MHS Athletic Dept Waiver (5 minutes) vote required

Transcript (~9 min @ 4:43)

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▶ 4:23 Jennifer McAndrew: Thank you, chair Driscoll. Uh, good evening everyone. Welcome to EPNP. We have four agenda items to tonight. Um, we have, just to preview them, we have athletic waiver requests before us. We have an update on the METCO program. We have our monthly enrollment report, and we have a request pertaining to, uh, filling difficult positions through special min municipal employee status. Um, we'll go right through then in order starting with the athletic department waivers.

▶ 4:54 Speaker 3: Thank you. Madam Chair. We have Mr. Fogarty here. Who would?

▶ 4:57 Jennifer McAndrew: Athletic Director Fogarty is with us. Thank you. And

▶ 4:59 Speaker 3: He will walk through the, the changes the requests.

▶ 5:04 Speaker 5: Good evening tonight. Um, we're requesting four different waivers for high school athletics.

▶ 5:15 Speaker 5: First one being for freshman girls basketball. It's a program that we haven't had in a few years, and we feel it's a good time to, uh, create more opportunity, more participation. Uh, the numbers have been low and we're hoping that with eighth grade, with eighth grade support and players, we'd be able to reestablish this team. Boys Ice Hockey. We're looking for a junior varsity waiver. We currently will have 26 students in the program. It'd be very difficult to run a varsity and a JV team with only 26 people Gymnastics. We have eight students returning to the team, and that would be a challenge to fill a lineup with the rotations in the various sports. And then girls ice hockey, we have 11 students returning, and that would be a challenge to put out a competitive team without an eighth grade waiver.

▶ 6:15 Speaker 4: Thank you. Any, uh, questions from the committee? Mr. O'Connell? Uh,

▶ 6:19 Speaker 6: For purposes of discussion, I would make a motion that we approve the waivers as requested.

▶ 6:24 Jennifer McAndrew: Motion to approve the waivers made by Mr. O'Connell, seconded by Mr. Driscoll. Any questions or comments? Mr. Sound, please.

▶ 6:31 Speaker 2: Uh, thank you. Uh, Mr. Fogy. Um, with regards to the, uh, uh, women's hockey, um, with so few numbers, is there any consideration to a joint team as we've done in the past?

▶ 6:48 Speaker 5: Not for this year. We didn't explore that. We did that a few years ago with Stoneham, um, with mixed results. Um, a lot of the area is certainly going to that in the Middlesex League Freedom Division. Melrose in Burlington would be the only two programs that are standing on their own with waiver support. Um, so it is certainly something to consider going forward. And it's a challenge because so many schools are partnering up at this point with proximity, access to rinks, things like that. So it's something that is on the horizon maybe, but, and, uh, we're considering, we've had conversations with some other districts, but this year we would like to continue with the eighth graders next door.

▶ 7:34 Speaker 2: And, and just as a follow up, if I may. Sure. Um, thank you Madam Chair. Uh, so then you are confident that with the waiver, you'll have enough participation to be able to field the full team? Yes.

▶ 7:45 Speaker 5: Last year we had a seventh and eighth grade waiver, and those seventh, eighth, seventh graders would be eighth graders coming up. And we feel there's a sufficient number. Um, we recently opened the registration process. You know, the numbers are coming in. Not great right now 'cause it's only been a week, but we're confident we'll have a, a team that we can put on the ice and be competitive within the Middlesex League Freedom Division.

▶ 8:12 Speaker 2: Okay. Very good. Thank you.

▶ 8:14 Speaker 4: Thank you, Mr. Driscoll.

▶ 8:15 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: Thank you. Um, Mr. Fogarty, I don't recall ever seeing this many requests for waivers in one season, ever. And, um, that's curious. Can you talk a little bit about that, please?

▶ 8:31 Speaker 5: Again, speculation as to to why I, I don't have definitive answers. And ag I agree with you. This is the most I've ever asked for at a particular time. Um, freshman basketball, um, things are changing at the middle school level with the way their programs are running. The, they're trying to move away from the recreation department and trying to establish as a, as a youth program for the community itself, which will create more opportunity for students to play. And we feel that it's a great opportunity with the new coach coming in to reestablish this team that we had in the past. But due to lower numbers, we just weren't able to fill it. So we think that will be a win-win for the community by creating the more opportunity in the middle school and then allowing that opportunity to continue at the high school level. Um, as far as boys hockey, you know, 26, you, it would be a challenge to have those two teams. You would have six kids that would be going back and forth and they, they wouldn't be getting the same instruction. 'cause it's different coaches with the varsity and the jv. Um, so it would be a bit much and taxing on their bodies as well to compete as, as often as they would with that. So by allowing eighth graders, we hope to boost those numbers a little bit and, uh, you know, give more instruction, you know, and allow them to play in the games at the level that they should be competing at. Um, gymnastics, you know, it's, it's a funny sport where eight students, they could compete and represent Melrose High School, but if you had 12, it would make a huge difference. You know? 'cause at eight, you're gonna have kids outta their comfort zone on an element that they're not maybe an expert in. So picking up a few more students would be very helpful. And then, uh, you know, girls hockey Mm-Hmm. Has been a challenge for a little while now. Yeah. And that's something that was seen regionally.

▶ 10:29 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: Okay. So that's very helpful. Thank you. And I would just note that, um, I know you work hard and I know you're familiar or work hard to partner with, um, our youth programs and, you know, watching that pipeline and certainly, you know, invite and encourage the district to, um, continue that work and get kids excited and get them outside moving around. Certainly. Um, to me this is very appropriate because the health and safety of students comes first always. So protecting those gymnasts are not overcommitting them. Hockey, all of those for, uh, sports. Certainly all of these are very physical, um, by nature. And so, um, I am in support of this. Um, I just, um, you know, wanna see our kids. I guess a happy problem is there are so many choices at Monroe High School to engage in a variety of activities and it becomes hard to choose. So thank you for what you're doing there.

▶ 11:26 Speaker 5: Yes. Tons, tons of offerings and, and a lot of different diverse interests. So, uh, we do have strong relationships with a lot of the youth programs, and many of these coaches are reaching out, constantly, running camps, clinics, and getting to know the students, getting to know the coaches at those lower levels. So, you know, you hope that you can establish a relationship where that student moves on and has opportunity to participate at the high school level. Thank you,

▶ 11:51 Jennifer McAndrew: Mr. Azzie. Thomas, please. Sure.

▶ 11:52 Speaker 1: Just one quick question. When we had student reps here a few meetings ago, they said that there were more students participating in fall sports this year than ever before. I don't know. Just wanted to check that out with you. So we had, I know you, that wasn't on the agenda, so if you're not prepared.

▶ 12:07 Speaker 5: No, no. Uh, it's a fair question. And, and it's true. And I, I shared that with those students when they came to see me before that meeting, we had 450 students signed up competing at the, at the start of the year. And those numbers are, are backed to pre covid. Uh, some of the largest numbers, 70 students signed up for volleyball. Coach Kelly can only keep 45 of 'em. So you can only hope that those 45 are going to go to another program. Some did, but not all. Mm-Hmm. So girls soccer, huge numbers. They, they had 60, um, you know, but you can only carry so many with. So sometimes kids do try other opportunities at that point, and, and sometimes they find a new interest as well. So there were a lot of programs that had numbers that we just haven't seen before. And, uh, currently we're, um, 360 students that are participating in fall athletics, which is a number that is very similar to what was going on before covid.

▶ 13:12 Speaker 1: Great. Thank you very much. It's really helpful.

▶ 13:16 Speaker 4: Thank you. Any other questions? Seeing none. Um,

▶ 13:18 Jennifer McAndrew: I think just looking at this in the context of the enrollment report, which is also on this committee agenda. We know the numbers at the middle school in particular. So I think personally, it's great to see you keeping these programs going in this way and also adding the team. I'm really excited that you're adding the freshman girls basketball, because we definitely have a lot of kids in the public schools coming. If, even if some of these programs, you know, need to seek waivers for eighth graders now, they may not need to in the future with these bigger numbers. So, uh, thank you for keeping all of this going, um, for us. And, uh, we have a motion and a second on the table now. Um, so, um, if there are no more comments, all in favor opposed,

▶ 14:06 Jennifer McAndrew: abstain. And that motion carries with five in favor, one abstention and one absent. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here, Mr. Fogerty. Thank you.