Angel Haslam, ah434@uakron.edu
Akron Early College has existed since 2008, so why hasn’t a sports team happened yet? Many students enjoy and look forward to the winter and spring pep rallies, with the help of the staff, pep rallies rile up the students and evoke school spirit. Traditionally, pep rallies are used in order to hype up students for their sports teams pending important matches. For AEC students, pep rallies cater to the student athletes that participate at their neighborhood schools. Principal T. O’Neil emphasizes the importance of recognizing the student athletes because of their ability to balance the hard, time consuming workload of AEC on top of participating in a sport.
Most of the staff, including principal O’Neil, really want a sports team, but there are many obstacles to overcome before that happens. According to OHSAA, “If a highschool seeks to start a sports team, they must provide all sports' '. This requirement is a large obstacle since AEC is a smaller highschool, staff is limited. Another obstacle preventing sports at AEC is a place to practice. Since AEC is on AkronU’s campus, we would have to use their facilities which may be an issue if the University does not agree.
Though AEC doesn’t provide sports yet, there are actions and steps we can take as a community to better our school. The Board of Education ultimately vetoes whether or not we can provide sports for early college students. As of 2023, the Board of Education is a more parent & student centric organization, meaning that they listen more to parent and student voices. If more of our community speaks out and advocates for sports for early college students, there is a larger chance that the board’s decision will sway in our favor.
Facts❗️