Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Fittest Students get better grades
Here is our 12-12-12 training group from 6 am practice.
Published: Dec. 9, 2012 at 10:32 PM
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Middle school students in the best physical shape do better than their less fit classmates on standardized tests and report cards, U.S. researchers say.
Lead researcher Dawn Coe, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville who conducted the research as a doctoral student in Michigan State University's kinesiology department, said the study was among the first to examine how academic performance relates to all aspects of physical fitness -- including body fat, muscular strength, flexibility and endurance.
"We looked at the full range of what's called health-related fitness," Coe said in a statement. "Kids aren't really fit if they're doing well in just one of those categories."
Coe and colleagues gathered data from 312 students in sixth through eighth grade at a West Michigan school by gauging the kids' fitness with an established program of push-ups, shuttle runs and other exercises.
They compared the fitness scores to students' letter grades throughout the school year in four core classes and their performance on a standardized test.
The study, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, found the fittest students got the highest test scores and the best grades, regardless of gender or whether they'd yet gone through puberty.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/12/09/Fittest-students-get-higher-grades/UPI-27161355110372/#ixzz2EqjHbbic
Sunday, December 09, 2012
PPS Q and A
... a planning process that will challenge (us all) to think differently ... in light of continued enrollment decline, increased costs, flat revenue projections and strong support for more school choice...
Hummm....
The thing that sinks my heart is the "continued enrollment decline." They seem to think "continued enrollment decline = gravity."
Or, "continued enrollment decline = urban school district."
I don't want a PLAN that counts on "continued enrollment decline."
Screw that philosophy.
Sure there is that old saying, "Those that fail to plan plan to fail." But, what PPS seems to want to do is "plan for continued enrollment decline." That might as well be "Plan to fail and fail with grace."
We need to build a robust school district that families enjoy and citizens respect and students never depart unless they have a diploma.
... the District has created other means to maintain the number of students that receive pre-kindergarten services, including instituting a tuition-based program for those family that do not qualify for the State and federal funds. With this added option, we are now able to serve a large number of three and four year olds in Pittsburgh....
PPS should have a plan for attending something like Summer Dreamers for those who do not get admission to the PPS Summer Dreamers program. In the summer of 2012, more than 1,600 students wanted to attend and applied to PPS Summer Dreamers and instead got a 'rejection letter.' The Summer Dreamers program is shrinking, due to funds. The number of Summer Dreamers sites for middle school students went from more than 10 to 3 in 2012 and 1 in 2014. That's fine. However, what kills is that a tuition based program could be offered to citizens. Then we'd be able to offer Swim & Waterpolo Camp, say in the mornings, for kids who are not on free and reduced lunch and to kids who are proficient in their standardized test scores.
As for transportation and the lack of PAT bus passes for high school students, the reply includes this from PPS:
Why did you take bus passes away for high school students? Sometimes we have to stay after school and can't get home.
In 2012, the District reviewed several options to cut transportation costs and respond to threats of looming Port Authority of Allegheny County reductions to neighborhood bus service. As a result, the District worked collaboratively with 19 transportation companies and approved a transportation contract that saves more than $1.8 Million over the next two school years. In addition, the threats of tentative cuts from the Port Authority required the District to be proactive and decrease the number of purchased bus passes by 1,300, therefore placing more high school students on yellow busses. This change does not negatively impact afterschool activities.
No way. There have been some good changes. But, there is no way that the lack of bus passes for high school kids have been without a hit to afterschool activities.
Why close high performing schools like Northview? Most students there walked and achieved AYP?
In order to create a more sustainable District, in 2011/12, we evaluated all of our schools based on four equally weighted criteria: Student Achievement, Student Enrollment, Facility Condition and Operations Costs. Based on these factors, schools such as Northview were closed. You can read more about the District’s realignment plan here.
Great question. Not so great reply. #Fail
Another inspired question and another #Fail on the answer.
Is there a way to re-imagine the relationship between charter schools and the regular public schools so that they are not draining each other of resources in an environment of scarcity? How can we move toward adopting strategies that are successful in charter schools within the Pittsburgh Public Schools?
In our ever changing economy, Pittsburgh Public Schools continually strives to seek cost-efficient solutions to our families that will accelerate student achievement. Although a formal plan has not been devised as to how we could begin to work with charter schools, we are always open to dialogue about ways to provide the best educational experience possible to our students and their families.
This is so interesting I'll repost it just for the heck of it. The year being talked about is the first year of graduation from Obama. This class had it hard.
Additionally, 24 students took a total of 92 IB exams in May 2012. 61 exams received a passing score of 4, 5, 6, or 7, which represents 70% of the total. 5 students were awarded the IB Diploma, which is an internationally recognized award.
The number of those taking the IB exam with the graduation year of 2013 are much higher. Through the roof applies.
I've got to spend some time looking at this. http://www.pittsburghteachingconditions.org/
Saturday, December 08, 2012
No Saturday Practices -- still
Bad news. Too busy last week to nail down a time and place for our Saturday swim practices for the varsity boys and girls teams at Pittsburgh Obama. I heard more than a week ago that the Saturday pool permit to hold practices as denied. At first it was not permitted because the school was hosting a flea market for the band and SAT testing. Then all Saturday pool permits were denied because the custodians said the pool needs to be cleaned on Saturdays and the time from 9 to 11:30 for swimming and weight lifting was not possible.
Okay.
Our season is on the rocks without Saturday practices. I'd rather have the kids for an extended Saturday time, then off on Sunday. This is a time when most don't have pressing homework.
We might be able to practice at Allderidice or Sci-Tech.
But because of no Saturday practices, I do get to take Grant up to North Allegheny High School, where they do have clean pools, and practice there with Tiger Water Polo Club. His practice time was 8 to 10 am. There was boys basketball then a girls hoops tournament. The football team was departing for a semi-final game in Altoona and the swim team left for a swim meet in State College.
Lots of people tell us that we should just move out of the city where there are plenty of additional opportunities for the kids on a week long and year round basis. The city has the team. But, the team can't practice. Then there is wondering why the performances of the students, overall, and the parent engagement, by-and-large, are so lackluster.
Sure, pockets of inspiration and perspiration occur among our city kids -- but -- everyone should have every opportunity to excel. The road blocks, like no Saturday practice for the swim team stink. Going to another school to practice is not a way to run a district that aims to be a "District of first choice."
Sure, pockets of inspiration and perspiration occur among our city kids -- but -- everyone should have every opportunity to excel. The road blocks, like no Saturday practice for the swim team stink. Going to another school to practice is not a way to run a district that aims to be a "District of first choice."
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
PPS Elem Swim Meet is today
MEMO:
To:
Parents and Guardians of PPS Swimmers
From:
Executive Head Coach,
Swim
& Waterpolo Camp,
PPS
Summer Dreamers
Swim
fast today. Good luck!
We hope you all have fun at the meet,
but we also want to inform you of a few new things that might be in
your future.
PPS Summer
Dreamers starts July 1, 2013 and look for
Swim &
Waterpolo Camps!
This year the PPS Summer Dreamers,
starting on July 1, 2013 and going to August 7, 2013 (28 days) is
slated to have more Swimming and Waterpolo than ever before. Well,
this is unofficial news. The proposals are still being crafted and
the final schedule is not yet public. But that is our plan.
Swim & Waterpolo Camp has been a
big success in the past for many Summer Dreamers. But, Swim &
Waterpolo was only at limited sites. In 2012, we did it at the brand
new swim pool on Center Ave, the Thelma Lovette YMCA and at Citiparks
Ammon Rec Center in The Hill District. In 2011, we swam at Peabody.
In 2013, the plans call for Swim &
Waterpolo to be an option at every camp site. This activity will
include those in Middle School Grades as well as in Elementary
Grades. Look for us and be ready to sign up in 2013 at PCA, Faison,
CAPA, U-Prep and Carmault.
If
anyone has any questions, feel free to call or email:
Mark
Rauterkus, Head Coach, Swim & Waterpolo Camps at
PPS
Summer Dreamers, an activity to be sponsored by the
Thelma
Lovette YMCA in 2013.
412-298-3432
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Fwd: Coach Pat
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Megan Netland via Change.org" <mail@change.org>
Date: Dec 1, 2012 9:24 AM
Subject: Coach Pat
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
From: "Megan Netland via Change.org" <mail@change.org>
Date: Dec 1, 2012 9:24 AM
Subject: Coach Pat
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
|
Friday, November 30, 2012
Swim pool attendance data from Summer 2012. We more than doubled the volume of use!
In the summer of 2011, the total swim pool attendance at the Ammon Swim Pool, Bedford Avenue, Hill District, was 5,471.
In the summer of 2012, the attendance was 12,278.
In the official Citiparks records, the Summer Dreamers for 2012 accounted for 529 visitors.
We did NOT use Ammon in 2011.
Less than one year ago, the City Controller, Michael Lamb, did an extensive audit of all the swimming pools in the city. In past years, the average daily attendance was 74 people.
Of course when I say, "we," I mean us all. There were plenty of other camps, groups, visitors, swimmers, waterpolo players, swim lessons and citizens that graced the Ammon Pool with their presence beyond what I drove and ran into those gates. The church groups, the day-cares the Ozanam Basketball Players -- all should be proud.
Further, as a point of clarification, the 529 for Summer Dreamers was assumed to be the number of splashes for the morning participation. That averages to about 26 people per day over the 20 days we went to the pool in the mornings. On the first day of camp, we didn't go to the pool because the kids didn't know if they're choice of swimming was given to them. The kids didn't even know to bring their swim suits with them to camp, for example. There were a few other times when there were storms and we didn't get to go to the outdoor pool. On a couple of days we all went to the indoor Thelma Lovette YMCA pool too.
In reality, some days we took 12 or so to the Ammon Pool and then another day we could take 40.
Regardless, we got there on foot, after traveling a full mile from school with a combination of running and walking. And, we got back to school for the dismissal or for lunch following the morning swim on foot too. So, our swimmers were doing urban renewal at the same time. We were taking back the streets of The Hill District for kids and fitness. We owned those hills. And, throughout the supervision of the 3,000 miles of total travel in The Hill District this summer, we didn't even suffer a single bee sting nor scraped knee as a result of those travels. Thank goodness.
So, in 2013, the plans are different, sadly. The middle school kids are not going to be going to Summer Dreamers at U-Prep. All will be going to CAPA, downtown. Going from Downtown CAPA to the top of The Hill District's Bedford Avenue and Ammon Pool is more of a stretch. But, we're proposing we do it with some changes.
The new solution to fit the CAPA setting for middle school students being proposed has Hill District kids departing CAPA after lunch and going on the fitness run / walk and swimming in the afternoons with their activity periods. However, those campers won't go back to CAPA after the swim and activities. They'll have dismissal in their own neighborhood rather than in Downtown. Going back to CAPA just to get on a bus to go back to The Hill District is too much.
How Libertarianism Can Help to Solve the Homelessness Problem in Pittsburgh
According to the charity Pittsburgh Cares, there are over two thousand homeless people in the Pittsburgh region. Seventy-eight percent of them are adults and twenty-eight percent are children. Of the adult homeless population, seventeen percent are veterans. Over one hundred homeless people have died on the city’s streets since 1989. What can be done to help alleviate this problem? According to award-winning libertarian author and social commentator Dr Mary Ruwart, the situation would not be anywhere near as bad as it is today if libertarians were running the country as opposed to the current leaders, who are stifling American society with far too many rules and regulations.
Stop the Government from MeddlingRuwart highlights the fact that towards the end of the 1990s, Mother Theresa’s church order the Missionaries of Charity purchased two abandoned buildings in New York City for a dollar each and managed to raise the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to fund the repair work that was necessary in order for them to be usable as homeless shelters. City officials initially stated that they were fine with the order’s plans to create shelters for the homeless but after work had begun, inspectors broke the news that a hundred-thousand-dollar elevator needed to be installed so that disabled people would have easy access to the accommodation. The nuns responded that the religious vows that they had taken meant that they weren’t allowed to routinely utilise modern conveniences. They suggested that they could carry disabled residents into the shelters manually and applied for a waiver from the regulations governing handicapped access, stating religious reasons. However they had their application rejected and as a result of this, the project was cancelled and the homeless people remained without a place to live. In a libertarian society, the regulations and restrictions that forced these individuals to carry on sleeping on the streets would not exist.
License to Sleep RoughThe USA is becoming a nation where the people are left desperately struggling to remain afloat within a sea of rules that dictate every element of their lives. The problem is that the authorities don’t know when to stop sticking their noses in to matters that don’t concern them. Over the course of the last few years, they have been inflicting unnecessary regulations upon the credit industry, encroaching more and more upon the constitutional rights of the public and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Officials in Nevada City, California, are even pushing for a law that will prohibit individuals from being homeless until they are given a license. Only a small number of these licenses would be handed out, effectively making it a criminal offence to have nowhere to go. What would become of the city’s homeless people if this law came into effect? They would be constantly on the lookout for policemen looking to arrest them simply for being homeless, which would push them even further into the margins of society.
Ruwart’s Solution
Ruwart states that by removing some of the regulations that the government places upon the US, the economy would improve and less people would lack a fixed abode. There would also be no laws in place that persecute the homeless. She is however realistic and admits that some people would still have nowhere to live. The difference is that more Americans would be wealthy so the homeless would receive more donations.
She claims that seventy-five percent of every tax dollar goes towards administration costs rather than those who really need it. This means that the main form of help that homeless people receive is from volunteers working in soup kitchens, kindhearted health workers who provide medical care free of charge and people dishing out spare change. In a society where people were wealthier, they would be in a better position to help other people, meaning that the best way to aid the homeless would be to adopt libertarian principles, which would also be extremely beneficial to society as a whole. Perhaps once those without a place to live were financially better off than they are at the moment, they could finally begin to address the issues that had led them to become homeless in the first place and get their lives back on track.
Fwd: KidsVoice Resolves School Segregation Case For Abused and Neglected Children
From: Scott Hollander [mailto:shollander@kidsvoice.org]
JUSTICE FOR ABUSED AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN AS SCHOOL SEGREGATION CASE SETTLED
Resolution of Lawsuit will Improve Educational Opportunities
for Abused, Neglected and At-Risk YouthOn the same day that the Governor's Task Force on Child Protection released its recommendations in response to the Sandusky scandal, abused and neglected children right here in Allegheny County benefitted from the settlement of a lawsuit ending educational discrimination against children living in one of our county's largest group homes. Yesterday the remaining details were finalized by the McKeesport School District in settling a class action lawsuit brought by KidsVoice to enforce the educational rights of our clients and other abused, neglected and at-risk children living in the Auberle group home in McKeesport.
KidsVoice filed the lawsuit jointly with the Education Law Center because children from Auberle were not allowed to attend the McKeesport Area Schools. Instead they were segregated in a separate building where 7th- 12th grade children from Auberle were educated together in the same classrooms, despite various ages and grade levels, and were not afforded the same opportunities, resources and extracurricular activities as other McKeesport students. The Auberle children did not receive textbooks, only worksheets, had almost no computer access, and were not provided access to the library, AP courses or science labs.
Within 60 days of filing the lawsuit, the District agreed to discontinue segregating the children and worked to develop new policies and procedures to guarantee the educational rights and meet the needs of the Auberle students.
Scott Hollander, KidsVoice Executive Director, pointed to the progress that children residing at Auberle already are making because of the District's changes. "McKeesport deserves credit for closing the separate classrooms and implementing procedures and policies which are a model for other school districts to follow for how to successfully enroll, support and educate children in foster and group homes. One of the greatest outcomes of this case is that once the Auberle students attended the regular classrooms, more than 30% of the students residing at Auberle made the honor roll, which is higher than the overall district percentage."
One of our clients, Jeffrey,* was an honor student at Pine-Richland High School until his father passed away and his mother struggled with addiction. When he enrolled in the McKeesport School District, he no longer had access to the types of course work and teaching he previously had and instead had to bide his time in a segregated classroom without advancing his education or being challenged academically. As he said, the biggest difference was that in his old school, "the students wanted to learn and the teachers wanted to teach."
Some of the Auberle children were deprived of their education for more than two years. While they cannot get that back, the settlement approved by Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick provides for compensatory educational services and funding for tutoring, educational software, post-secondary education and job training, and compensatory educational services for children with disabilities.
Sadly, this continues to be a problem in other districts where children in foster and group homes are discriminated against in violation of federal and state law. KidsVoice, along with K&L Gates and the Education Law Center is in the midst of negotiating what hopefully will resolve similar issues in one of those other districts.
Your support helps to make outcomes like this possible for Jeffrey and other children. Every year, KidsVoice advocates in court and in the community to ensure a safe and permanent home for 3,000 of our most vulnerable citizens-abused and neglected children. Please consider supporting KidsVoice in your year-end giving to help us end these practices in the several remaining school districts where they continue. Abused and neglected children deserve to have the opportunity to heal and to succeed in school -- not be further abused and stigmatized by those who should be helping them. You can donate through our website, www.kidsvoice.org, or through United Way Contributor Choice #78.
Also, if you know of or are someone who resided at Auberle, please know that Class members include all children and youth who resided at the Auberle Group Home at any time from October 14, 2008 to the present and were educated in classrooms designed exclusively or predominantly for students who resided in the Auberle Group Home, known as transition rooms or Auberle-student classrooms. If you believe you may be a Class Member please contact Jennifer Fox Rabold, Settlement Administrator at (800) 543-8921 or email MASDFund@fedex.com. Notice of the class action settlement is available here .
View the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Child Protection here.
*The child's name has been changed to protect his identity and maintain client confidentiality. KidsVoice does not disclose the names of clients.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Obama Academy salutes record number of students taking IB Diploma and Certificate tests
The Eagle
|
|
Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:56 PM PST
The registration is complete, the names are in, the seats are set, and it's time to celebrate! Celebrate what, you ask? Well, the number of students who are have chosen to take tests for the IB Diploma or Certificate, that is.
This year had such a great turnout that we just had to sit down with Mr. Ehman to get his view on things. We asked him why we [as a school] take this test so seriously. He went on to explain how it "is the highest level of high school" and that "it will be interesting to see where we stack up against the world." Naturally, because there's always more to Mr. Ehman, we had to ask at least one more question. How did he feel about the huge turnout of testers this year? Of course he, like any other person would have said, that "It's amazing how they [the numbers] have grown over the years, and it will be even more amazing to see the benefit that the students will this eventually gain from this experience." As this year goes further and further along, you learn many things that will better you in the long run. So, why not take a test that can help you truly reach that goal of yours down the road. Just wait and keep an eye out because next year could be your testing year.
The International Baccalaureate Candidates
Of 2013
|
Thursday, November 22, 2012
One man's fall from the bottom. A battle ground candidate gets 34,000 votes and zingers from various directions, including self.
Political junkies might like this story of a guy who got 34,000 votes in the recent election. The guy stepped up, again, to toss his hat into the ring as a candidate so the sitting politician didn't run without opposition.
The story seems to be similar to what could happen in Pittsburgh in the months to come with the election of a mayor. Will the Republicans offer a candidate like him?
Perhaps not for mayor, but for the city council seat?
And will the stings happen as they did in North Carolina?
Time will tell. Lets know history so that the same mistakes are not repeated.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Fwd: Swarthmore College Men's Swimming Suffers First Loss of the Season to Rowan, 145-108
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Swarthmore Athletics" <manskis1@swarthmore.edu>
Date: Nov 17, 2012 10:11 PM
Subject: Swarthmore College Men's Swimming Suffers First Loss of the Season to Rowan, 145-108
To: "mark@rauterkus.com" <mark@rauterkus.com>
From: "Swarthmore Athletics" <manskis1@swarthmore.edu>
Date: Nov 17, 2012 10:11 PM
Subject: Swarthmore College Men's Swimming Suffers First Loss of the Season to Rowan, 145-108
To: "mark@rauterkus.com" <mark@rauterkus.com>
 |
| November 17, 2012 The Swarthmore men's swim team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling in non-Conference action to Rowan University by a 145-108 score. |
 |
Friday, November 16, 2012
Terror
Terror is not just about harm: it is about powerlessness in the face of harm. Terror = harm + powerlessness.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
PPS shrinks by about 1,000 students every year
In the past 10 years, Pittsburgh Public Schools has lost about 10,000 students.
When 1,000 students exit PPS every year, I figure that is very much like a loss of the following from the ranks of PPS student body:
2 x 75 member football teams (Freshmen, JV, Varsity) (+150)
2 x 50 member swim teams (+ 100=250)
4 x 20 member waterpolo teams (+80=330)
3 x 15 member tennis squads (+45=375)
2 x 25 member soccer teams (+50=425)
1 x 25 member hockey squad {+25=475)
1 x 40 cast musical (=515)
1 x 100 marching band with dancers, cheer, flags, colorguard (=615)
6 x 10 member chess and debate squads (=675)
1 x 25 member (insert favorite) club sport (=700)
+ 300 siblings = 1,000 students.
When 1,000 students exit PPS every year, I figure that is very much like a loss of the following from the ranks of PPS student body:
2 x 75 member football teams (Freshmen, JV, Varsity) (+150)
2 x 50 member swim teams (+ 100=250)
4 x 20 member waterpolo teams (+80=330)
3 x 15 member tennis squads (+45=375)
2 x 25 member soccer teams (+50=425)
1 x 25 member hockey squad {+25=475)
1 x 40 cast musical (=515)
1 x 100 marching band with dancers, cheer, flags, colorguard (=615)
6 x 10 member chess and debate squads (=675)
1 x 25 member (insert favorite) club sport (=700)
+ 300 siblings = 1,000 students.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Fwd: Invitation: Tackling make or break issues on our watch! Dec.13 Smart Growth Conference
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sustainable Pittsburgh
From: Sustainable Pittsburgh
|
Monday, November 12, 2012
Fwd: FREE Cultural Competency Training THIS THURSDAY!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Neighborhood Learning Alliance
![]()
From: Neighborhood Learning Alliance
|
Friday, November 09, 2012
Fwd: USO won
University Prep 47, Somerset 38
Somerset - 0 - 22 - 8 - 8 - -- - 38
University Prep - 6 - 20 - 7 - 14 - -- - 47
UP -- Clay Moorefield 26 pass from Akil Young (kick failed)
UP -- Marcus Johnson 82 pass from Young (Michael Wright pass from Ryan Daniels)
S -- Matt Boyer 74 run (pass failed)
UP -- Nicholas Stallworth 45 pass from Young (run failed)
S -- Blake Faulkner 3 run (Tanner Stull run)
UP -- Wright 5 pass from Young (pass failed)
S -- Stull 25 run (Stull run)
S -- Jordan Wilkow 25 pass from Stull (Stull run)
UP -- A.J. Roberts 14 pass from Young (Dan Denlinger kick)
UP -- Johnson 22 pass from Young (Denlinger kick)
S -- Wilkow 26 pass from Stull (Stull run)
UP -- Daniels 3 run (Denlingher kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
Somerset - - University Prep
15 - First Downs - 14
259 - Rushing Yards - 62
205 - Passing Yards - 462
464 - Total Yards - 524
15-29-1 - Comp-Att-Int - 30-46-0
1-1 - Fumbles-Lost - 0-0
7-65 - Penalties-Yards - 10-108
1-37 - Punts-Average - 2-35.5
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Soccer for the girls team, Obama Eagle Article
Posted: 05 Nov 2012 07:47 PM PST
Obama seniors Ryann Lane and Renee Eddy-Harvey have been in the soccer team since freshmen year. They have had their share of success and failures. Remaining on the soccer team for 4 years becomes a real challenge when there are disputes, arguments, and changing coaches. In their case, they have had three new coaches in 4 years.
"Junior year and senior years have been very challenging," Ryann says, "Entering into the WPIAL was different." She also added that things were more difficult in the preseason when there were no coaches; they lacked preparation, and had hardly any motivation, mentality, within the team.
In the past years, the "spirit" within the team has been constant, but changes in coaches can be a very crucial change. According to Renée, "In the first two years the coach was bonding in a way; [in] our second and last coach [it] was not apparent."
Ryann adds that this year was very different. There was more detachment within the team, less motivation or dedication, and more "slacking off", compared to freshman and sophomore years. Their first years in Obama soccer started off on a good tempo with various wins and team motivation, and because of a "steady pace with leadership".
Both the girls have agreed that their transition in soccer did not go as anticipated. Once, the entire team was very close. But as years passed, players started to separate and a number of "disappointments" started to develop. The soccer team recently lost to Alderdice High School, who they had beaten three times before.
In the future, they plan to be more involved in soccer, such as watching and following the games through television and playing it for fun; however, they feel as though this is the last year they will be in a formal team. In college, neither of them intends to play for a team. Both agree that they would love to have a team reunion in later years.
"Junior year and senior years have been very challenging," Ryann says, "Entering into the WPIAL was different." She also added that things were more difficult in the preseason when there were no coaches; they lacked preparation, and had hardly any motivation, mentality, within the team.
In the past years, the "spirit" within the team has been constant, but changes in coaches can be a very crucial change. According to Renée, "In the first two years the coach was bonding in a way; [in] our second and last coach [it] was not apparent."
Ryann adds that this year was very different. There was more detachment within the team, less motivation or dedication, and more "slacking off", compared to freshman and sophomore years. Their first years in Obama soccer started off on a good tempo with various wins and team motivation, and because of a "steady pace with leadership".
Both the girls have agreed that their transition in soccer did not go as anticipated. Once, the entire team was very close. But as years passed, players started to separate and a number of "disappointments" started to develop. The soccer team recently lost to Alderdice High School, who they had beaten three times before.
In the future, they plan to be more involved in soccer, such as watching and following the games through television and playing it for fun; however, they feel as though this is the last year they will be in a formal team. In college, neither of them intends to play for a team. Both agree that they would love to have a team reunion in later years.
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