Athletics

Welcome to John F. Kennedy Falcons Athletics!
John F. Kennedy Middle School sponsors various athletic opportunities for our students to develop their whole being.  Our programs are intended to be fun and to help develop sportsmanship, positive self-esteem, self-confidence, self-discipline, physical skills, sport specific skills, cooperation and teamwork.  We also hope that we can help the student/athlete develop pride in themselves, their community, and their school. 

Our middle school attempts to accommodate the large number of students who wish to participate in athletic competitions against other schools.  Sports which handle a large number of students, such as cross country, wrestling, and track and field, are operated on a no-cut, no try-out basis so that all who wish to join may participate.

Since only a limited number of students can participate in certain sports such as basketball (5), volleyball (6), or soccer (11) at one time, a limited number of players are selected for these teams, through a try-out process.  To help accommodate more students, a seventh grade team and an eighth grade team are offered for boys basketball, girls basketball, boys volleyball, and girls volleyball. 

Our middle school offers a variety of interscholastic sports throughout the school year for students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades.  Please note that at this time our sixth graders can only participate in the non-tryout sports. Students may only participate in one interscholastic sport during each season.

In order to participate in interscholastic athletics, students must maintain academic eligibility as outlined in the student handbook. This requirement is maintained so that parents and teachers are assured that involvement in interscholastic athletics will not interfere with our students’ academic performance which, as noted earlier, is the primary purpose of their schooling.
 
To help ensure participant safety, students must have a completed, signed sports physical on file with the school office. A sport physical is valid for thirteen months, and can apply to any sport within those thirteen months.  Each sport also requires a participant and parent/guardian signed concussion protocol form for the current school year.  This form must be turned in to the coach before participating in a try-out (cut ) or practice (no-cut).

In order to be respectful to our coaches and their families, students must be picked up from all practices and competitions within a reasonable amount of time.  Continued delays may result in warnings, limited participation in practices/contests, or in serious cases, removal from the team. 

Thank you for all your support to make this a positive experience for all involved!

For more information contact John Balzhiser,  Athletic Coordinator, at jbalzhis@psd202.org.