SHS Bluejay Newsletter
2021 September/October
NWEA Testing
NWEA testing will occur on September 22nd for students in grades 9-10. Students will be tested in reading, language usage, math and science. The results of these assessments will be used in two primary ways. The first is to help Seward High School staff understand the strengths and needs of individual students and groups of students within our school. This information will help guide instruction at the classroom level, more clearly define needs on a school-wide basis, and help the school identify which students might benefit from additional intervention and support.
The second is to establish baseline student performance levels at the start of the school year. The baseline data will later be compared to spring NWEA performance to determine the effectiveness of our instructional efforts, interventions, and improvement initiatives throughout the year. In short, NWEA is an important tool in our plan to improve student learning at Seward High School. Please try to avoid scheduling appointments or other absences during the day of NWEA testing if possible.
Homecoming
Homecoming 2021 is sure to be a great way to celebrate all of the activities and students here at Seward High School. "It's OUR Year" will be the theme for our 2021 Seward High School Homecoming. Dress up days will take us on a celebration of the whole year.
Tuesday, 9/21: Valentine's Day (red and pink)
Wednesday, 9/22: Independence Day (red, white, and blue)
Thursday, 9/23: Christmas Spirit (red and green)
Friday, 9/24: Bluejay Day (blue and gold)
Our school hallways will join in highlighting our calendar year with the following hallway themes:
Freshmen--Summer
Sophomores--Spring
Juniors--Winter
Seniors--Fall
Days and times for hallway decoration will be determined by class sponsors.
Our homecoming week will end with our annual homecoming parade beginning at 2:00 at the high school with the pep rally to follow. That evening our football team will take on Hastings and will be followed by a in a semi-formal dance at the high school from 9:00-midnight. Let's make this OUR year!
ACT Testing
All juniors will take an official ACT October 19. For many juniors, this will be the first time taking the ACT. This is an opportunity to see what the four sections of this test are like in a controlled, timed test session. The four sections of this test are English, math, reading, and science. Writing, a fifth section, will not be tested on this test day. This test will be scored by ACT. The counselors and administrators will meet with juniors to interpret scores. For those students who have taken the test already, this is another opportunity to reinforce or strengthen concepts for when all juniors take the test again April 5 as required by the State of Nebraska. This October test is part of the junior year preparation for the state ACT test. All juniors should report to the Ag Pavilion or testing rooms in the high school (juniors should watch for rosters) by 8:15 - with two No. 2 pencils and a calculator.
Test Prep Strategies
Student/Parent NWEA and ACT Test Preparation Suggestions
Charge the Chromebook – the Chromebook will be used by students to complete the NWEA test. Students will need a full charge this day.
Dress comfortably - layers for temperature fluctuations.
Get a good night of sleep two days before the test. During the exam schedule, sleep smart. A few days before an exam, get your seven-to-eight hours of sleep if you can. Sufficient sleep will help solidify memory for easy retrieval during the exam.
Eat a well-rounded breakfast.
Come to the test session with a positive attitude. This is your chance to show what you know and can do.
New International Student at Seward High Welcomed to Seward by Seward Rotary Club
The new International Student at Seward High, Alma Fredriksson, of Molndal, Sweden-a small community located near Gothenburg, Sweden, was introduced and welcomed at the recent Seward Rotary Club Meeting on Wednesday, September 01, 2021 at their luncheon meeting at the Jones Bank Auditorium.
Alma is the daughter of Claes and Linda Fredriksson in Sweden and her host family are Rotarians Brady and Jill Johnson of Seward. She is 17 years old and arrived in time to kick-off the school year.
Alma is a member of the SHS Women’s Golf team and enrolled as a full time student at Seward High.
She was introduced to the membership and presented with several welcome to Seward mementos/gifts, an American Flag, the Rotary Club banner and a packet of printed material on Seward and Rotary.
She promised to return in May and report on her experience as an International student at SHS.
SHS Quiz Bowl Teams Successful at First Competition of the School Year 2021-2022
Seward High sent four Quiz Bowl teams to the 2021 Nebraska State Fair Quiz Bowl contests on August 28 and 29 at the Bosselman Conference Center-competing against other schools from across Nebraska in the first General Knowledge Quiz Bowl Contest for the new school year. The SHS High School Freshman team placed First Overall in their contest on August 28th.
Members of the SHS Freshman Quiz Bowl team were Dalton Mobley, Ben Nottingham and Abigayil Wunderlich. They received a $100 scholarship each, plaque, rosette and tee shirt.
SHS had three teams in the High School Division and they place Second Place and Third Place in their Division. Placing second was the SHS Team of Madison Kramer, Elianah Wunderlich, Sjoen Munk and Evett Howe. They each won a $50 scholarship and a plaque and tee shirts. Lincoln East High School won the overall Championship.
Placing third at the tourney was the SHS team of Jacob Mueller, Noah Fields, Maddie Viger, Sam Schroeder. They each won $25 and free tee shirts.
The other SHS Quiz Bowl team competing was Natalie Axt, Krystyn Harris, Julya Metschke and Taylor Hostert. The SHS Quiz Bowl Coach is SHS Educator Melissa Pohl-English/History, who was the sponsor both days. Melissa Pohl of Utica and Dr. Louis Reith of Seward served as volunteer readers at the Quiz Bowl contests.
The contest was a General Knowledge Quiz Bowl –with questions centering around Math, Science, History, Music, Language Arts and other areas as well. The contest was sponsored by the Nebraska State Fair and the NEBRASKAland Foundation, with all contestants also given a free pass to the State Fair.
Seward High Successfully Competes at Nebraska State Fair Education Division Competition
Students from Seward High competed in the recent Education Division competitions at the 2021 Nebraska State Fair on Saturday and Sunday-August 28th and August 29, 2021 in the Bosselman Conference Center and Fonner Park Pavilion on the State Fair Grounds.
SHS HAS MANY “FIRST PLACE” HONORS
In the High School Division receiving First Place in Art were Kalen Knott-Pen and ink and Kaitlyn Porter in Watercolor, First Place in 3-D Art was Jackson Bierman, First Place in Photography was Olivia Volzke, First Place in Short Stories-Jeanna Snyder, First Place in Freshman Quiz Bowl were SHS Freshmen Dalton Mobley, Ben Nottingham and Abigayil Wunderlich, First Place in Impromptu Speaking was Julya Metschke, First Place in Improv Team were Natalie Axt, Elianah Wunderlich and Julya Metschke, First Place in Community Service-Individual was Julya Metschke for her “Helping the Homeless” FCCLA Star Project and First Place in Community Service Project-Team Davison were Hannah Kolterman-Wagner and Mirriam Voehl for their Environmental Awareness FCCLA STAR Project.
Julya Metschke was also presented the annual Brad Fossberg award and trophy for her outstanding verbal stage presentation at the Ne State Fair stage. The award honors the late Brad Fossberg, who served as a key judge for the stage presentations for the Education Division at the Nebraska State Fair for years.
SHS Sponsors for the event were SHS educators Melissa Pohl-English/History and Nathan Knott-Art-who prepared the entries for the competitions. Melissa Pohl was the volunteer faculty sponsor for both days-August 28 and 29 and served as a quiz bowl reader, along with community volunteer Dr. Louis Reith of Seward.
The entries and winning presentations are on display at the Nebraska State Fair through Labor Day and are located at the Grandstand at Fonner Park building on the State Fair Grounds.
Each student that entered the competition was awarded a free tee shirt and a free ticket to the State Fair. First place winners were awarded $100 scholarships upon High School graduation, a plaque and First Place Rosette.
SHS FCCLA Recognized at the Keep Nebraska Beautiful Conference!
The Seward High Family, Community - Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) was named First Runner-Up in the High School Civic Organizations for Keep Nebraska Beautiful for their work with their STAR Projects for Recycling and Environmental Awareness. Winning First Place was Howells/Dodge FCCLA. Accepting the award was FCCLA Members RaeLyn Sugden –SHS Senior and Julya Metschke-SHS Sophomore.
Metschke collected and recycled over 500 Tee Shirts and donated them to the York Living Word Mission in conjunction with her FCCLA STAR Project. Members Hannah Kolterman-Wagner and Miriam Vohel participated with a FCCLA STAR project promoting Environmental Awareness-collecting funds to save the Rain Forest, worked with Congressional Jeff Fortenberry and his environmental programs. They volunteered to assist in the Community Clean-promoting the recycling of scrap metal and appliances, assisted with others at the local Community Recycling Center-recycling paper, magazines and plastics. They raised funds through a end of the year coin drive to assist with Global Warming by collecting funds for the Rainforest Alliance to help the Amazon Rain Forest and planted seedlings and placing them in the SHS Green House to be re-planted in the county in the spring.
They also offered support US House of Representatives Jeff Fortenberry’s Bill HR 3100 (116) a co-sponsored bill –“The Challenges and Prizes for Climate Act” (HR3100-116) a very creative approach to assist towards the issue of global warming and climate change with a five division competition to seek the best was to improve the climate. We especially like the contest’s point number 4. CLIMATE RESILIENCY.—Solutions to provide new or improved approaches to mitigating or adapting to the effects of climate change (such as floods, drought, excessive heat and cold, and severe weather) in rural or urban areas. We feel this point would assist Nebraska in dealing with floods, drought, and severe weather.
Senior Yearbook Information
Senior Portraits
Senior portraits for the yearbook are due no later than Friday, December 10. Portraits must be in full-color, vertical, cropped from the waist up or closer and submitted as high-resolution JPEGs to Ms. Limback at kelley.limback@sewardschools.org See Ms. Limback in Room 202 if you have questions.
Parent/Guardian Baby Ads - Yearbook
Senior parent/ guardian baby ads are due no later than Friday, February 17. Ads may include up to three photos along with a message. This year all of the Senior parent/guardian ads will be a ¼ page. Cost for these ads is $25 for a ¼ page ad. Submit photos electronically as JPEG files or as an original billfold size.
After School Study Program
Students will have access to SHS Study Group on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week from 3:45-4:45 p.m. in the Seward High School library. Students will have access to Seward High School staff members as well as Concordia University students studying to become teachers. Students needing computer access are also welcome to attend.
Seward High School 8th Annual College Week
We are excited to have College Week the week of October 19! During the week we will promote a post-secondary atmosphere with fun and prizes, as well as information from colleges to universities to military to trade school. Keeping in mind the need for some training/education after high school, we want to encourage our students to explore the variety of options available to them.
Apply2College Day
Completing a college application can be daunting. In an effort to ease this process EducationQuest is sponsoring a statewide campaign in which high schools conduct college application events during the school day. Seward High School will be having its Apply2 College Event which will coincide with Post-Secondary Testing Day October 19. College reps will be here in the morning to assist with college applications. Seniors need to know their social security number. Some may need a form of payment for application fees.
Post-Secondary Testing Day
October 19 is Post-Secondary Test Day! All freshmen and sophomores will take the Pre-ACT, while juniors will take an official ACT Test. Seniors may take the ASVAB or Accuplacer test. These assessments are excellent tools to help with the post-secondary planning process.
End of Term 1
The first term of the 2021-2022 school year finishes Thursday, October 14. Students who have attempted 10 or more academic credits and earned a 93% or better GPA, received no “C’s” or below in any class, and have no “N’s” or “U’s” for Citizenship will be on the Term 1 honor roll. Students making the honor roll will receive notification in the mailing that includes their report card.
Tips for Parents/Guardians in a High-Tech World
With the school year back in full gear, parents/guardians know back to school means a packed planner filled with everything from parent/teacher conferences to school activities. As time gets stretched, parents and student may talk less and fall back on timesavers, like notes or text messages. But when it comes to your child’s safety in the virtual world, parents should not rely on one strategy alone.
Talk to your child. Parents ask their student where they are going and who they are going with whenever they leave the house. They should take the same approach when their children go on the internet – where are they going and who are they with?
Develop rules. Together with your student, develop rules about acceptable and safe behaviors for all electronic media. Set and standby the rules set - for example, no gaming on school nights.
Explore the internet. Visit the websites your child frequents and assess the pros and cons. Most websites and online activities are beneficial. They help young people learn new information and interact with people who have similar interests.
Talk with others. Talk to other parents about how they have discussed technology use with their children.
Connect with the school. At Seward High School we plan to offer a parent technology session at each Parent/Teacher conference. These sessions will hopefully help to grow your skills and perspective over time.
Educate yourself. Stay informed about new devices and websites your child is using. Continually talk with your child and explore the technology yourself.
P.R.I.D.E. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Program
What is P.R.I.D.E.?
P.R.I.D.E. is a school-wide reinforcement and acknowledgement system that provides immediate, intermittent, and long-term reinforcements, given by adults in the building to any students displaying desired school-wide expectations or behaviors. Using the scale below, staff members nominate students for BlueJay P.R.I.D.E. positive office referrals based upon behaviors they witness that go above and beyond with: 1) an exceptional act of behavior or character, 2) consistent positive behavior over time, or 3) significant improvement over time. Each term, positive behaviors are recognized during a P.R.I.D.E. Recognition Rally. These rallies feature alumni speakers, student performances, and special P.R.I.D.E. awards.
Why P.R.I.D.E.?
Increases the likelihood that desired behaviors will be repeated
Focuses staff and student attention on desired behaviors
Fosters a positive school climate
Reduces the need for engaging in time-consuming disciplinary measures
Components of our P.R.I.D.E. Program
Immediate/high frequency/predictable/tangible reinforcements and acknowledgements
Names the behavior and ties the acknowledgement back to school-wide expectations upon delivery
Brings attention to certain behaviors at scheduled intervals
Maintains a taught behavior
Celebrates/Acknowledges accomplishments of all students and all adults
Teaches appropriate behaviors the same way a student who doesn't know how to read learns to read--through instruction, practice, feedback, and encouragement.
Aligns our Citizenship grading program with the elements of our PBIS (P.R.I.D.E.)program.
Citizenship Grades
Citizenship grades are given every term for each class. Teachers use the P.R.I.D.E. Scale shown above to assess student behavior. Citizenship grades are posted by midterm (minimally) and adjusted based on student behavior. Students who earn Needs Support or Unsatisfactory are encouraged by their teachers and principals to improve their behavior and raise their citizenship score before the end of the term. A student that has earned a Needs Support or Unsatisfactory citizenship grade at the end of the term is ineligible for Honor Roll.
The Pride of Seward High
Term 2 Schedule Changes
Student schedule change requests for Term 2 must occur by Friday, October 8. A signup sheet for students to request a change will be located outside of the counseling office doors. Counselors will meet with each of these students outside of instructional time prior to the start of the new term. The purpose of this process is to prevent interruption to classroom instruction that occurs when multiple schedule changes are made at the start of a new term.
Attend the EducationQuest Virtual College Fair
EducationQuest will host several virtual events this fall for juniors and seniors. Each event will be held on different dates and times to better accommodate your family’s schedule. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to plan and pay for college!
WEBINARS – click here for dates, times, and registration
August – Senior College Planning
September – Financial Aid Programs
October – FAFSA Tutorial
November – FAFSA Tutorial and FAFSA Follow-up
VIRTUAL COLLEGE FAIRS – click here to register.
October 12, 9 a.m.-noon CT
November 10, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. CT
December 8, 9 a.m.-noon CT
Financial Aid Night - September 20
After the financial aid meeting, representatives from colleges will be in the Front Lobby at 6:45 to visit with students and families (freshmen and sophomores with parents/guardians are welcome to attend). Colleges represented (known at this time) include: Chadron State, Concordia, Doane, Iowa Western Community, Midland, NE Wesleyan, Northeast Community, Peru State, Southeast Community, UNK, UNL, UNO, Wayne State.
Counselors Corner-Ms. Baker and Mr. Fields
Testing and College Application Fee Waivers
Students with economic need may qualify for fee waivers with the ACT, PSAT, AP exams, and college application fees if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
Family receives public assistance
Student is a ward of the state
Student resides in a foster home
Student is homeless
Student participates in free or reduced-priced lunch program
Family income is at or below the 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics Low Standard Budget
Students may use up to two ACT waivers total junior and/or senior year. Any student who qualified for an ACT waiver also will qualify for application fee waivers when applying to college. Contact Mr. Fields or Ms. Baker for assistance.
Juniors – Fall College Preparation Recommendations from EducationQuest.org
Sign up for Countdown2College to get monthly tips.
Set up an Activities Resume to track your activities and honors - Use Seward High’s new MobileServe to track community service hours.
Check out the Exploring Careers section.
Use Reality Check to find careers that will fit your desired lifestyle.
Use College Profiles to research schools you may want to attend.
Meet with college reps at a College Fair or Educational Planning Program. See Upcoming Events at EducationQuest.org for dates and locations.
Take the PSAT to prepare for the SAT college entrance. The PSAT will be offered at Seward High School for interested Sophomore and Junior students on Wednesday, October 13.
Seniors--Fall College Preparation Recommendations from EducationQuest.org
Retake the ACT and/or SAT. Colleges use your best score for admission and scholarship purposes.
Narrow your list of colleges.
Continue campus visits.
Meet with college reps at the virtual College Fair or Educational Planning Program. See upcoming Events at EducationQuest.org.
Request letters of recommendation for scholarship and college applications.
Apply to 3-4 colleges. Application deadlines are typically in December-January.
Consistently update your resume from Personal Finance class.
Apply for LOTS of scholarships. Where to search:
ScholarshipQuest at EducationQuest.org
Your School Counselor. At Seward High School we also recommend you check the scholarship listing under scholarships/financial aid on the counseling website at http://sewardhighcounseling.wordpress.com/
The college you plan to attend.
FREE national search sites.
Sophomores and Freshmen--College Preparation Begins Now!
College may seem far away for 9th and 10th grade students, but it’s never too early to start preparing for that next step. Taking challenging academics and extracurricular opportunities are some of the best ways to work towards the college goal. The list below includes additional suggestions for parents and students as they start to think about this important transition.
Meet with your counselor to discuss your college plans. Review your schedule to make sure you are enrolled in challenging classes that will help you prepare for college. Colleges prefer four years of English, social studies, math, science, and world language (Spanish at SHS).
Start exploring to find out the required courses and tests of colleges that you may be interested in attending. Two helpful college search websites are: www.educationquest.org and www.collegeboard.com.
Start a calendar with important dates and deadlines.
Get more involved in activities inside and outside of school; there’s something out there for everyone! Be sure to record those on your PLP (Personal Learning Plan).
Start documenting community service hours and experiences to include in future college and scholarship applications on Seward High’s MobileServe.
Put forth your best effort. These assessments help guide your next steps from an academic and career interest standpoint.
On September 20th, come to the high school Front Lobby at 6:45 after the junior/senior financial aid meeting, representatives from colleges will be in the Front Lobby at 6:45 to visit with students and families. Colleges represented (known at this time) include: Chadron State, Concordia, Doane, Iowa Western Community, Midland, NE Wesleyan, Northeast Community, Peru State, Southeast Community, UNK, UNL, UNO, Wayne State.
It’s important to remember that there are a variety of colleges: Some are four-year, some two-year and even some one-year programs with a greater focus on a specific trade. By starting the process of thinking about those next steps now, you increase your chances of finding the best fit for you and your personal goals.
College and Career Planning Bulletins
View and/or register at the following websites for college and career planning bulletins. Valuable information is provided for parents and students of all grade levels.
· www.collegeboard.com/parents/ - View parent action plans for each grade of high school.
· www.act.org/path/parent - Click on “Parent Newsletter” listed on the left of the page.
· www.educationquest.org/countdown2college/ - Select the grade level information you would like to receive on a monthly basis.
General Homework Tips for Parents:
Make sure your student has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.
Help your student with time management. Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your student leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.
Be positive about homework. Tell your student how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your student acquires.
When your student asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your student will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your student that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your student that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
If homework is meant to be done by your student alone, stay away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
Stay informed. Talk with your student's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are. Many staff at Seward High School have a classroom website, blog, or provide additional assignment information on PowerSchool. By accessing these resources you can provide an even greater level of support to your student.
Help your student figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Have your student do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.
Generally speaking, most students at Seward High School will have some homework or studying to do outside of school hours on a daily basis. The amount will vary depending upon the specific courses they are enrolled in that particular term, grade level, and their ability to utilize time efficiently during the regular school day. Homework provides important practice to reinforce newly learned concepts. By maximizing these experiences, student learning will improve positively impacting a variety of school outcomes.
Seward High Counseling Center Communication
Phone: 402.643.2988
Email: A-K Kevin Fields kevin.fields@sewardschools.org
L-Z Noelle Baker noelle.baker@sewardschools.org
Website: Seward High School Website under Counselors
Attendance
One of the most important characteristics leading to success in high school, college, or the workplace is good attendance. Research indicates that excessive tardiness or absenteeism can lead to lower academic achievement and a reduced likelihood to graduate. It is important for you to visit with your son and/or daughter about the importance of regular school attendance. We have several interventions and support services available, so please contact the school at 402-643-2988 if you feel that this may become an issue for your student.
Specific Seward Public Schools policies regarding student attendance can also be found in the SHS student handbook. These policies are consistent with Nebraska state statutes 79-201 and 79-209. Outlined are definitions of excused and unexcused absences, interventions, resources, and potential consequences for excessive absenteeism or tardiness. Please take some time to review these policies if you have not already done so this school year.
From the Desk of Mr. Moody: Activities Director
Senior Banner:
Seniors may order a Senior Banner to be displayed in the main lobby throughout the school year at https://shop.sportsexpress.biz/sewardschools/. Banners are $35, pictures must abide by SHS dress code to be displayed at school. Spirit apparel is also available online, visit the link above.
Fans:
Currently, some schools (Lancaster County) have COVID protocols in place for spectators. Please be aware that schools may have different expectations regarding attendance at events.
Let’s have another great year showing our positive support for all of our students who are involved in extracurricular activities. Cheer loud, proud, and positively for Seward High while allowing game officials to do their job. Please remember to stay off Concordia’s football field after the game. We need to honor this request from Concordia when using their facilities. Once the game is over, please disperse in a timely manner, and parents don’t forget to give your son/daughter some time and space before discussing their performance. Be a part of their positive experience with extracurricular activities.
Poor Sportsmanship, Pandemic Contributing to Shortage of Officials
By Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director
@KarissaNFHS
As high schools begin a third school year of sports and other activities
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a familiar issue continues to challenge
administrators nationwide: finding enough individuals to officiate all scheduled
contests.
In some states, Friday Night Lights have become Thursday or Saturday
Night Lights as teams consider playing on alternate dates to accommodate the
lack of individuals to officiate games.
The shortage of officials in high school – and middle school – sports has
been a growing concern for several years – in large part due to unsportsmanlike
behavior by parents and other adult fans. Now, additional sports officials are
electing to stay on the sidelines because of health concerns related to COVID-19,
or they are uncomfortable wearing a mask during games.
The challenge for schools and state associations remains two-fold: how to
recruit more individuals to become officials and how to retain those people
currently serving as officials. Short of unexpected events like the coronavirus, if a
new official remains active after the first three to five years, the outlook for a
long-term career is pretty good.
Hoping to make an impact nationally on the officiating shortage and the
sportsmanship issues at hand is Dana Pappas, who joined the NFHS staff last
month as the new Director of Officiating Services. Pappas joins the NFHS staff
after 24 years with the New Mexico Activities Association, including the past 17
years as commissioner of officials.
Although there was a hope that the post-pandemic behavior of parents and
other fans would be improved, Pappas said the jury is definitely still out as
sportsmanship issues have continued to exist.
“From some of the early reports, there are still acts of bad sportsmanship
occurring,” Pappas said. “There are still people who are going after sports officials
after games, during games, and it continues to be an adult problem. I don’t think
too many of the issues we see are really the kids. It’s generally the spectators,
although it can be coaches at times when their behavior incites the crowd.
“I think the sportsmanship issue is something that continues to keepindividuals from officiating, or we lose them because of poor sportsmanship.”
Pappas noted that in addition to losing officials due to the COVID-19
concerns and poor sportsmanship, others may have changed jobs during the
pandemic, and with some games being moved earlier in the day, they are unable
to get free from their jobs to handle officiating assignments.
While the loss of officials because of the pandemic is understandable and
uncontrollable, losing individuals from the officiating ranks due to the boorish
behavior of parents and other adults is unacceptable.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association has implemented a new
ejection policy. Any participant (player, coach, spectator) who is ejected for
making contact with an official or who is ejected for unsporting behavior directed
toward an official shall be subject to a non-appealable suspension from the next
contest at that level and for all contests at any level until the suspension has been
served.
Pappas said there are states, like Kansas, that have made this statement: “If
you act in an inappropriate manner, you will have to pay.” While these programs
are necessary, she also believes proactive plans should be in place as well.
“Doing preseason meetings with coaches and parents is important, but I
think having officials go and address parents and talk to them about rules changes
is important. It would be great for officials to go and talk to parents and kids so
that they understand that they are not just the bad guys in the striped shirts, that
they are someone who wants to be a part of the educational process, who’s
giving back and there really to help and educate.
“There needs to be shift in those expectations and remind parents of what
it was like when their kids didn’t have an opportunity to play. Everyone agrees
that was not good for anyone last year. And if you continue to abuse officials, we
are going to be exactly where we were because there won’t be any way to
adjudicate these games.”
The NFHS has been actively recruiting officials for four years through its
#BecomeAnOfficial campaign. More than 50,000 individuals have expressed an
interest in officiating through this national effort at www.highschoolofficials.com.
Most recently, the NFHS has been targeting high school coaches to consider
officiating another sport in their off-season after previous campaigns directed to
other groups. Assisting state associations and schools in recruiting more officials is
also on Pappas’ To-Do list.
“Kids coming out of high school think they have two options – to play sports
or to coach sports. They forget about the people who are officiating their games!
So, how do we make officiating something that is at the forefront of their minds?
When they are leaving high school or leaving college, they need to understand
that there is an entire career path they could follow in the world of high school
officiating.”
As fall high school sports swing into full action this month, let’s respect the
men and women who are giving of their free time so that once-in-a-lifetime
opportunities of high school activities can continue for our nation’s youth.
Staying Connected with Seward High School
Building/District Website: www.sewardschools.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sewardpublicschools
Twitter Athletic Updates: #sewardjays @SewardBlueJays
Activity Calendar: www.centralconference.org
Staff Email: firstname.lastname@sewardschools.org