In the community at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, students are able to establish connections with peers, challenge themselves in rigorous courses, and take part in extracurriculars such as athletics. The more a student participates, the more he or she can gain a deep understanding of the school’s culture by living it out in a concrete way. In particular, the school’s athletics program provides opportunities to be fully immersed in the school’s culture and charism, and empowers students to grow in leadership.
The athletic teams maintain a high moral standard that upholds each person’s human dignity and exercises trust and accountability. The field hockey team is one example of this mission. During a high stakes corner play at a recent game, players had an opportunity for a close shot on goal and the pressure was high. Before calling the play, team captains gathered the team in a huddle and led everyone in taking a collective deep breath, reminding their teammates to trust one another.
“This is what I love about John Paul field hockey,” said Ann Thompson, a senior. “No one is seen as being on a higher or lower level than any of their other teammates, so we can all learn and grow together as a team and feel as valued and good as the next person.”
“You need that tight knit community within the overall school community, and that’s why I love field hockey,” said Lindsay Scarola, senior and captain. “It’s a group of girls who are reaching toward a common goal.”
Prayer, study, community, the four pillars of John Paul the Great, are reflected in the athletics program. The teams pray before each game, and every student-athlete and coach attends a fall, winter or spring athletics retreat focused on how sports can help student-athletes become the saints they are made to be. Athletes are always regarded as students first. Teams serve at local food pantries and homeless shelters throughout the year, and community is at the heart of each game and practice.
“At the end of the day, it’s just fun to come to practice every day and make memories and laugh and improve our game together,” Scarola said.
“JP is setting the standard in athletics by truly coaching the whole person,” said Donald Palmer, athletic director. “Our student-athletes lead both on and off the sports venues. We develop leaders in the community with our service work throughout the year as well as our athletic retreats attended by every student-athlete. Character building — excelling as student-athletes and Christians at once for both coaches and athletes — is something that I can’t be more proud of, and something that I think sets us apart from others. I look forward to the many WCAC teams we will face this season as we look to take our programs into the future.”
The experience of JP athletics teaches students to collaborate with others, treat all with respect, and create meaningful bonds rooted in trust. These essential values all help lead to genuine success in life after athletics, and after high school.
