Student Cohorts and 6th Graders Enjoy Campus Sports

In early September, the school’s Medical Advisory Committee approved cohort activities on campus to enable day students to join other students in campus activities in the afternoons. Sports Medicine Director Kathy Rainey and Athletics Director Jon McCain then established safety guidelines for student-athletes and coaches to enable students to participate in sports. With regulations in place, they were able to launch more than 25 cohort groups across six sports. 

While some cohorts remained virtual to accommodate students learning at home locally and abroad, others met on campus for the first time last week. At the same time, 6th graders were welcomed to campus and able to participate in PE. Rainey, who coordinated with Health Services and the school’s Medical Advisory Committee, established the return-to-play plans. 

“We balanced health and safety by simply building an expectation of what needs to be done in order to safely participate and have fun,” Rainey explained. “We created an easy-to-follow structure for students and then built all programming within that structure to ensure kids could easily follow along and enjoy exercising.” 

Middle School Athletic Director Kathy Coe collaborated with Rainey, Middle School administrators and more than 20 other middle school coaches to provide in-person, on-campus athletics training for the 6th-grade class and to continue virtual training for Spartans in the 7th and 8th grades. 
 
Coe, who looks forward to welcoming 7th and 8th graders to campus next week, witnessed first-hand the joy and excitement of last week’s training. “It is crucial to bring athletics and PE back to campus for those learning on The Hill,” Coe said. “The social, emotional, physical and psychological benefits are evident in students — even after just one week together.”

While the Athletics department continues to offer training to students learning virtually, staff members are working tirelessly to provide a sense of normalcy to Spartans this fall. McCain has continued to work closely with Sports Medicine, Health Services and the Medical Advisory Committee to provide safe, productive and, most importantly, fun opportunities for students this season. 

“There is no doubt that things look different this year,” he said. “And while our first priority always will be the safety of our students and coaches, we also know the positive impact athletics has on our school community. We are committed to finding ways for students to train, connect and grow this season.”
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