HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER
By Bob Gardner, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School
Associations and Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the Tennessee Secondary
School Athletic Association.
Tailgates. Pep rallies. Friday night lights. The new school year is here! And that’s exciting
news for student-athletes and high school sports fans alike.
Research shows that being a student-athlete is about a lot more than fun and games. It
teaches important life lessons, too. In fact, high school athletes not only have higher
grade point averages and fewer school absences than non-athletes, they also develop the
kind of work habits and self-discipline skills that help them become more responsible and
productive community members.
Attending high school sporting events teaches important life lessons, too.
Among them, it teaches that we can live in different communities, come from different
backgrounds, faiths and cultures, cheer for different teams, and still have a common
bond.
That’s why attending the activities hosted by your high school this fall is so important.
It’s not only an opportunity to cheer for your hometown team, it is also an opportunity to
celebrate our commonality. And that’s something our country needs right now.
The bond we share is mutually supporting the teenagers in our respective communities.
We applaud their persistence, tenacity, preparation and hard work, regardless of the color
of the uniform they wear. We acknowledge that education-based, high school sports are
enhancing their lives, and ours, in ways that few other activities could. And we agree that,
regardless of what side of the field we sit on, attending a high school sporting event is an
uplifting, enriching, family-friendly experience for all of us.
Many of the high schools in our state lie at the heart of the communities they serve.
They not only are educating our next generation of leaders, they also are a place where
we congregate, where people from every corner of town and all walks of life come
together as one. And at no time is this unity more evident than during a high school
athletic event.
This is the beginning of a new school year. Opportunities abound in the classroom and
outside it. Let’s make the most of them by attending as many athletic events at the high
school in our community as possible.

Turn on the lights, and let the games begin!!!