented from doing so because the district employs its own full-time painters who are part ofthe union, which prohibits any outsiders from painting any district structure, and the union painters were never able to get around to painting the weight room because it never made the priority list for the task to be accomplished.
A similar situation occurred at a different high school, which will remain nameless. Their booster club also aspired to repaint a specific area to give it an updated look. They wanted to repaint certain storage units using the schools colors. The paint was going to be donated to the school by a local Kelly Moore Paint store, while the 78
booster club members were willing to paint the unit themselves. They too faced union
issues regarding the district painters; however, they were instructed by the principal to just do it. The storage units were painted by the boosters and now they complement the
facility a lot better than before. Enforcing restrictions overly scrupulously tends to lead to
unhealthy school cultures in which staff members feel they are working in a non
collaborative environment and as if they are on a dysfunctional team. These bureaucratic policies destroy school morale, especially the morale of the many individuals who
volunteer many hours to athletic teams, to sites, and/or organizations. General George
Marshall is famously reported to have said, "It is morale that wins the victory"
(http://www.motivatingquotes.com/victory.htm)
All of the non-profit organizations that I met with to discuss freshman football
were composed ofstaff with great enthusiasm and passion for what they did in their
organizations and for the communities that they served. I appreciate their commitment
and dedication to their callings. Many of the volunteers are appreciated by those they
impact the most, but they seem to be extremely underappreciated by the powers that be.
For example, I consistently meet former players that thank me for the time I spent
working with them and their teammates. I have had many former players share with me
that the best shape they have ever been was during the time I worked with their team.
Former players also contact me and ask if we can continue to work out on a regular basis.
At the time, when I spent hours instructing these players, it was difficult to know what they were thinking. So, when I do meet former players, years later, they have had time to reflect and appreciate their experiences. Even I, as an adult, make attempts to call or visit my former coaches from junior high, high school, and junior college, and my football 79 coaches from Sonoma State University.
I do think ofthe longs hours that I put towards football and at times my wife will
remind me that I need to take time off here and there because otherwise, I will spend the whole year on football, nonstop. For example, starting in December, I open up the weight
room four times a week for an hour and fifteen minutes at a time for all freshmen
interested in playing JV football in the fall. These hours adds up to be about 96 hours of my time from December to the end ofthe first week of May. Then we have two weeks of spring football, which adds another two hours a day for ten school days - another 20 hours. An additional 80 hours can be added as time spent throughout the summer of strength training and skill practices. When the season starts in August, football begins to take up six days a week, which adds another 144 hours, for a grand total of about 344 volunteer hours. That's just me, one individual. If I were working these hours at a teacher wage, I would earn a total of $13,600. Year after year, no one will know how much time is committed, and that is a shame. I agree with Richard Ogren, who is reported to have
stated, "The one thing we have to offer, in this life, of real value, is our time to others"
(http://inkarcerated. intrasun. tcnj .edulabout/inspirationalquotes.html).
If I had the ability to alter a step taken in this whole process, I think that I would
have attempted to meet with everyone at once instead of having so many different opinions voiced in small groups. I think that it would have been advantageous if all ofthe
key stakeholders had heard everyone's opinions regarding freshman football, and this might have insured that everyone was on the same page.
As I look back at the process and attempt to put in perspective what I learned and observed from others, I feel that it is imperative to have clear and effective 80 communication skills. It is also crucial to empower your team members and subordinates with the tools they need to make executive decisions, show confidence in their ability to get the job done, and then leave them to their tasks knowing that you are available for them as a resource if needed. Working in a collaborative environment where leadership develops leadership, true leaders are able to lead other leaders, while average leaders can just lead followers who do not know how to lead. A perfect illustration can be taken from a football coaching staff. The head coach explains to the position coaches what the true objective is in a series of plays - offense, defense, regardless. The head coach then expects that each position coach will coach his players to accomplish the goal. Then all positions are brought together and the plays are run as a team. The head coach designs the play and trusts that the position coaches will fulfill the task at hand. Even though each coach works at a specific task alone, there is still a collaborative aspect when they come together for team practice for "eleven on." Another aspect that occurs in football is that the head coach or experienced coaches are constantly supporting and developing younger coaches. Coaches try to teach and pass on their knowledge of the game, drills, practice schedules, or whatever seems to work for them; it is a true mentoring process.
In an article found in the Science News titled, "More Than One-Third of California Teens
Do Not Participate in School Physical Education," Dr. Robert K. Ross (201l), president and CEO ofthe California Endowment, is quoted: "Physical fitness is an intrinsic part of the educational process, not something to be sidelined or avoided ... Our educators need to understand that physical education is just as essential to a student's academic success as reading, writing and arithmetic." Should Santa Rosa City Schools promote education and freshman football together? Absolutely! Will they? I have yet to know ... Sl
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