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The MIAA is an organization of public and private high
schools.
- MIAA approves and sponsors athletic activities in 33 sports,
involving 195,000 young men and women who compete in approximately 100,000 competitions
annually.
- Governance and administration of MIAA is shared among members
of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School
Superintendents, high school administrators, athletic directors, coaches, game officials,
and physicians; all of whom serve without compensation on thirty-eight MIAA standing
committees.
- MIAA student services programs are at the cutting edge of
national efforts in these critically important areas to young people.
- High school activity programs are an integral part of the
total education process. Successful interscholastic athletic programs teach young people
values such as:
Accepting
success graciously |
Physical
well-being and Chemical Health |
Accountability |
Respect |
Citizenship and
Sportsmanship |
Responsibility |
Confidence |
Sacrificing for
the common good |
Handling
disappointment |
Self-discipline |
Leadership
skills |
Social skills |
Organizational
skills |
Striving towards
excellence |
Participating
within rules |
Taking
instruction |
Performing under
pressure |
Teamwork |
Persistence |
Work ethic |
- Grade point averages (GPA) of students improve during seasons
in which they are participating in athletics.
- Overall 65% of all students are participants in MIAA
interscholastic athletic programs.
Student-athletes have higher attendance and graduation rates
than non-athletes.
95% of corporate officers report that they had
participated in high school athletics.
High school athletic programs are cost effective. They
typically make up one to three percent of the local school budget.
- High school activity programs often represent the best
drop-out prevention, crisis intervention, day care, and drug prevention programs which a
community can offer, and the cost per student is minimal.
Students participate in high school athletics because they
want to! This motivation should be utilized to teach "life lessons."
- School activities are "the other half of education"
and "an extension of the classroom." Athletic programs have no justification
within a school if the young people participating are not learning how to "win in
life." Contests won or lost are not nearly as important as the life lessons learned
by the student participants.
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