building the future...following brogie at the podi-um was ellis lane, nfhs coach citation award...

Building the Futurethe newsletter of MIAA Educational Athletics

Fall 2016

Educational Athletics Briefs

Team Up, Speak Up

Concussion Awareness Weekp. 8

“Legends” honored at Gillette Stadium Inaugural event sponsors EA Athleticsp. 6

Student Leaders Excel at NESLC Delegates from several states participate p. 4

Sportsmanship Essay Contest now openOctober 14, 2016 is the deadline for submissions for student essays–literary or multimedia–for the 16th Annual Sportsmanship Essay

Contest. Essay winners For more information, please visit the Sportsmanship Page at www.miaa.net. Essay winners will be honored during the 23rd Annual Sportsmanship Summit at Gillette Stadium on

Friday, November 18, 2016.

Positive InitiationWorkshop On September 19, MIAA will host a morning workshop entitled “Hazing, Leadership

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and Positive Initiation” as part of National Hazing Week September 19–23. NFHS Director of Educational Services Elliot Hopkins and the Positive Coaching

MIAA Coaches of the Year and Student-Athletes of the Month were recog-nized at the annual banquet on May 26th at the DoubleTree Ho-tel in Milford. The popular event was moved off-site after being held at the MIAA Office in Franklin in previous years due to the increased number of participants.

Dick Baker, MIAA Assistant Di-rector and Coaches’ Education Co-ordinator, and Peter Smith, MIAA Associate Director and Leadership Coordinator, presided over the evening’s proceedings, conferring awards on 17 student-athletes and 23 coaches.

After the welcome and dinner, Smith in-troduced former MIAA Student Advisory Committee Chair Molly Brogie (Sutton High School Class of 2015; current student at Union

Nicholas Beati of Chelmsford High School, receives his Student-Athlete of the Month plaque for January 2016 from MIAA Assistant Director Dick Baker, left, and Associate Director Peter Smith.

MIAA banquet recognizes, salutescoaches and student-athletes

College), who addressed the audience, sharing her thoughts on leadership, specifically the leadership skills she learned through MIAA leadership initiatives. Recounting her struggle

to return to athletics after a serious knee injury, she said, “I realized something huge: people don’t need to be known across the country to have an impact. All of you being honored today are the people who realized this earlier than I did. You’re the captains who pushed me to get back on the court, the coaches who made me work through my fears. And I learned from you. I worked with the MIAA to run captains workshops and develop my own leadership skills.”

Following Brogie at the podi-um was Ellis Lane, NFHS Coach Citation Award recipient in 2012, introduced by Dick Baker. Draw-

ing from extensive experience, Lane discussed coaching high school sports, offering examples of positive coaching and role modeling.

The Massachusetts Nominee for the NFHS

Student-Athlete of the Month, Coach of the Year banquetheld May 26

2 Building the Future Fall 2016

Alliance will discuss how everyone can contribute to Leadership within their team or activity group by learning how to communicate with each other and push each other, positively, especially in difficult situations. The workshop will teach students how to welcome new players, create bonds and help their group meet its full potential. For more information, please visit www.miaa.net.

30th Annual Leadership Training InstituteApplications are now being accepted for this five-day residential training forum which is a foundation of the MIAA Educational Athletics curriculum. Participants will learn strategies for incorporating the pillars of Educational Athletics in their school athletic/activity program. Thirty individuals will be selected for participation. To apply visit the Leadership Training Institute page at www.miaa.net.

MIAA Coach of the Year Nominations due March 31Nominations for the annual MIAA Coach of the Year Award are currently being accepted. This award seeks to recognize and honor “teacher coaches” who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop skills and values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives. Please visit the “Quick Links” section at www.miaa.net to download the nomination form.

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Stephanie Finn, field hockey coach at Plymouth South High School, and Shannon Colbert, three-sport athlete and field hockey captain at the same school, both were honored at the May 26th banquet.

Spirit of Sport Award, Deven Schuko of Norton High School was recognized. Schuko, an undefeated wrestler during the 2015-2016 season, volunteered to wrestle Andy Howland, a 21-year-old special needs competitor from Dighton-Rehoboth when the two teams faced each other during a tri-meet. Howland’s first-period pinfall victory went viral on social media, and Schuko’s leadership and

sportsmanship reverberated in cyberspace and in the Mas-sachusetts wrestling community.

The 2015-2016 MIAA Student-Athlete of the Month awardees are: September

Ella King, Lenox Memorial Middle and High SchoolNick Perenick, Matignon High School

OctoberAlyssa Stefanelli, Chicopee Comprehensive High SchoolKevin Lyons, Weymouth High School

NovemberAlexandra Roessling, Hampshire Regional High SchoolConnor Strom, Tri-County RVTHS

DecemberReagan Tripp, Westport Junior/Senior High SchoolJoe Aberdale, Monument Mountain Regional High School

JanuaryShannon Colbert, Plymouth South High SchoolNicholas Beati, Chelmsford High School

FebruaryRaeohan Miles-Willis, Charlestown High SchoolMichael Geraghty, Bishop Feehan High School

MarchAbbie Newman, Whitman-Hanson Regional

High SchoolShaun McCarthy, Oxford High School

AprilAnne Silveira, Seekonk High SchoolCharles Kiernan, Monomoy Regional High

SchoolMIAA Coach-of-the-Year awards were also

presented to recipients in 23 sports:Baseball

Joseph Siciliano, Newton North High SchoolBasketball (Boys)

Brad Simpson, Wakefield High SchoolBasketball (Girls)

David Fallon, Millis High SchoolCross Country Track (Girls)

Thomas Shaw, Milton High SchoolField Hockey

Stephanie Finn, Plymouth North High SchoolFootball

Thomas Bingham, St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High SchoolGymnastics (Boys)

Richard Ellis, Braintree High SchoolIce Hockey (Boys)

Rich Feeley, Agawam High SchoolIndoor Track (Boys)

Roger Fuller, Methuen High SchoolIndoor Track (Girls)

Cindy Tilden, Old Rochester Regional High SchoolLacrosse (Boys)

Richard Luongo, Algonquin RHSLacrosse (Girls)

Kelsy Beaton, Sandwich High SchoolSoccer (Boys)

Ian Doreian, John D. O’Bryant School of Math & ScienceSoccer (Girls)

Eric Degnan, Monson High SchoolSoftball

David Reid, Montachusett Regional Voca-tional Technical SchoolSwimming and Diving (Boys)

Jill Svirida, Monument Mountain Regional High SchoolSwimming and Diving (Girls)

Barbara Toohey, Hanover High SchoolTennis (Boys)

John Bunar, Duxbury High SchoolTennis (Girls)

Jessie LaValle, Tantasqua RHScontinued on page 3

Building the Future Fall 2016 3

The following dates for the “Fundamentals of Coaching” class have been scheduled:

September 20, 2016: Somerset Middle School, 4:00pm–8:00pmSeptember 21, 2016: Reading Memorial High School, 4:00pm–8:00pmNovember 5, 2016: Reading Memorial High School, 8:00am–noonDecember 29, 2016: MIAA Office, Franklin 10:00am–2:30pmFebruary 23, 2017: MIAA Office, Franklin 10:00am–2:30pm

Anyone interested in attending these classes should sign up at http://www.miaa.net/miaa/conferences. Classes are listed individually for registration. Please check frequent-ly, as new classes will be added throughout the year.

Student Ambassadors assist Wachusett Dam cleanup

Student ambassadors from Quabbin, Clinton, Oakmont, Gardner, Littleton, Lunenburg, Tahanto, Tyngsborough, and Narragansett spent the day of Friday, April 29th assisting with cleanup of the Wachusett Dam in Clinton, according to Quabbin Re-gional School Athletic Director Mark Miville.

Clinton Athletic Director Tony Gannon helped to organize the event through the De-partment of Conservation and Recreation. Students cleaned up trash, fertilized grass ar-eas of the dam and swept walkways. After a morning of work, they enjoyed pizza on the top of the dam, which, when finished in 1905, was the largest public water supply reservoir in the world and the largest gravity dam in the world. It is still considered the largest “hand-dug” dam in the world today. Another event is being planned for fall 2016 ambassadors

from all 26 MidWach schools.The MIAA Student Ambassadors initiative

seeks to provide students from each MIAA member school with the opportunity to be-come involved and educated in the Association structure. Regular communication regarding Association news and events is sent to the am-

bassadors, and they are invited to participate in a series of Student Ambassador “Huddles” throughout the school year. Member schools are asked to appoint or elect up to three stu-dents, across varying grades, to serve as their school’s ambassadors using this form.

The first Student Ambassador Huddle, scheduled for October 14, 2016, will cover: meeting and building relationships with fellow Ambassadors; becoming active and involved participants within the MIAA; assuming lead-ership roles within your school; roundtable discussions and brainstorming activities; Ed-ucational Athletics topics, including Wellness, Leadership and Community Service, and dis-cussion of upcoming initiatives, events, and

Student Ambassadors from nine schools helped with the Wachusett Dam cleanup April 29.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Student and coach awards distributed at May banquet

Outdoor Track and Field (Boys)George McCabe, Jr., East Bridgewater Ju-

nior/Senior High SchoolVolleyball (Boys)

David Powell, Needham High SchoolVolleyball (Girls)

James Crandall, Concord-Carlisle High SchoolWrestling

Ross Ickes, Wakefield Memorial High School

For more information on how to nominate a Student-Athlete of the Month, please visit the Educational Athletics Leadership page. The nomination form for Coach of the Year honors can be found in the “Quick Links” section on the bottom right of the home page at www.miaa.net. This year’s Coach of the Year nominations are due by March 31, 2017.


Next huddle set for October 14th

volunteer opportunities.Also planned for the day, according to

MIAA Assistant Director Rachel Moo, is “A lot of fun.”

For more information about the program, or to register, please visit the Student Am-bassador Page at www.miaa.net, or contact Rachel Moo at [email protected].


Seven states represented at the 6th annual event

New England Student Leadership Conference A Success

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New England Student Leadership Conference delegates and facilitators pose for a group picture on the steps outside Gillette Stadium.

Student delegates from the Boston Public Schools pose for a picture with Director of Athletics Avery Esdaile during the NESLC 2016.

The 6th Annual New England Student Leadership Conference took place July 26-29, 2016 at Stonehill College. Over 200 student and adult leaders from Connecti-cut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont repre-sented their state high school athletic/activities associations at this year’s event. Throughout the four days, the student and adult delegates participated in a variety of large and small group sessions addressing contemporary issues that impact a young person being a leader and role model.

The conference curriculum was presented in a series of breakout sessions focused on the topics of Teamwork and Healthy Lifestyles, Sportsmanship and Respect, and Positive Val-ues and Perspective. Each day, the delegates also participated in a state meeting that pro-vided opportunities to exchange ideas with other student and adult leaders while focusing on their spheres of influence to develop action plans on the team, school, community and state levels.

The breakout sessions and state meetings were facilitated by college and adult leaders who arrived two days in advance of the con-ference for training. Brook Hansel, a current student-athlete at UMass Amherst and former MIAA Student Advisory Committee member from Lunenburg High School, attended the conference as a student delegate in 2014 and

served as a college facilitator for the first time this summer. She shared the following feed-back regarding her experience:

“I am so grateful to have had the opportuni-ty to work with and learn from all the inspiring student and adult leaders at the conference. This year I really enjoyed being able to see the conference from the perspective of a facilita-tor and see how much the students grow and develop as individuals and come together as a group in just three days. Furthermore, I was able to see all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running the conference and it’s pretty

amazing how many people come together to make it happen. Being surrounded by a group that is so passionate about helping students be-come the best version of themselves and make a positive difference in the world is awesome.”

In addition to the breakout group sessions and state meetings, special guest speakers shared inspirational messages, stories of over-coming adversity and utilizing the power of positive influence. Harvey Alston provided the opening general session keynote on Tuesday af-ternoon, challenging students to “Be the Best”


NESLC attendees participated in a variety of community service activities during the week. Below, student and adult leaders pose for a photo at Natural Resources Trust in Easton, MA. The group cleared trails and landscaped the terrain for several hours.


NESLC through the eyes of Chicopee studentsChicopee Athletic Director Jim Blain asked some questions of NESLC delegates

from his district, Ray Heredia and Noelle Roy, upon their return. Here is a sample of their responses:

Q: What were some of the fun things you did?Ray: There were so many to choose from. We were literally dancing every second of the

day. In our limited free time, we went to the gym and just hung out with the other kids.Noelle: Before every general session we would dance along to songs. The team build-

ing activities were great. My favorite was a game where we had to pass a ball (without dropping it), to our teammates while saying their names and counting at the same time.

Q: Were there any events that you nervous about? How did it turn out?Ray: The second day I was called to the stage in front of everyone to complete a

challenge called “A Minute to Win It.” I was nervous, but then the whole crowd started cheering and chanting my name, so I went up and had a blast.

Noelle: I was nervous about the general sessions because I do not like to be chosen for anything. Once it started and I felt the energy in the room I realized there was nothing to worry about.

Q: Has this conference given you the skills to be a better teammate?Ray: I learned not to treat everyone’s work effort the same as mine. As long as everyone

is giving their personal best effort, and putting the team first, that’s all that really matters. I am quiet by nature. I feel like I am ready to be more vocal this year.

Noelle: I am ready to be a better leader. I can now step up without being afraid to do so.

Q: Other thoughts about NESLC?Ray: If you get the chance to apply to next year’s conference, take advantage of the

opportunity. It’s an experience you cannot get anywhere else.Noelle: It was an amazing experience to be a part of the NESLC. The days flew by

because we were busy from 7:00am to 11:00pm. General sessions were fun, and the speakers were inspirational. The breakout groups and community service were great. The best part is that it made me step out of my comfort zone. This conference really makes you a better leader and teammate.

in all that they do every day. On Wednesday morning, Major Eric DiNoto – Commander, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, Massa-chusetts Army National Guard, discussed the values of leadership and service prior to the del-egates beginning a variety of service activities in the local community. Thursday morning began with a presentation by James Orrigo – Lad in a Battle. A former MIAA Student Advisory Committee member, Orrigo discussed the power of overcoming adversity, never giving up and living purposefully through service to others. During the presentation, he played guitar and shared information about his chil-dren’s hospital program – Outside the Music Box. On Thursday evening, Pam Garramone encouraged participants to “Unleash Your In-ner Happy” by sharing a variety of fun and interactive science-based things that can be done every day to increase your happiness and serve it forward to others. The event concluded on Friday morning with Eddie Slowikowski sharing a high-energy presentation that com-bined music and dance to provide motivation for the students to return home and be “The Best Version of You.”

The values of service and making a posi-tive impact on the lives of others were ma-jor themes throughout the conference. On Wednesday morning, groups of student and adult delegates participated in a variety of service activities in local communities. The activities included teaming with participants who have intellectual disabilities in a series of track and field events at the Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover, MA; performing landscap-ing and cleaning projects at the Old Colony YMCA in Easton, MA; sorting and stocking food products at the Food for Friends Pantry in Brockton, MA; completing landscaping projects at the Town Hall and other build-ings in Norfolk, MA; harvesting produce and weeding planting areas at the Farm at Stonehill College; and participating in landscaping and trail clearing projects at Natural Resources Trust in Easton, MA. Prior to the conference, delegates were challenged to collect donations of new school supplies and gently used cloth-ing for the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory in Brighton, MA. As part of the Wednesday morning activities, delegates sorted and boxed the donations that were collected as well as created over 600 “Well Wish Notes” for back to school initiatives coordinated by Cradles to Crayons.

An additional highlight of the conference was a visit to The Hall at Patriot Place outside

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Lindsay Cullen of Foxborough High School sang the National Anthem following a welcome from MIAA Executive Director Bill Gaine to begin the evening event.

Many constituents of the MIAA gath-ered on the evening of June 16, 2016, to recognize and celebrate the lives of six renowned professional athletes who competed in their youth for Massachu-setts High School teams. The evening also honored two individuals who have contributed in a monumental way to the advancement of Educational Athletics in Massachusetts.

Proceeds from the evening gala will go to-ward subsidizing MIAA Educational Athletics programming through the MIAA Endowment Fund.

The athletes being honored were: Harry Agganis (posthumously), All-Amer-

ican football player at Boston University and later a Boston Red Sox player, Agganis played both sports at Lynn Classical high School. His untimely death in 1955 shocked and sad-dened the sports community and the Lynn community.

Dana Barros, retired professional basketball player who played for Xaverian Brothers High School (Westwood) and Boston College. He played at various times for the Seattle Super-sonics, the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics. He was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game in 1995. He currently works in media relations for the Boston Celtics and as a basketball broadcast analyst.

Joe Bellino, Heisman trophy award win-ner in 1960, who was a three-sport star at Winchester High School in the 1950s and an outstanding baseball and football player

at Navy. He played for the Boston Patriots for several years. He served in the Navy for 28 years, retiring with the rank of Captain.

Tom Glavine, retired professional baseball player, who lettered in hockey and baseball at Billerica Memorial High School and went on to become a star pitcher for the Atlanta Braves from 1987 to 2003. He played in five World Series with the Braves, won two Cy Young Awards and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Doug Flutie, another Heisman Trophy winner, this time in 1984. Flutie graduated from Natick High School, where he was an All-League performer in football, basketball, and baseball. As quarterback for Boston Col-lege in 1984, he threw the iconic “Hail Mary” pass in a game against Miami that remains a defining play in college football and American sports history. He went on to play for several professional football teams.

Rebecca Lobo-Rushin, former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player and current basketball analyst and mo-tivational speaker. She established the Massa-chusetts high school record for scoring (2,740 points) while playing at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School, which stood for 18 years. Her University of Connecticut team was undefeated in 1995. Lobo-Rushin was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Dick Neal, longtime Executive Director of MIAA, and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, were given the MIAA

Inaugural Event will benefit Educational Athletic programming outreach

Massachusetts “Legends” gather at Gillette Stadium

All smiles on Legends night were, from top left, Emcee Jackie MacMullan; Commitment to Educational Athletics Award winner Dick Neal; Legend Rebecca Lobo; Legend Tom Glavine, and Emcee Steve Burton; bottom row, Legend Dana Barros, Legend Joe Bellino; Humanitarian Award winner Robert Kraft, and Legend Doug Flutie.

Commitment to Educational Athletics and MIAA Humanitarian Awards, respectively.

Neal was cited for his groundbreaking work as a young executive at a newly formed MIAA and his long service at the helm of MIAA and the Massachusetts Secondary School Admin-istrators’ Association (MSSAA). He oversaw implementation of many initiatives, including the Educational Athletics Curriculum. Kraft was recognized as a sports franchise owner who brought championships to New England and turned that success right around to benefit many worthy causes. The Kraft family has been one of New England’s most philanthropic families, supporting many local charities and civic affairs.

Sports writer Jackie MacMullan (ESPN.com) and sports broadcaster Steve Burton (WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV) were emcees for the event, and their friendship was evident throughout the evening. One of the most pop-ular segments of the program was an informal talk among the Legend Athletes, moderated by MacMullan and Burton. The athletes sat down and talked to each other about their lives as young people in Massachusetts high schools, their families, their communities, and

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All smiles on Legends night were, from top left, Emcee Jackie MacMullan; Commitment to Educational Athletics Award winner Dick Neal; Legend Rebecca Lobo; Legend Tom Glavine, and Emcee Steve Burton; bottom row, Legend Dana Barros, Legend Joe Bellino; Humanitarian Award winner Robert Kraft, and Legend Doug Flutie.

Wellness news, highlights and previews

The MIAA Wellness staff is excited to announce the 2016-2017 lineup of programs and initiatives! Please check the website for updates and additional information about the following:

2016-2017 Wellness Workshop Series ScheduleDecember 5 Wellness Educator Showcase February 10 Helping Students Cope With Violence March 6 Hidden In Plain SightApril 3 Supporting Trans and Gender Non-Conforming StudentsMay 12 Mindfulness and Positivity

SBIRT Two-Part Training: March 10 and May 22

Under recent legislation, schools are now mandated to recognize teen behavioral health concerns, to intervene and refer to treatment, and to plan for their needs when they return to school. Screening Brief Intervention Referral and Treatment (SBIRT), offered through the MA Department of Public Health and Boston University, provides a comprehensive two-part training for school personnel. Schools are encouraged to register a team of personnel including: nurses, counseling staff, wellness educators, and administrators. Space is limited!

20th Annual Wellness Summit: Friday October 28 at the DoubleTree Hotel Westborough, MA

Schools are encouraged to register student and adult leaders. The Wellness Summit offers 12 concurrent workshops on a variety of topics, a key note presentation, a re-source exhibit area, and award ceremonies recognizing those individuals and groups who are making a difference in schools and communities.

So You’re A Leader…Now What?! Leadership 101

Regional workshops for high school student and adult leaders are now being scheduled. Workshops feature leadership development, communication, problem solving, action planning and substance abuse and teen dating violence prevention. Please contact Karen Nardone, Wellness Coordinator for additional information or to schedule a workshop for your school or region.

Opioid Mis-Use Prevention Toolkit

In collaboration with many of our Partners in Prevention, the MIAA has developed a toolkit of prevention materials including videos, and handouts for parents and stu-dents that can be used in a variety of arenas, including preseason meetings and parent forums. These resources are available by clicking the Prevention Toolkit link on the Wellness page at www.miaa.net.

You LEAD

Regional workshops for middle school student and adult leaders are being scheduled. Workshops feature leadership development, communication, problem solving, action planning and substance abuse and teen dating violence prevention. Please contact Karen Nardone, Wellness Coordinator (contact information below) for additional information or to schedule a workshop for your school or region.

To learn more about the YOU LEAD program or any of the MIAA Wellness offerings, please contact Karen Nardone, MIAA Wellness Coordinator at 508-541-7997 or by email at [email protected]. Please visit the Wellness section of the website regularly for updates www.miaa.net

how those elements worked together to propel them to success in their athletics and to give them balance as they navigated the currents of that same success.

Phil Vaccaro, MIAA Assistant Director and Coordinator of the Endowment Fund, was


pleased with the evening. “The Endowment Fund seeks ways to promote the mission of Educational Athletics to the uninitiated,” Vac-caro said. “I was pleased to be able to spotlight famous professional athletes who had achieved the pinnacle of success, and to see that they had often been three-sport athletes, and that they attributed their success to family and community factors in addition to rigorous training and coaching. I think that message came through loud and clear, and it made me most happy,” Vaccaro said.

The evening concluded with an auction of sports memorabilia, including items signed by the 2016 “Legends.”

The “Legends” received commemorative rings, and Neal and Kraft received crystal pyr-amids courtesy of Jostens. Lifetouch National School Studios provided photography for the evening, and the Moody Street.tv production company coordinated the videotaping of the event, which aired on the New England Sports Network.

Please check out the MIAA Education-Based Endowment Fund Website for more informa-tion about its work.


The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association encourages its member schools to teach Education-al Athletics through the following five pillars:

Wellness: to empower students to make healthy life choices

Sportsmanship: to teach respect for self, team, opponents, officials, rules, and the game itself

Coaches’ Education: to provide resources for teacher-coaches who serve as curriculum instructors of educational athletics

Leadership: to promote the power of positive influence that student athletes and teacher-coaches share as role models

Community Service: to recognize the privilege of athletic participation and the responsibility of giving back to the community

Building the Future is the Educa-tional Athletics newsletter of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Ath-letic Association. It is published four times per year.

Editorial Staff:Peter Smith MIAA Associate Director

Linda TaylorMIAA Support Staff

MIAA partners with ThinkTaylorfor Concussion Awareness Week

For the second year in a row, MIAA part-nered with ThinkTaylor, the concussion awareness nonprofit founded by for-mer Major League soccer all-star and current ESPN Lead Soccer Analyst Taylor Twellman, to spearhead Concussion Awareness Week, September 12–16. Joining them in this ef-fort for 2016 were the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Massachusetts Con-cussion Management Coalition (MCMC).

The partners hosted a press conference at the MIAA office in Franklin on August 25, 2016 to preview the activities planned for the week, with the goal of keeping con-cussion awareness and protocol uppermost in people’s minds as they enter sports seasons for this academic year.

Throughout the week, more than 86,000 student-athletes from various sports teams throughout Massachusetts high schools will wear ThinkTaylor wristbands and use concussion awareness bag tags (with the #TT pledge on them) to remind them-selves and others about the dangers of not

reporting a concussion. The Concussion Leg-acy Foundation will host “Team Up Day,” on September 13, 2016. The educational program is designed to help better identify concussions

Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey and students from Groton-Dunstable Regional High School pose for a picture with Taylor Twellman at the press conference on August 25, 2016

Taylor Twellman, left, and MIAA Associate Director Richard Pearson announce the specifics of Concussion Awareness Week at the press conference August 25.

by encouraging athletes to “Team Up, Speak Up” to fight concussions. On that day, coaches across the country will give their team a speech emphasizing that teammates look out for one another and speak up if they see a teammate who may have suffered a concussion.

“It is imperative we educate athletes, par-ents, coaches and athletic directors about con-

cussion education and awareness, along with traumatic brain injuries that can happen as a result, at the youth level,” said Twellman. “We launched Concussion Awareness Week last year with the MIAA for that very reason. Through our partnership with them, and help from the Concussion Legacy Foundation and MCMC this year, we’ve been able to expand on last year’s inaugural efforts and impact more and more students throughout the state of Massachusetts to hold each other account-able in observing the established concussion protocol.”

Twellman was forced to retire from pro-fessional soccer due to post-concussion syn-drome. After receiving his concussion, Taylor couldn’t find relief and was scared about what he was hearing and reading in the news/on-line about concussions. This led him to found ThinkTaylor, a foundation dedicated to cre-ating social change in the world of traumatic brain injury, providing education on the signs and symptoms, creating awareness, and edu-cating on rehabilitation.

For more information, please check out the following websites:thinktaylor.orgConcussionFoundation.orgwww.massconcussion.org


NESLC draws student leadersfrom region

Aidan Newall of St. Joseph’s Prep and Zoe Komodromas of Hopkinton HS, analyze the results of a communication exercise with facilitator Jane Biagi, during the May 16th So You’re A Leader workshop held at the MIAA Office in Franklin.

Gillette Stadium on Thursday morning. Stu-dent and adult delegates had the opportunity to tour the facility as well as enjoy a video on the history of the organization inside the theater at the Hall. The group enjoyed lunch before returning to campus for their final breakout session and state meeting. At the final state meeting, a group of students from each state prepared to present the action plan items that were discussed during their time together at the conference. These presentations were made during the closing general session on Friday morning.

On the final day of the conference, Ger-ry Durgin, Assistant Director of the Maine Principals’ Association spoke on behalf of the Council of New England Secondary School Principals’ Association. He commended the student and adult delegates in attendance for dedicating their time to improve their lead-ership skills and help make a positive impact within their schools and state. The New En-gland Council has been an outstanding sup-porter of the New England Student Leadership Conference since its inception in 2011. For feedback from a student delegate perspective at the conference, please see page 5.

Student Leaders Represent MIAA at NFHS National Student Leadership Summit

A group of seven student leaders from MIAA member schools traveled to Indianapolis from July 18-20, 2016 to participate in the NFHS National Stu-dent Leadership Summit. The purpose of the summit was to provide a national event to engage students from across the country who participate in school activities in gaining new knowledge and skill to provide strong, effec-tive, student leadership in their home states, provinces, regions, communities, schools, teams and other activity groups.

More than 120 students from 27 states and one Canadian province participated in a variety of breakout sessions designed spe-cifically with nationally recognized speakers. Breakout session topics included “Perspective and Inclusion” presented by consultant/trainer Kevin Ringhofer; “Relationship Building and

Maintenance” presented by Core Trainings co-founder Deb Hult; “Effective Communica-tion with Teammates and Adults” presented by Duke University Professor of Sport Psychology and Sport Ethics Gregory Dale; and “Digital Identity (How to Create a Positive One and How to Repair a Negative One)” presented by Passion to Purpose President/Founder Omari Pearson.

Motivational speaker Eddie Slowikow-ski served as the Opening General Session speaker, energizing the audience with his unique combination of motivational story and dance. Kathy Buckley, billed as “America’s

First Hearing-Impaired Comedienne,” provid-ed the Closing General Session presentation, inspiring participants with her message that anything can be achieved when the heart and the mind work together.

On Tuesday afternoon of the Summit, par-ticipants traveled to Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis for an event with Spe-cial Olympics Indiana. The Summit partici-pants partnered with students with intellectual disabilities for a variety of activities including basketball and relay races. Participants also had the opportunity to hear presentations from Unified Sports athletes and members of the Special Olympics Indiana staff.


Massachusetts Student Ambassadors pose for a picture outside the NFHS Headquarters in Indianapolis during the NFHS National Student Leadership Summit in July.


Second Annual Golf Tournament benefits MIAA Educational Athletics Endowment Fund

First Place Billerica Memorial High School Team Members (Left to Right)– Tom Murphy, Joel Jenkins, Caitlyn Barry, and Dave Lezenski

The Second Annual MIAA Endowment Golf Tournament was held Monday, August 8, 201 at Plymouth Country Club. One hundred golfers participated. Billerica Memorial High School’s team took first place and a team of representatives from the Tri-Valley League took second place. The weather that day was picture perfect. The event was a shotgun start/scramble, beginning at noon followed by a late afternoon reception, silent auction, dinner and awards.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the MIAA Endowment Fund.

The Endowment Committee wishes to thank all who contributed to the success of the day, including all sponsors, golfers, and tournament volunteers. For more information on the MIAA Endowment Fund, please visit the Endowment Page at www.miaa.net.

Student Advisory Committee announces new members, prepares for upcoming year

Members of the MIAA Student Advi-sory Committee began preparation for the 2016-17 school year with a two-day orientation on August 17-18, 2016. The training started with introductions and ice breaker activities at the MIAA Office fol-lowed by a group community service project at The Farm at Stonehill College. For two hours, the members of the committee planted seeds, weeded multiple planting areas, and picked

produce for distribution to local community partner organizations. The overall work accom-plished by the group during the two-hour time span was the equivalent of a full work week for one person at The Farm.

Following their work at The Farm, the group returned to the MIAA Office to reflect on the work accomplished earlier that morn-ing and participate in a discussion regarding community service. The afternoon activities

continued with a series of team building ex-ercises. Committee members participated in activities that focused on communication skills and group dynamics in working together to accomplish goals. At the conclusion of the first day of training, a group dinner took place at a local restaurant.

The second day of the orientation began with training sessions on facilitation skills and the challenges associated with facilitating workshop sessions. Members of the committee took turns leading small group practice dis-cussions on a variety of topics. The two-day orientation concluded with a group discussion to establish standards, goals and expectations of participation for the year.

The MIAA Student Advisory Committee is comprised of students who participated in the New England Student Leadership Conference. Student Advisory Committee members attend seasonal meetings with the MIAA Educational Athletics Committee and help facilitate work-shop sessions at events such as the Wellness Summit, Captains/Leadership Workshops and other MIAA Educational Athletics events. In addition, these students are asked to participate in various association activities and provide

Members of the MIAA Student Advisory Committee 2016-2017

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District G focuses on sportsmanshipwith Sportsmanship Cup and video contest

Berkshire County (District G) has begun a Sportsmanship Initiative to spread the word about the positive expectations expected by players, coaches, parents and fans throughout the County. We started with the Berkshire Sportsmanship Cup. Each season, coaches vote for the school they feel best exem-plifies positive ideals for their particular sport. Each AD also votes for one school with the best sportsmanship overall. We have a winning school for each sport season based on those votes. At the end of the school year, all seasons are combined and the Berkshire Cup is given to the winning school. The school’s name is placed on the Cup and the school can proudly display the Cup for the next school year.

This spring, The County also held its first Sportsmanship Video Contest. A few years ago, the South County Schools (Lee, Lenox, Monument Mountain and Mt. Everett) made a Sportsmanship video that has been used with

by Brian Cogswell Assistant Principal, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School

coaches, students and parents at pre-season sport meetings. The idea is to hear from the students themselves about what is important regarding behavior at contests rather than hear-ing the same thing from athletic directors all of the time. Drury High School’s PEP Club

made a fantastic video and won the contest. Their group was recognized and had a pizza party to celebrate. Their video will be given to all District G schools to use at meetings in the future.

The District’s Sportsmanship Initiative will continue through Community Service by our athletic teams, the Berkshire Cup and future fun activities from our teams throughout Berkshire County. If you have suggestions or would like details about some of the initiatives, please contact District G Athletic Chair Brian Cogswell at Lenox HS at 413-637-5560 or [email protected].

SPORTSMANSHIP

Students take lead to develop speaker series at Tritonby Shannon Lyons Triton Regional High School, ‘16

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the MIAA’s work is seeing students making a palpable difference in their schools through sports, teamwork and community

involvement. Often times, all it takes is one student’s inspiration to light a fire within a community, to ignite school spirit or to rec-

reate the dynamics of a team. At Triton High School, located in the small

community of Byfield, Massachusetts, the stu-dents demonstrated just how powerful such changes can be. Beginning in the fall, the Vi-kings participated in an on-going leadership speaking series, in which several highly-ac-

claimed motivational speakers visited Triton High School to share their stories with the stu-

dents. These special guests included former professional athletes, internationally-recog-nized leaders and irrepressibly enthusiastic

individuals, all of whom left both the student body and faculty in an unmatched state of awe.

The program was organized by athletic di-rector Mr. Sean McInnis and two of Triton’s student-athletes, Erin Savage and Shannon Lyons, who were incredibly inspired after at-tending the annual NESLC camp last summer. Upon hearing speakers such as Harvey Alston, Ed Slowikowski and Stephen Bargatze share their stories, the two girls left the MIAA-host-ed event with high spirits, determined to bring what they’d learned back to their own commu-nity. Through fundraising and donations, the school collected enough money to host these three individuals, along with an additional speaker, Mr. Al Duncan.

The series was organized so that at the be-ginning of each athletic season or semester, a different speaker visited. This timely arrange-ment allowed the students to feel continuously inspired throughout the course of the school year. Students at Triton have had excellent feedback and the athletic department is hope-ful to continue the series next year. While a large part of the program was pure entertain-ment and fun, there is no doubt that the stories shared at Triton High School will continue to resonate, brightening the spirits of individuals, classes, teams and the community as a whole.

LEADERSHIP

Building the Future welcomes news from all MIAA member schools. If your students or staff are executing projects and initiatives that fall under any of the five pillars–Wellness, Sportsmanship, Coaches’ Education, Leadership or Community Service–please let us know! Send photos and stories to Peter Smith at [email protected] or Linda Taylor at [email protected].

Student Advisory Committee begins work for 2016-17 at Orientation

feedback from a student perspective on how to improve the Educational Athletics offerings of the MIAA.

The members of the 2016-17 MIAA Stu-dent Advisory Committee are:

Amanda Baptiste, Taunton High SchoolHadley Beauregard, North Middlesex Re-

gional High SchoolJacob Carlson, Billerica Memorial High

SchoolHannah Chapdelaine, Chicopee Compre-

hensive High SchoolTimothy Frechette, Somerset Berkley Re-

gional High SchoolLindsey Giorgi, Quabbin Regional High

SchoolRyan Gray, Milford High SchoolChad Hult, Lowell Catholic High SchoolTrevor Hult, Lowell Catholic High School


Stephen Jacques, Tech Boston AcademySamantha Letsche, Dedham High SchoolBrett Mazur, King Philip Regional High

SchoolMakenzie Mosher, Narragansett Regional

High SchoolKatelyn Pickunka, Hampshire Regional

High SchoolMikayla Porcaro, Amesbury High SchoolNoelle Roy, Chicopee High SchoolWilliam Sargent, Boston Latin School

Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association 33 Forge ParkwayFranklin, MA 02038

Upcoming EventsAll events are at the MIAA Office unless otherwise indicated.

Visit www.miaa.net/miaa/conferences for a complete listing of events.

September 19, 2016Hazing Leadership and Positive Initiation Workshop8:30am–12:30pm

October 6Identifying the Intersection of Athletics, LGBTQ Diversity and Anti-Bullying Rhetoric@ the Resort and Conference Center, Hyannis11:00am–1:00pm

October 14, 2016MIAA Student Ambassador Huddle9:00am–1:00pm

October 28, 2016MIAA Wellness Summit@ the DoubleTree Hotel, Westborough, MA8:00am–1:30pm

November 4, 2016Learning to Lead A Half-Day Workshop Focused on Leadership for 8th and 9th Grade Girls @ Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts, North Adams8:30am–12:30pm

November 18, 2016MIAA Sportsmanship Summit@ Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

December 5, 2016Wellness Educator Showcase: Best Practices, New Initiatives and ProgramsWellness Workshop8:30am–1:30pm

January 23–27, 201730th Annual MIAA Leadership Training Institute

February 3, 2017The Massachusetts Celebration of Girls and Women in Sport Day@ Faneuil Hall, Boston10:00 am–noon

February 10, 2017Helping Students Cope with ViolenceWellness Workshop 8:30am–1:30pm


building the future...following brogie at the podi-um was ellis lane, nfhs coach citation award...

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