Institute for International Sport tabs Rocky Hill's Young as Educator of the Year

Rocky Hill School passes along this announcement:

Rocky Hill School Headmaster Named Educator of the Year by Institute for International Sport

East Greenwich, RI – Rocky Hill School is proud to announce that Headmaster James J. Young III has been named Educator of the Year by the Institute for International Sport. Founded in 1986 to promote sportsmanship and leadership in youth sports, the Institute hosts the Scholar-Athlete Games and founded National Sportsmanship Day, which is recognized around the nation each March. Rocky Hill School was named a 2008 Sportsmanship School by the Institute, one of only three high schools in the nation to receive the honor. The Institute will honor Young and others at a ceremony on Wednesday, June 11th at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Senator George Mitchell of Maine is the guest speaker and Attorney General Patrick Lynch will be the emcee.

Under the leadership of Headmaster Young, Rocky Hill School has established a sound leadership program that begins as early as kindergarten and is a focus of the upper school wellness program. Young notes, “Our mission promises to educate the whole child. This extends far beyond academics, and we realize that young people need to learn the skills of leadership and to be challenged to find their own strengths and weakness in order to be their best. Leadership is not reserved for the athletic arena alone. Students are leaders in the classroom, on the stage, as advocates and good stewards of the community and within their peer groups. It is our job as educators and role models to provide students not just with the opportunity to lead, but with an understanding of what it means to be a good leader.”

Throughout Young’s tenure, the school’s wellness curriculum has flourished. Students participate in a variety of workshops throughout the year aimed at strengthening character, developing leadership strategies, making healthy decisions and creating a cohesive community. In this current school year, workshops have been presented by Travis Roy, the Boston University hockey player who broke his neck in his first college game and later went onto found The Travis Roy Foundation, RI Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, and various drug and alcohol education organizations like the DeCubellis Foundation and Freedom >From Chemical Dependency. The freshman and sophomore classes spent one-week in the beginning of the year at the Chewonki Foundation in Maine building leadership skills and connecting as a class. There are boundless programs woven throughout the curriculum that strengthen self-confidence and self-reliance while providing students with a clearer understanding of their significance in their community and the world.

In celebration of National Sportsmanship Day, the entire school joined together to hear from people who have made a significant impact on sports in New England. The panel included professional and Olympic athletes, figures from sports media and college coaches and administrators. Former NBA players Joe Hassett and Dana Barros, as well as Red Sox greats Ken Ryan and Mike Stenhouse shared their views on leadership. Olympic medalists Meg Gaillard (sailing) and Shelagh Donohoe (rowing) gave another perspective. Sports reporters John Gillooly, Ken Bell, Carolyn Thornton, and Joe McDonald joined Pawsox GM Lou Schwechheimer, RIIL Executive Director Tom Mezzanote and CEO of the Tennis Hall of Fame Mark Stenning on the panel. College athletes and coaches from Brown, Providence College, URI, and Bryant were also represented. The voice of RI sports, Steve McDonald, was the event emcee and was also the keynote speaker at the school’s athletic awards banquet on Thursday, May 29th.

Young is pleased with the results of program. He hosts a student leadership lunch twice a month as a way to connect with student leaders and further discuss the significance of their role in the community. “I enjoy connecting with the students. It is all too easy to get mired down in the administrative tasks of this position. As an alumnus of the school, I remember quite vividly what it was like to be a student at Rocky Hill. I realize too that the social pressures and expectations of students have changed. The only true way to know if your messages are getting through is to talk with the students, attend games and events and share in the pride with parents and faculty when a student steps up to the plate and succeeds.”

Others have noticed the “good sports” and leaders at Rocky Hill. While the school has won RIIL and SENE division championships in field hockey, lacrosse and soccer in recent seasons, they are most proud of the many sportsmanship awards bestowed upon their teams and athletes. Beyond being named a National Sportsmanship School, Rocky Hill has received the Sue Tessier Sportsmanship Award (girls’ basketball 2007, 2008) and the Gladys Brightman Award for Sportsmanship (field hockey 2005). Three Rocky Hill students have been nominated for the Cox Communications RI Sports Award this year, and one student received the honor for girls’ lacrosse in 2007.

Rocky Hill aims to spread the word about sportsmanship and leadership within their own community and beyond. As an extension of National Sportsmanship Day, a delegation of upper school students created a sportsmanship program that they hope to take on the road. The group presented to Rocky Hill students in kindergarten–grade 5 on Friday, May 30th. The team plans to present the program at area elementary schools in the 2008-09 school year.

Mr. Young noted, “I am so proud of our students and faculty for the serious effort they have put forth to implement a strong leadership program here at the school. We have built the curriculum over several years and are truly seeing results. I was thrilled to receive the honor of being named Educator of the Year by the Institute, but accept it only on behalf of our entire school. It is an everyday battle to compete against negative messages and destructive peer pressure. Our administrators and faculty are diligent and committed to graduating students who are good leaders and more importantly, good citizens. It is so rewarding to see our students flourish.”

Note:
Student leadership ambassadors include:
Richard Weiner (East Greenwich)
Ellie Sharpe (Saunderstown)
Alina Petteruti (East Greenwich)
Erica Santos (Saunderstown)
Max Hall (Carolina)
Chelsey Frost (Narragansett)
Zachary Pierce (Saunderstown)

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)