Fifth-grade Teacher Mae Jean and Achievement and Behavior Specialist Laurence Gray helped organize the Back 2 Sports kickoff event for the Saturday Sports League, which began last year with basketball games at the school. South Canton's staff had their imprint on the event with help from Jean, Gray, Charles Hassen, Katy Sutton, KeriAnn Throne, Jasmine Hernandez, Francisco Hernandez, Jaime Cotes, and Coach Wright.
South Canton educators pose with a Saturday Sports League banner.
All-in-all, about 120 scholars from first through eighth grades participated in the day’s fun. Back 2 Sports focused on three sports: basketball, flag football, and soccer. Scholars learned about each sport with clinics and put those skills in action with friendly competition. Jean said participants were excited to try their hand at all three sports.
“A lot of the kids came in wanting to play a certain sport,” Jean said. “As they were leaving, I heard a lot of kids say, ‘I love flag football,’ and ‘the soccer station was so fun,’ even though I heard them check in and say, ‘I want to go to basketball.’”
Basketball was one of three sports at the event. Scholars were able to try basketball, flag football, and soccer.
While scholars got lessons in how to play these sports, they were also flexing their relationship-building muscles. Back 2 Sports was a space where students of different ages and skill levels could come together to enjoy these activities while also branching out to make new friends.
“I saw kids walking out together that had never met before,” Jean said. “They met somebody at one of the stations and they clicked. They were meeting other friends they weren’t familiar with or didn’t even know went to their school. That was really positive.”
Students in first through eighth grade were eligible to attend, and nearly 120 students participated.
Community sponsors were eager to get involved, as several local partners supported the event. Community partners included: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dunham’s Sports, Walmart, Jet’s Pizza, Bubble Shack, Ruby Tuesday’s, LA Fitness, and Michigan First Credit Union. Pizza was provided to attendees and Michigan First Credit Union set up a booth to pass out piggy banks and other financial literacy materials for scholars and their families.
Back 2 Sports was just the beginning of the Saturday Sports League engagement for the year. The fall included girls basketball and boys flag football leagues, cheer camps, and open gyms.
"The kids want to be a part of something, and these opportunities bring everyone together.” – Laurence Gray, South Canton Achievement and Behavior Specialist
The Saturday Sports League is continuing to plan for what’s next, but one event that’s on the calendar is a Boys All-Star Basketball Game in December. The work these educators do for their community is just one example of why South Canton has outperformed the local district in eight of the 10 years since it opened.
“I’ve heard from parents that their kids want to be active and do things,” Gray said. “Saturday Sports League and Back 2 Sports isn’t so much about the sports. The kids want to be a part of something, and these opportunities bring everyone together.”
Thanks for your hard work, Laurence, Mae, Charles, Katy, KeriAnn, Jasmine, Francisco, Jaime, Coach Wright, and everyone with the Saturday Sports League!
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About South Canton Scholars
South Canton Scholars is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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