December Newsletter

December Newsletter

Recently Mr. Kuykendall sent a communication stating that all schools in an attendance zone would have the same colors and mascot for the 2010-2011 school year. Currently, several elementary schools have their own colors and mascots that do not match the high school they feed into(ex. Greenbrook Gators, green and white, go to Southaven High).  This is a perfectly logical step to create school and community identity from kindergarten up.

His announcement sparked conversation at DCAC. We joke sometimes about our athletic teams(we have none) and what their colors and mascots should be. Because of the stereotypes we find associated with alternative school, we say our colors should be black and blue(or black and silver) and our mascot the Raiders or Bandits or Pirates or some other mascot linked to lawlessness and chaos.

The idea of a school mascot or school colors for DCAC elicits a few interesting points. First, as a short term placement, no student who worked the program successfully would be at DCAC long enough to participate in an extracurricular activity. Second, a walk down the halls of DCAC would yield an interesting observation. Today, December 7, 2009, we have one football player enrolled. No basketball, baseball, soccer, or volleyball players, no band members, no choir members, not even a member of the chess club. What, exactly, does this mean?

The vast majority of our students do not participate in sports, music programs, or clubs. Coaches, sponsors, and directors of these activities provide supervision, guidance, and positive models for behavior. As experts in their areas, they have credibility in the eyes of their students. What football player wants to be called down in class knowing that he will have to stand in front of the head coach and account for his actions? Continuing with that thought, the threat of a coach or band director's wrath has given many a teenager a face-saving way out of an awkward situation. "If Coach finds out I was drinking, he'll kick me off the team!"

These activities provide opportunities for growth, success, and self-confidence. A main attribute of most DCAC students is a lack of self-esteem. Students who do not do anything have limited chances to become good at anything. 

In my 4 1/2 years at DCAC, I can remember but a handful of athletes and musicians at DCAC.  There is a definite causal link between students who are not involved in school activities and students who get into trouble. Really, it's pretty simple. Children in general, and teenagers in particular, have a great deal of energy. That energy needs a focus. If children are not directed toward positive activities and supported in their efforts, they will focus their time and energies on activities of their own choosing.