An integral part of The Bay School’s after-school activities is the Athletics Program, which is an extension of our educational program and the movement education curriculum. The cooperative games in the early grades develop into competitive challenges in the middle grades; the athletics program complements this development. By fifth grade, for most sports, it is considered appropriate and beneficial to introduce team sports and interschool competition.
Participating on sports teams is considered a rite of passage for students. They have reached the age to compete and are given the responsibility to represent their school in the community. Students may participate regardless of experience or ability; participants are respected for who they are and are challenged to be the best they can be. So saying, participation is voluntary; students are not required to participate, and the school community respects each student’s decision whether or not to play a team sport.
An Athletic Director oversees all aspects of the sports program including scheduling games, facilitating pre-season sports meetings, and finding and supporting coaches, and providing ongoing communication and updates as the seasons progress. Fall sports include coed soccer and cross-country. In winter, we field both boys and girls basketball teams for students in grades 6-8. From time to time, the school organizes intramural sports opportunities in the spring to introduce students to sports that fall outside of interschool competition such as ultimate frisbee, kickball and lacrosse.