The following comes from a November Lifezette article by Jonathan Gantz:
Two student athletes kicked off a team because of low grades. We’ve heard that story a million times.
The only difference in a new case is that the student athletes are 8 years old and JUST in the third grade.
That’s right. Two 8-year-old girls, enrolled at St. Martin of Tours in Los Angeles, California, a private Catholic school, found themselves unceremoniously dumped from their volleyball squad with just two games to go in the season.
Since the team had seven girls, and six are needed to play, the team ceased to exist from an official standpoint.
Which led to oceans of tears from the little girls, and outrage from parents.
“It’s just nuts,” said a mother of one of the little girls whose team had been taken away.
“When we went to the principal, he told us that basically the rules were the rules. He said that he had coached a team of older kids earlier in his career, and that academically ineligible kids had to be kicked off the team. His position was that everybody had to play by the same rules.”
Kevin Baxter, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said the reason the school and others in the system were so effective at educating young people and sending them on to college was the fact that academics always take precedence over nonacademic matters.
A bit over the top for third graders. However, parents pay a lot for their children to attend Catholic schools and they expect strong academic results for their children.
It may seem a bit over the top for third graders, but it is often best to begin how one is expected to continue. Keeping one’s grades up becomes increasingly difficult as both the difficulty and volume increase.
The parents are complaining so no… don’t put the blame on the parents.
I’ve worked 32 years in Catholic schools and this is bizarre UNLESS the kids were simply refusing to do their schoolwork after repeated attempts to help them. Cutting kids from teams for poor grades is a necessary high school and even junior-high policy, but completely out of line for eight-year-olds. If they’re working diligently, that should be enough. Please tell me there’s something here we are missing.
I don’t know. But a lot of kids got hurt because of it. A lot of kids learned that Jesus does not come first. Worldly achievements do. Now which worldly achievement is up to the powers that be.
Tom Byrne i agree. Its strange. I wonder if there is more to the story. Exercise and playing sports also boosts team work and it helps keep kids busy. Better then they join gangs or play video games all the time. Sports are good if played for exercise and to teach team work. It gets their minds working and helps with strategy skills. I encourage it. By what im getting by this article, is that the whole team had to miss out because they didnt have enough players because they pulled 2 kids out. Perhaps the sckool had a good reason. Would be interesting to know the full details. But if i went by the little info that this article conveyed, hmmm doesnt sound right for them to do that im with Tom on wondering about the situation.
So we are reading this because . . . ?? Are we to be outraged that a Catholic school principal followed the rules? I am pleased. I am sorry that others were affected by the failure of the two girls to keep up their grades to the required minimum, but guess what, that’s the way real life is too. If adults fail to pull their own weight, the rest of us are affected. The point of educating our children is to prepare them to be effective adults, capable of surviving on their own and, it is to be hoped, able and willing to contribute to society. So good job, Catholic school principal!
Maryanne Leonard, The problems within the Church stem from disobedience and a great lack of unity. Father Illo was also following rules and Church teaching. It is a another red flag of inconsistency to rightly praise this principal for doing the right thing but then dramatically criticize Father Illo for following very important rules and standards regarding being late for Mass. Father Illo is faithful to Church teaching and you were out of line to undermine him. Father Illo was in essence teaching about the important respect due to the Blessed Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament is much more important than a volleyball game so Father Illo was doing a very good job too!
It was not made clear how late this woman was to Mass, but surely you have seen over the course of your lifetime a total of perhaps thousands of Mass attendees come in a bit late and take communion. There is a point beyond which they are not to be given communion, yes; but to tell the truth, Catherine, have you ever seen that happen? I never have. I have never seen anyone denied communion actually; have you? I will admit I am not watching others closely at such times, however.
“I will admit I am not watching others closely at such times, however. ” =. That is precisely why you should not undermine Father Illo.
Yes, I have seen priests deny Holy Communion to those who arrive late. I have also seen priests deny Holy Communion to individuals who were previously seen placing the Blessed Sacrament in their pocket. My friend was denied Holy Communion for being late and she actually respects this faithful priest even more. You once tried to test the water on CCD by pre canonizing a priest who promotes same sex unions. IOW you are still late when it comes to defending the full truth.
Catherine, I can’t remember how many times you have jumped on my case for praising Father Greg Boyle for his work with at risk children in establishing places of work for teens and youth in order to help keep them away from gangs. His work, even while fighting cancer for the last decade, has been brave, noteworthy, and increasingly effective. Please give my praise of Father Boyle a rest now. Carrying a grudge for years for others’ views, mine and Father Boyle’s, must be quite a burden to carry.
“Carrying a grudge for years for others’ views, mine and Father Boyle’s, must be quite a burden to carry.” = Defending the FULL Truth is not a burden. It is a duty! Our Lord carried the burden and faithful Catholics see through strategic tactics that undermined Father Illo as well as Church teaching.
continued……
It is revealing Maryanne that you chose to use the word “grudge”. Women who consistently feel the need to refer to themselves as “feminists” are most assuredly holding on to a “grudge” regarding men. You may be exhilarated by clergy who openly promote same sex marriage while aiding troubled gang members but it’s wrong. Father Boyle misled souls and his own soul matters. Thats a Catholic VIEW. You even suggested that a Hollywood movie be made. You have also posted undermining comments how women are not treated well by the Catholic Church. Our Lord’s Mother would surely disagree!
Parents should be thankful for the opportunity to help their children do better academically. Sports has become an American religion, sports heroes to be worshiped and promoted by the media. Sundays are for sports, church is irrelevant. Welcome to 21st century Amerika. Catholic adults need an awakening to the short duration of life on earth and the necessity of preparing for eternity, which begins with worshiping God first,,accepting his endless and ever-present love for us.
Children need to know that OBLIGATIONS come first. And for school aged children those obligations include getting good grades in school.
Sports are play time.
Parents need to spend extra time helping children in those subjects where they get low grades, so the student can do better and earn a place on the team.
Exactly right Leigh! School work is more important than sports, being cut for lackluster performance is a lesson even a third grader can and should understand.
This is really stupid.
This is why people get their religion from Oprah.
Lesson learned: Live according to other’s values or they will get you.
Lesson learned: Live up to the standards of others or they will humiliate you.
Lesson learned: If your grades are not good enough, you have no right to do anything else.
Really stupid.
context is everything. to establish the context, we need to know how low the grades were, were there prior warnings, etc
What? A Catholic school where athletics aren’t THE #1 priority? Don’t tell U. of Notre Dame or Mater Dei H.S….
Teachers and principles-yuk. I had a few good ones but I still cry over some of the things they said and did to me-and I left school decades ago.
In my area, Catholic school kids play volleyball all day Saturday and Sunday. They don’t have time to go to Mass. As a public school teacher, who is a practicing Catholic, the Catholic kids who come into our public high school are 1 to 2 years behind academically. (Our town only has one Catholic K-8th school, the nearest Catholic high school is 2 hours away!) Those who can teach, teach in public schools. Those who can’t, get roles in Catholic schools.
You certainly have your opinions and have an agenda that your trying to convey. Praise God there are many here who do not fall for your trolling move here. Lord have mercy!