West Holmes High School
Harold A. Meyer Award
West Holmes Board of Education Policy on Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity
Our Board Policy on Sportsmanship
is Distributed to the Community
• At parent-athlete meetings, each parent of an athlete receives
a “Student/Parent Athletic Handbook”
• At each contest, the public address announcer reads the
OHSAA Sportsmanship announcement
• Our school holds a “Meet the Team” night for all fall and
winter sports and our administration addresses
sportsmanship and ethical behavior
School Administrators’ Role
in Enacting Our Board Policy on Sportsmanship
• Athletic Director—Holds pre-season meetings with parents, athletes
and coaches
• Athletic Director—Holds seasonal meetings with all head
coaches to
discuss various topics, including expectations of coaches in the areas of
sportsmanship, ethics and integrity
• Principal—Attends Knights of the Round Table {KORT }meetings
Bill Sterling, Principal
Karen Hunter, Secretary
Todd Day, Athletic Director
Knights of the Round Table
(KORT)
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Advisor:
Administrator:
President:
Secretary:
Members:
-Amy Boyd
-Lauren Evans
-Hannah Frank
-Cullen Gordon
-Brett McClain
-Kendra Martin
-Nicole Peterman
-Gabe Snyder
-Matt Stonebrook
-Sarah White
Gretchen Acker
Bill Sterling
Tyler Miller
Lindsy Snyder
Knights of the Round Table
Activities
Meeting—September 13, 2010:
--All members present
--Topics to be discussed:
-Meet in the Middle football game with Clear Fork
-Sizes for sportsmanship t-shirts to sell at football game
-Plan for OCC Sportsmanship/Leadership Camp
-Fundraising ideas
-Plan for OCC float to enter in the Antique Festival Parade
-Spirit Week
OCC Sportsmanship/Leadership
Conference—September 27, 2010
T
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W
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Camp NuHop
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Our KORT members joined other OCC schools
Members worked together in team-building exercises
Members discussed challenges facing our OCC schools
Members listened to a guest speaker discuss sportsmanship and leadership
Our KORT members had group discussions with other OCC schools and
established sportsmanship guidelines for the conference
OCC Antique Festival Parade Float
• KORT members join other OCC sportsmanship
committees and enter an OCC float in the
parade
Ohio
Cardinal
Conference
Meet in the Middle
and
Breast Cancer Awareness
Game
• Through cooperation with Clear Fork High School, our KORT organized the
“Meet in the Middle” and Breast Cancer Awareness football game.
• In preparation for the event, the members sold sportsmanship t-shirts
along with pink ribbons. The effort was a success as the kids raised over
$1,000.00 for the charity.
KORT Spirit in Action
One of our KORT members, Trae Wright, took the initiative of
organizing our student section for our volleyball team’s tournament run. Our
team made it to the Regional Championship match before falling to Sunbury
Big Walnut, but our student section was second to none. They made the 3 hour
round-trip in mass numbers, as evidenced below. Trae made a theme for every
match and provided the student body with a calendar showing each match’s
theme. He also conducted practices so the students had each cheer memorized
perfectly. In preparation for the tournament, Trae spent over three hours
researching appropriate chants so our school would be represented with class.
On the next slide, you will see our kids in action!
West Holmes Student Section
WHHS
K
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November KORT Meeting
All members present:
• All candy money is due
• Right to Read Week
• Field trip to Millersburg Elementary—November 17 from 9:10
am-11:50 am
• Winter sportsmanship t-shirt—no cost, since McDonald’s and
Rodhe’s are sponsoring them
• Sportsmanship t-shirts will admit students to the next three
events free
• T-shirt sales will be on November 18th, 19th and 22nd
• “Peace on Earth” basketball games with Clear Fork and
Lexington closer to Christmas
Right to Read Week
November 17, 2010
• KORT members travel to Millersburg Elementary to read to
young students and discuss sportsmanship and leadership
qualities
Share-A-Christmas
T-Shirts
• Share-A-Christmas helps over 300 families enjoy the Christmas holiday.
• Our community comes together for this great cause like no other and
KORT members were eager to get in on the action.
• Spirit shirts were sold for $5.00 and all proceeds were donated to Share-AChristmas.
• Not only were students who bought a t-shirt admitted to the next three
athletic contests free of charge, but the organization also raised over
$1,000.00!
Seasonal Meetings
August, October and January
• Fall, Winter and Spring pre-season meetings are held with parents, coaches,
team members and school administration in the high school theater. Prior
to these meetings Mr. Todd Day, athletic director, meets with coaches and
other administrators to plan the topics to address
• Mr. Todd Day, reviews the West Holmes Student/Parent Athletic Handbook
with everyone in attendance.
• Each parent receives the Student/Parent Athletic Handbook—containing
topics such as: parent-coach communication, proper chain of command in
situations of concern, sportsmanship expected from parents, coaches,
players and fans and the OHSAA Eligibility brochure.
• After the general meeting is finished, each coach is required to meet with
his or her athletes and parents to further address any questions or concerns.
Pre-Season Meeting Minutes
(A sample agenda)
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Todd Day—Introductions
Introductions of varsity coaches
Hand out and review West Holmes High Student/Parent Athletic Handbook
Todd Day—Expectations of coaches, athletes and parents
Question and Answer period
Each coach meets separately with his or her team and parents to discuss
any sport-specific regulations and to answer any further questions.
December KORT Meeting
All members present:
• Plan for “Peace on Earth” Boys’ basketball game with Clear
Fork and for girls’ basketball game with Lexington
• Selling of Spirit Shirts for the “Peace on Earth” games
• Proceeds to benefit Share-A-Christmas
Peace on Earth
Boys’ Game
vs
Clear Fork
February 18, 2011
☺ Members of each school’s sportsmanship committees joined hands
and walked to mid-court to signify unity for the cause of good
sportsmanship.
☺ Both cheerleading squads teamed up to perform a cheer involving
both schools.
☺ The goal: to show/instill good sportsmanship in all team members,
and staff from both schools and to demonstrate that schools can
compete on the court, but do it in an upstanding and respectful
way.
Peace on Earth
Girls Game
vs
Lexington
February 12, 2011
Pink-It-Up
Girls Game
vs
Madison
February 5, 2011
• KORT members hosted the annual “Pink-It-Up” game with Mansfield
Madison High School
• Our committee sold game t-shirts, raffle tickets and other pink gear in
raising over $1,000 which was donated to Breast Cancer Awareness
• Both schools and our community joined in on the event and displayed
tremendous unity for an outstanding cause
OCC Retreat
at
Mansfield Senior High School
February 27, 2011
Ohio Cardinal Conference schools attended the Spring OCC Sportsmanship
Retreat at Mansfield Senior High School. Students worked on problem-solving
situations, discussed areas of concern about sportsmanship and listened to
guest speaker, Kelly Croy. His presentation on leadership, living life in an
ethical manner and being a quality role model was something every student in
attendance could learn from.
Student Exchange
With
Ashland High School
May 19, 2011
• KORT members spent a day at Ashland High School with members of their
sportsmanship committee.
• In return, Ashland students also came to West Holmes High School for an
entire day.
• The goal was to show both groups of kids that there are positive aspects at
both schools and with students as well.
Relay For Life
Meeting
May 19, 2011
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All members present
KORT members wear sportsmanship shirts for Friday during Channel One
KORT will join the teachers’ team for Relay For Life
We will work the District 5 Track Meet
Assistant Coaches’ Evaluation Form
Head Coaches’ Evaluation Form
Key Topics on Coaches’ Evaluation Forms
• Relationships with team members, athletic director,
parents, officials and news media
• Conduct during the game
• Rapport with coaching staff at his or her school
• Evaluations are completed during a conference with
Todd Day, athletic director and each coach. The
evaluations are then signed by Bill Sterling, building
principal and filed with the Superintendent’s office.
Coaches’ Handbook
Our school’s coaches’ handbook clearly defines what is expected of all
coaches, team members and fans alike: “The Board of Education supports the
Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Program that has been established by the
Ohio High School Athletic Association. The board asserts that the level of
responsibility and behavior expected in our classrooms should be maintained
throughout practices and competition. The board fully supports the values of
the Harold A. Meyer Award.” Our school has been awarded this prestigious
award seven years—2001-2007, which only reinforces our commitment to this
philosophy.
Coaches and Sportsmanship
Jeff Woods—Wrestling Coach
During our match with Waynedale High School
this year, one of their wrestlers put an illegal
throw on Tyler Brown. Tyler knew that he could
lay on the mat and claim he was injured during
the throw, however Jeff instructed him to get up
and continue. Had Tyler claimed he could not
finish, he would have been awarded the match.
However, Jeff told him that “…we don’t win that
way”. As a result, Tyler lost the match, but our
team still claimed the victory. While this is only
one example of our coaches demonstrating a
high level of sportsmanship and integrity, I feel
all of our head coaches would have acted the
same way.
Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding
Sportsmanship, ethics and Integrity
Procedures for Handling Complaints Regarding
Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity (Cont.)
Complaint Chain of Command
and
Guidelines
As outlined in the previous slides, our written policy details
which type of situations will be discussed and which ones will
not. The best part of our policy is it describes what parents,
athletes and coaches can expect from each other and what each
person’s responsibilities are. Plus, it outlines our chain of
communication for handling complaints:
• Head Coach
• Athletic Director—Todd Day
• Principal—Bill Sterling
• Superintendent—Kris Pipes-Perone
• Board of Education
Coaching Complaint Example
As with any sports program, our boys’ basketball team put
guidelines into place for all team members, one of which dealt with
the length a young man’s hair could be. One potential team member
had extremely long hair and refused to shorten it. The parents met
with the coach in hopes to have the rule changed. The coach did not
alter the rule and the parents took their complaint to the next level,
our athletic director. Still, not being satisfied, they proceeded to meet
with the superintendent, as well as the athletic director, building
principal and head coach. A compromise was reached: the young man
would cut his hair shorter and manage it as neatly as possible. All
parties involved were satisfied with this decision and this shows that
our athletic chain of command works well when followed in the proper
order. While we all know that not all situations are solved in such a
positive manner, it is nice to be able to point to an example that did.
Plan for Dealing with Critical Situations
As a member of a very strong athletic conference, we certainly have
different levels of rivalries with various schools, and these vary by sport. Football
season is probably our biggest concern with rivalries. Triway High School and we
have been rivals for what seems like forever!
One of the things that makes our situation unique is that although the
rivalry exists athletically, the schools’ administration, coaches and staff are very
friendly. The two schools do a tremendous job of working together to plan for any
unforeseen happenings. Triway’s principal, Scott Wharton, and their athletic
director, Sean Carmichael, work hand in hand with our principal, Bill Sterling, and
our athletic director, Todd Day, to inform their respective student bodies of proper
behavior during the contest. This is done in a fun environment as part of a schoolwide assembly. Our band plays, our cheerleaders perform and lead the student
body in class-competitive cheers and also remind our students about appropriate
conduct.
Acknowledging Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity
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The Ohio Cardinal Conference does not sponsor any sportsmanship awards, but
each of our varsity teams award a “Coaches’ Award”. This goes to the young man
or young woman who best exemplifies what every coach wants in his or her
athletes. It involves leadership, sportsmanship, being a positive role model and
simply put: “someone who does the right thing at all times”
West Holmes uses the Ohio High School Athletic Awards provided by the OHSAA
each and every year.
Our winners are recognized at a Senior Awards Night, which is attended by anyone
in our school or community.
The winners of the OHSAA awards are publicized in three local newspapers, on the
radio and on the school announcements.
*On the following pages, are the winners of this year’s OHSAA’s awards.
Sample of Potentially Critical Situations
“Local Sports Hero Returns Home to Wrestle!!!”
Colt Sponseller returned home to our school as a member of The Ohio State University
wrestling team to compete against Michigan State University. While this event seems simple
enough on the surface, no one can imagine the potential for conflict we faced. Demand for tickets
was through the roof. Our administration devised a plan for selling tickets in tiers, so as to
provide tickets for all people close to the program first, then the outside general public. This
worked well, as all tickets were gone in less than a week. At this point, we still received phone
calls requesting tickets—well over 100. Our athletic director, Todd Day, came up with the idea of
having it simulcast in our cafeteria. He spent countless hours on the phone with the Buckeyes’
administration to make sure all guidelines were followed and that both OSU and MSU team
personnel were well taken care of.
The OHSAA State Award
Marlyce Yoder is this year’s winner of the OHSAA State Award for her
dedication to the girls’ basketball program, as well as the outstanding image of our
school she projects at all times. She is a well-respected member of our community and
represents West Holmes High School in a very positive light.
The OHSAA Archie Griffin Award
Female Winner
Sarah White was this year’s winner of the OHSAA’s Archie Griffin Award.
Sarah is an outstanding young lady. She is not only a top-notch student, as evidenced
by her being named valedictorian, but she is also a first-class person on the soccer field.
Her sportsmanship, concern for others and love for her teammates go unmatched.
The OHSAA Archie Griffin Award
Male Winner
Matthew Hughes demonstrates high morals, ethics and values on a daily
basis. Not only does he strive for excellence in the classroom - he is a valedictorian but he also plays soccer with a high respect for opponents and represents West Holmes
High School with a high level of sportsmanship and leadership
The OHSAA Courageous Student Award
Blake Day was this year’s recipient of the OHSAA’s Courageous Student
Award. Blake works extremely hard for everything in life and never puts himself ahead
of anyone. He is the complete team player and his work ethic does not go unnoticed.
Not only is Blake a hard worker in wrestling, but he is an absolute joy to be around
each and everyday.
Conclusion
Thank you for considering West Holmes High School for this
prestigious award. Hopefully, this slide show captures our efforts in
sportsmanship, ethics and integrity. As with any worthy cause, sportsmanship
is, and will continue to be, a “work in progress”, because we can and will
always improve.
Submitted by
James R. Park
Faculty Manager—West Holmes High School