Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Athletics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athletic director reports steady participation, flags gender gap and facility plans
Summary
Athletic Director Matt Johnson told the board participation held at about 69% in 2024–25, highlighted team successes and co-op expansions with River Valley, and said the district plans baseball and softball field renovations.
Matt Johnson, New Buffalo’s Athletic Director, presented participation statistics and program developments to the board. Johnson said student athletic participation has remained steady between 66% and 69% since 2016 and recorded 69% participation for the 2024–2025 school year; he noted 25 students played three sports this year and flagged a gender participation gap—65 male athletes and 54 female athletes—while emphasizing efforts to boost female engagement and multi-sport involvement.
Johnson reviewed competitive achievements—girls basketball in its first year as a co-op with River Valley became conference co-champions; the girls track team won their conference; eight students qualified for state track meets and five earned all-state honors; there were individual state-level accomplishments in volleyball and swimming. He described ongoing and planned co-op arrangements with River Valley (accelerated merge for girls soccer this year; plans for volleyball, track and baseball next year) and said the department’s major upcoming project is renovating the baseball and softball fields. Superintendent Adam Bowen praised Johnson’s commitment and noted the complexity of making co-ops work for students.
