ng each win, a victory ribbon is attached and the entire squad accompanies the flag as it is carried in front of the fans.
The players have taken on a sense of ownership in the football program. Next season, at their request, the weight room will have squad leaders. The squad leaders will be seniors. Each squad will be made up of ninth through twelfth graders. The squad leaders will mentor and assist younger athletes. The goal is to get even more participation in the weight room and create an incentivÐÐ°¾ °Õlearn the BFS system so well that they may become squad leaders in the future. Our football players focus on helping teammates because it feels great and because it will ultimately help the team.
Helping others goes beyond the field and weight room. At the suggestion of Kathy Harris, Coach Harris’ wife, a reading program was established. On Fridays—game days—varsity players, dressed in their game shirts, travel to the elementary schools. There they spend 30 to 45 minutes reading to the elementary students, kindergarten through sixth grade. This is a major endeavor requiring coordination and cooperation of administration, high school faculty and staff, elementary teachers, coaching staff and the players. One glance at the expression on the younger students’ faces as they listen tells the story: the results are worth the effort.
It would be wonderful to conclude the Hornets’ story with a picture of a 2002 state championship trophy, but we didn’t reach that goal. We did make the playoffs, a substantial achievement for a team that was 0-9 a couple of seasons e0; ¨?¾°¯À‡~ld; text-align: center; vertical-align: to }