1. 11-8-2010
Dear School Board Members,
It is with much concern that you are toying with the idea of eliminating our high school
sports program here at Bison High. Currently, there are approximately 233 men and 238 women
competing in 16 athletic sports which equal 19% of the total student body. Taking the
extracurricular activities away from a large percent of the student body would be a poor choice
on your part and a horrible mistake. Why do you ask? High school sports program provide many
benefits to the well-being of our students.
95% of the athletes graduate with a high school diploma from Bison High and 70% of
the students graduate in the top 10% of their graduating classes respectively. Students who
graduate are far more likely to be successful later in life. “Graduating from high school is an
enormously important predictor of how students will fare later in life. High school graduates are
almost twice as likely as dropouts to be gainfully employed. The salaries that working graduates
enjoy are nearly twice as high as those enjoyed by dropouts who work. Students who fail to
graduate from high school are also significantly more likely to become single parents and have
children at young ages. And students who do not graduate from high school are significantly
more likely to rely upon public assistance or be in prison” (Greene, 2002) Furthermore, “Given
the importance of high school graduation in determining students’ prospects later in life,
examining the percentage of students who graduate from high school is an important indicator of
school performance. It is at least as important as the much more common practice of examining
standardized test scores” (Greene, 2002). How does the act “No Child Left Behind’ determines
future success? However, graduating rates do. Our job as a public school is to increase the
chance of future success in life for our students. Athletics are a vital part of that success and 95%
of our current athletes graduate.
Athletics are a crucial component of youth development and growth mentally and
physically. “An important part of a child's development is through play. A child's problem
solving skills are developed through play. Children are able to work on relationships, build self-
esteem and decrease their anger” (Dunning, 2005). Moreover, athletics build values that will be
carried throughout the student lives. “It builds strength of character, hard work ethic,
commitment, team work and yes, it keeps kids out of gangs and away from drugs. It's all good.
Baseball, soccer, apple pie, it's an American thing here, a tradition and it bonds kids and builds
friendships and fuels dreams, as it builds their self-esteems. We need more of it, we have a
personality building crisis in the US and there are too many ethically challenged kids, who think
they are entitled without putting in. This is their chance to make a difference, and understand
how lucky they are. We must reward the top contributors and the top players, as it takes that
competitive spirit and drives money to the right places. We should not take away their sports to
help a crazy mom, who is demanding that her child get special treatment, at the expense of all the
others. To me, winning in life, sports, family and job is very important, but it is worthless
without integrity, character and understanding. You can quote me on that. This is why we need

2. sports in High School and must not sacrifice them to budget concerns or trade one group of
students for the other. I hope you understand my position here” (Winslow, 2008).
In addition to, obesity amongst teens has increased in recent years. “During this time, the
percentage of obese children age’s six to eleven increased from 11 percent to 19 percent, and the
percentage of obese adolescents between the ages of 12 and nineteen increased from 11 percent
to 17 percent.”(Rakoczy). To avoid adolescent obesity, we can do our part as a school to provide
athletics and promote a healthy lifestyle. There are many benefits to a healthy life which include;
-Help you control your weight and minimize the risk of obesity
-Reduce the risk of diseases including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of
cancers
-Strengthen your bones, helping to minimize your chances of developing osteoporosis
-Improve your mood
-Increase your chances of living a long life
-Improve your mental health and mood
-Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you're an older adult
-Increase your chances of living longer
(Rakoczy)
Also, high school sports provide the opportunity for kids to further their athletic careers,
earn scholarships and garner an education and college diploma. “Sports high schools provide
opportunities for students who have potential to reach elite athletic levels in a range of sports.
They aim to provide students with opportunities to excel academically and in sport” ("NSW
Public Schools," 2007).
In conclusion, please take in to account all the students that would suffer from the
dismissal of the athletic programs here at Bison High School. The pros and advantages of having
athletic programs far out weight the cons and disadvantages. Sports provide an opportunity for
students to grow physically and emotionally, garner athletic scholarships to college, decrease
obesity rates and live a full and healthy lifestyle. A large percentage of our students who
participate in athletic sports graduate at a very high rate and those who don’t, tend to struggle
financially and socially. Athletics teach integrity, respect, work ethic, working with others,
sportsmanship and a variety of other qualities that it takes to be a quality human being in society.
It would be a terrible shame to waste the tremendous and deserving opportunity that we could
provide the students. Thank you for your time and please consider the big picture in determining
the fate of the athletic programs here at Bison High School.
Best Regards,
Dan McKinney- Athletic Director

3. References
Dunning, L. (2005, April 26). Children playing - how play is important to kids and adults.
Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Children-Playing---How-Play-Is-Important-To-Kids-
And-Adults&id=30861
Greene, J. (2002, August 22). High school graduation rates in Washington State. Retrieved from
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_27.htm
Nsw public schools. (2007, November 8). Retrieved from
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/gotoschool/types/sportshighs
Rakoczy, C. (n.d.). Why is physical fitness so important? Retrieved from
http://answers.yourdictionary.com/medical/why-is-physical-fitness-so-important.html
Winslow, L. (2008, May 5). Why are youth sports in high school so important? Retrieved from
http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=Why+high+school+sports+are+good&d=4908658132517740
&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=139e63bf,13df39d7