Students and board hear how C team and middle school sports expand access and feed varsity pipelines

Student speakers and board members presented testimony on the role of athletics and activities, with an emphasis on C team and middle school sports as pathways to varsity participation and engagement.

A student presenter described C team as the entry point that allowed peers to learn sports skills and later reach JV or varsity levels: “If we didn’t have c team, that wouldn’t happen.” The student gave a tennis example of a peer who moved from C team to varsity within a year.

Presenters said middle school sports participation is high: after recalculating to exclude fifth graders, staff reported approximately 1,335 students playing middle school sports out of 1,935 students enrolled in grades 6–8 — roughly 69% — and noted many families rely on school sports because club sports are expensive.

Board members and administrators warned cutting C team and middle school sports would reduce access, shrink the athlete pipeline and could depress enrollment as families seek districts that maintain robust athletics. The district will consider athletics in levy-option planning for Nov. 10.