West Holmes High School

1. West Holmes High School Harold A. Meyer Award

2. West Holmes Board of Education Policy on Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity

3. Our Board Policy on Sportsmanshipis 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

4. School Administrators’ Rolein Enacting Our Board Policy on Sportsmanship • Athletic Director—Holds pre-season meetings with parents, athletes and coaches • Athletic Director—Holdsseasonal 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

5. Knights of the Round Table(KORT) • Advisor: Gretchen Acker • Administrator: Bill Sterling • President: Tyler Miller • Secretary: Lindsy Snyder Members: -Amy Boyd -Lauren Evans -Hannah Frank -Cullen Gordon -Brett McClain -Kendra Martin -Nicole Peterman -Gabe Snyder -Matt Stonebrook -Sarah White

6. Knights of the Round TableActivities 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

7. OCC Sportsmanship/LeadershipConference—September 27, 2010 TEAMWORK

8. Camp NuHop • 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

9. OCC Antique Festival Parade Float • KORT members join other OCC sportsmanship committees and enter an OCC float in the parade Ohio Cardinal Conference

10. Meet in the MiddleandBreast Cancer AwarenessGame • 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.

11. 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!

12. West Holmes Student Section WHHS K N I G H T S

13. 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

14. Right to Read WeekNovember 17, 2010 • KORT members travel to Millersburg Elementary to read to young students and discuss sportsmanship and leadership qualities

15. Share-A-ChristmasT-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-A-Christmas. • 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!

16. Seasonal MeetingsAugust, 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.

17. Pre-Season Meeting Minutes(A sample agenda) • 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.

18. 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

19. Peace on EarthBoys’ Game vsClear ForkFebruary 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.

20. Peace on EarthGirls GamevsLexingtonFebruary 12, 2011

21. Pink-It-Up Girls Gamevs MadisonFebruary 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

22. OCC RetreatatMansfield Senior High SchoolFebruary 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.

23. Student ExchangeWithAshland High SchoolMay 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.

24. Relay For LifeMeetingMay 19, 2011 • 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

25. Assistant Coaches’ Evaluation Form

26. Head Coaches’ Evaluation Form

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. Procedure for Handling Complaints Regarding Sportsmanship, ethics and Integrity

31. Procedures for Handling Complaints Regarding Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity (Cont.)

32. Complaint Chain of CommandandGuidelines 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

33. 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.

34. 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 school-wide assembly. Our band plays, our cheerleaders perform and lead the student body in class-competitive cheers and also remind our students about appropriate conduct.

35. Acknowledging Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity • 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.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. The OHSAA Archie Griffin AwardFemale 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.

39. The OHSAA Archie Griffin AwardMale 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

40. 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.

41. 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