Nearly all seventh and eighth grade students and 74% of high schoolers are involved in some form of sport or activity, according to participation and eligibility data for Powell Middle School and Powell High School.

At Powell Middle School there was a 2.5% increase in overall student participation in school and community activity involvement this spring thanks to staff intervention according to the middle schools report, which showed  95% participation in grades seven and eight. Powell High School experienced a small dip in participation compared to last year’s 77% but was not outside of their average for their past five years. However, Powell High School’s data only included school sports and activities.

While addressing the participation rate during a June 13 school board meeting Chanler Buck, Powell Middle School assistant principal and activities director, said that while seventh and eighth grade participation is high the number of sixth grade students participating in activities, which is currently 86%, is continuing to climb. Buck mentioned the addition of cross country, cheerleading and wrestling for sixth graders and said that data supports that involvement helps an 11 year-old feel like they belong as early as the fall semester.

“They felt that they were out there representing our middle school and their community, their family and that’s that’s extremely important at the secondary level,” Buck said. 

Upward trend

Powell High School Principal Tim Wormald spoke to data at the same meeting  compiled by Scott McKenzie, the former high school activities and athletics director, who retired at the end of the school year. Wormald said that the middle school has done a good job providing opportunities for students and expanded opportunities are being looked into at the high school level. Wormald spoke about roughly a decade ago when the board began discussing eligibility requirements. He said at the time opinions varied from thinking there should be strict eligibility requirements, to students should have the ability to participate.

“It’s been neat to see how this conversation has evolved over the years to saying, ‘Hey, we recognize how important participation is whether that’s a club or an activity or sport,’” Wormald said. “We know that students are going to do better when they’re involved and so we want to provide those opportunities and, and really encourage that versus discourage that which is again, kind of how the conversation started a long time ago.”

Superintendent Jay Curtis added that out of the high school population of 550 students only one student who participated in one activity or more had an F grade by the end of year. Curtis said research supports that involvement increases academic achievement, but a need to stay in a sport or program is not the reason students who participate in activities succeed in academics. 

“It’s that sense of belonging, that sense of purpose, that sense of discipline, all of those things weigh into students being successful in school,” Curtis said. 

Outside of academics, students had a successful year in their chosen activities. Among other student accomplishments, the boys and girls track team both won state titles at the high school level, both high school and middle school robotics competed in international competitions, Powell Middle School’s MathCounts team won state for the 16th consecutive year and their coach, math teacher Dale Estes, accompanied Wyoming’s representatives to the national competition. SkillsUSA also had four students qualify for the national competition and the Powell Middle School Fishing Club continued to grow in scope and funding with a notable donation coming from Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and the News.

School recognition

Before the participation discussion the track teams were recognized for their accomplishments and status as role models at the school, which led community member Dona Becker to ask if students are honored at school as well as by the board.

“I just wanted to know if there’s anything like what happened tonight in an assembly at the schools, or some way that all of the kids know what happened with the these kids here — that they all got awards or whatever, because they can’t be good role models if … all the kids in the school don’t find out about it,” Becker said. “And I remember when I was growing up, we did those kinds of things at assemblies … we all wanted to be as good as them. So I didn’t know if anything like that happened at the school. If not, I think it should.”

Superintendent Jay Curtis said that banner ceremonies are held at the school for state champions and that state champions are celebrated in the schools.

Continuing the theme of recognition, trustee Tracy Morris asked whether or not career technical education programs are counted in student participation. Wormald clarified that with the exception of SkillsUSA that CTE programs and work study are not included in the participation data because they are not recognized by the state, which requires participation reports from school districts.

Wormald did acknowledge that if these students were counted the participation rates would be higher, and the door was left open to possibly figure out a way to calculate these students for the district’s personal data next year.