Public Relations

"The Athletic Director’s Year-End Report"
(Ken Erny, CAA, Athletic Director, Fruitport High School, Fruitport, Michigan) - Having a year-end report is not rocket science, nor is it a requirement for all athletic directors; however, it is a great public relations tool and a basis for program improvement, budgeting and goal-setting. It also provides a good education to readers about the depth of our athletic program. These reports are distributed to our school board members, superintendent, principal, booster club and athletic council. They are also made available to prospective students and coaches, parents and posted on our Web site.

Section 1: “By the Numbers” – This is a chart listing the number of participants, coaches, officials hired and bus trips. It is an eye-opener for readers who are not aware of the number of people an athletic department deals with.

Section 2: “The Numbers by Gender” – This chart compares male and female ratios for participants and coaching staff. It also tracks two- and three-sport athletes. We use this information at the state and federal levels as well.

Section 3-5: “Celebrations, Significant Accomplishments and Senior Honors” – We compile championships and individual accomplishments in one location for everyone to see. Even in the lean years we can find things to be celebrated. We try to spread the senior athlete honors around, with the highest being female and male athletes of the year nominated by coaches and selected by teaching staff. There are usually six to eight seniors who receive a scholar-athlete award or recognition.

Section 6: “Grade-Point Average Study” – This takes some work, but figuring the GPAs by team gives credibility to the belief that the majority of student-athletes are excelling in academics with a demanding schedule. It is a great way to honor teams and coaches. The data is then accessible for individual academic all-state reports.

Section 7: “Participation Rates” – This is an eight-year chart showing the numbers of participants for each sport. These numbers are needed for annual reports and are taken from eligibility rosters. Again, it is information that helps the reader understand the importance of athletics in the school setting.

This goes along with our athletic mission statement aiming to provide students with opportunities to develop character, loyalty, and school spirit; to practice teamwork, hard work, discipline, sacrifice, leadership, and sportsmanship; and to gain lifetime appreciation for sports and a healthy lifestyle.

"Road Show"
(Priscilla Dillow, Athletic Director, Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, IN) - A program that was developed jointly by the athletic and guidance departments is that of the Ben Davis H.S. “Road Show.” The primary purpose of this program is to inform 8th graders in our school district about the NCAA rules and regulations with particular attention given to academic requirements. A secondary consideration is that of presenting the high school program in a positive manner through student and staff presentations.
Each January we visit the three junior high schools in our district on a scheduled basis for an hour-long presentation at each school. We take four students – two boys and two girls – one counselor, an athletic director and one or two coaches. The students prepare a three-minute presentation that includes the importance of setting goals, good grades, resisting negative influences, being a good citizen/role model, and benefits of participation in athletics. Student speakers are also asked to share a personal experience that helped them stay or get back on the right track. We distribute a brochure that the counselor explains regarding core courses. The athletic director and a coach give brief remarks about athletic and academic success factors. In addition, we publish excerpts from the brochure in our athletic programs and mail excerpts to all school residents in a township flyer.
This program has been conducted annually for ten years. The dates are established in November. We feel that the program has provided a successful vehicle to ensure that parents and athletes are aware of all of our requirements.

"Athletic Council"
(Francis Whitten III, Athletic Director, Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, MA) - I started an Athletic Council which consists of students, similar to a Student Council. We have four subcommittees: school spirit, service, policy, Hall of Fame. The students are empowered by this program to suggest changes to be made in the areas indicated. Their suggestions have helped us enhance school spirit, increase school pride, and increase involvement in our athletic program.

"Using Digital Photography"
(Doug Duval, Athletic Director, Mundelein High School, Mundelein, Illinois) - With the purchase of a new digital camera, we have introduced a new way to promote our athletes at Mundelein High School. We promote “Athletes of the Week" each week by selecting a male or female athlete by committee to represent our school as the athlete of the week. We use the digital camera to take a head shot of the athlete as well as recording a small action clip of the athlete. In coordination with the technology department, we place the still picture and the action clip with information regarding the athlete on our Web site.
We also highlight featured athletic events by using the camera to take pictures of our teams competing in special invitational competition or state tournament competition. We also take video clips. The discs are then forwarded to technology to be placed on our school Web site.
The feature that I like best about digital camera photography is that it gives instant feedback for use still pictures and action clips that is compatible with other current technology used in our district.

"Fan of the Week"
(Dick Overton, CAA, Athletic Director, Midlothian High School, Midlothian, Virginia) - At Midlothian we have a “fan of the week." It could be more than one person, a teacher or a student who attended games that week. As the athletic director, I am present at most of the games and it is easy for me to single out individuals who have come and been very supportive of our teams. If it is a student, I find them at lunch when their friends are around and present them with a Midlothian T-shirt. This really impresses the other students and it has become something worthwhile for them to achieve.

"Athletic/Activity Pass Fee Scale"
(Steve Thiessen, Athletic Director, Johansen High School, Modesto, California) - To increase fan participation at our athletic events, we use two different fee scales: one for the booster club and one for the students. The booster pass membership is divided into four categories: $10 – membership donation; $25 – membership plus eight game passes; $100 – membership plus a season pass for two; $200 – membership plus a family pass. The Student Activity Pass is divided into two categories: $10 – Student Body Card that allows discounted rates for games; $25 – Deluxe Student Body Card that allows free admission to all home games. "The Spirit Revolution"
(John D. Martin, CAA, Athletic Director, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois) - At Adlai E. Stevenson High School, the head cheerleading and pom-pon coaches decided to join forces to promote school spirit. Starting slowly with arranged cheerleader and pom-pon exchanges, joint practices and social events, the coaches attempted to build a sense of unity within and between the two major spirit groups in the school. The squads were led to view themselves not as separate, but as teammates. The coaches worked to develop these teammates into true "spirit ambassadors" for the school. In 1997, we had nearly 100 athletes competing on four cheerleading and three pom-pon squads. Through the hard work of these dedicated coaches and their athletes, the concept of "school spirit" has a whole new meaning at our high school.

"Mentoring"
(Rusty Taylor, CAA – Athletic Director–Westview High School -Martin, Tennessee) - Westview H.S. 10th through 12th grade football players currently collaborate with Martin Elementary School third through fifth graders in a student mentoring program entitled “Pig-Skin Pals.” The purpose of the program is to provide elementary students with role models who will have a positive influence on the academic and athletic development of the elementary school children. The program builds positive relationships between the students and the schools involved.
The high school players go to the elementary school one day a week to help the students primarily with math and reading skills. The players use football terminology when helping with math skills, use team and teamwork concepts when teaching reading skills, and play math and reading games with the students.

"Sports Information Director"
(Mike Swank, CAA – Activities Director – Bay High School – Bay Village, Ohio) - To help with district and community relations, we have developed a sports information director position, which is filled by a high school student. Our sports information director gathers, edits and sends a weekly press release to local media, our central office and district employees. We have developed a standardized form, limited to one page. It has been very well received by all.

"Cardinal Connection"
(David Hartmann – Activities Director – Alexandria High School – Alexandria, Minnesota) - The Cardinal Connection is a daily e-mail of school activities that is sent to all school district staff and the media. It is also entered on the district Web page. Included in the e-mail are results from the previous day, upcoming events and activities, bus departures times and recognition of students and coaches.
This technology tool has been a great way to connect our staff and students as well as our community through the media and Web page. It has saved time and phone calls, as those needing the information can go directly to its source and easily obtain it. We encourage coaches to recognize students for their accomplishments and awards by sending an e-mail to the activities secretary by 8:30 a.m. so she can cut and paste into the document. We have had alumni from all over the United States log on each day to follow our students and teams. This communication tool is the best thing we have done. we get more positive feedback on these e-mails than anything else. Teachers look forward to reading it so that they can connect with students in their classes.
If you would like to view the Cardinal Connection go to: www.alexandria.k12.mn.us, click on News to Use and then Cardinal Activities.

"Pre-game Sportsmanship"
(Terry Speir, Activities Director, Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Long Beach, California) - Long Beach Polytechnic High School was looking for a way to heighten sportsmanship at our football games. We had some rowdy fans that needed reminding that character does indeed count not only on the field, but in the stands as well. This is why our league adopted a pre-game unity circle and player handshake.
The pre-game sportsmanship events begin with a simple telephone call to the visiting team’s athletic director. We invite its student council and cheerleaders to join our members in forming a tunnel, mixing up the students so that they get to meet someone new from another school. The teams enter the field and our marching band plays the national anthem. Immediately following the national anthem, the students forming a tunnel hold hands and walk out on to the field making a large circle at the 50-yard line. The officials enter the circle with the team captains from both schools and execute the coin toss and pre-game information. While doing this the following statement is read over the public address system:
Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the center of the field. The student councils from Long Beach Poly and Lakewood High School would like you to join them in a gesture of goodwill and sportsmanship. Interscholastic athletic competition should demonstrate high standards of ethics and sportsmanship and promote the development of good character in its athletes, coaches, spirit groups and spectators.
While the “Unity Circle” is in place, the teams line up on their respective sidelines preparing for the next part of the pre-game. After the officials have concluded their pre-game information with the captains, the circle breaks off and the players from both teams walk to the center of the field. Each player shakes the hand of the player across from him and then returns to their sideline, preparing for kickoff.
These pre-game events take only about seven minutes. Those seven minutes have made a significant impression on our spectators and players. They seem to be more respectful of the officials and we have less tension in the stands. We have involved student leaders who are respected on campus for the hard work that they do. Other teams we have played that are not in our league have taken this idea back for adoption by their leagues.