06/15/09
Schools, Community Services gain 'Sports Done Right' accreditation
The Cape Elizabeth School Department and Cape Elizabeth Community Services are among the latest entities in the state to gain accreditation as "Sports Done Right" communities.
Sports Done Right serves as a guide for schools and youth sports organizations to identify strengths in sports programs as well as areas of potential concern. The intent of the program is to generate local discussions about the overall sports program while forming local partnerships to ensure students are offered a healthy and positive sports experience.
In a press release, Maine Center for Sports and Coaching Director Karen Hawkes lauded the Cape Elizabeth schools and community services, along with new designee Scarborough, as outstanding examples of the power of community partnerships. “In both communities, the partnerships have led to increased athletic and leadership opportunities for students of all ages. Furthermore, the partnerships have ensured a consistent athletic philosophy throughout the community” Hawkes said.
Cape Elizabeth was among systems to receive ananimous approval for accreditation from the Sports Done Right Board of Directors on June 8, 2009.
Accreditation has been a goal of years of work by the school's athletic department and by Community Services, but the will not stop here. "The next step is really kind of educating," said School Department Athletic Director Jeff Thoreck. "We still have some work to do, but I think this was an important first step in gaining that accreditation piece and having the materials that we need to move forward," he said.
The Maine Center for Sports and Coaching, based at the University of Maine, is headquarters for Sports Done Right. Accreditation is the fruit of efforts put forth by school officials, students and parents for the last few years. Last month, an accreditation team from Sports Done Right visited Cape Elizabeth and approved the community's application, ahead of schedule Thoreck said. "I'm really excited to get this going, and it's really neat," Thoreck said.
Karen Burke, a member of the School Board, said that Cape Elizabeth over the years has embraced many of the philosophies of sportsmanship, learning, leadership, health and fitness and opportunity to play that Sports Done Right espouses. "This is just going to make it that much stronger," she said at the June 9, 2009 meeting of the School Board.
More information is available on the Maine Center for Sports and Coaching's Web site.
Previous stories:
|
Subscribe
