A Foothills-area school is continuing to expand its sports program with the help of a growing number of home-schooled students joining its ranks.
“[It] strengthens our sports program to give us more athletes to look at it, but it also gives these students a chance to play at a more organized level then maybe they would within the home school environment,” said Kevin Bailey, principal of Brant Christian School and assistant coach for the Eagles volleyball team.
The school, located 30 minutes south east of High River, has 130 students spanning Kindergarten to Grade 12, 33 being at the high school level.
For the past three years the school has slowly invited and introduced home school students from across the Foothills to join its sports teams.
“The response has been great, they love the opportunity,” Bailey said. “Having this sports program certainly adds more school spirit. Now there’s something they can attach themselves to.
“Now they’ve got another activity that ties them together as a student body.”
The Brant Eagles’ addition of home-schooled students to the mix has been beneficial because it gives them a chance to play on the court and expand their ability as athletes said Bailey.
The quality of the athletes has also increased over the three years of sports being introduced at Brant.
“Looking at the players I had in high school they had some volleyball experience so for me it was just a natural starting point,” said Bailey who has a background in volleyball and helped start the sport team program at BCS.
The program has focused on building a volleyball team, but students also have the opportunity to participate in cross-country running, track and field and curling.
The school is exploring introducing basketball in the near future.
“They came with really good athletic skills they just didn’t really have the opportunity to play,” said Bailey.
“They have the basic skills they just need the opportunity to excel in their sports.”
One of the more complicated parts of the process is the red tape that the school can encounter when bringing homes-schooled students into play.
He said he is careful with the math to ensure that the tiny school’s high school numbers do not exceed the threshold of 100 students forcing them to move from the 1A division the 2A division.
In a unique addition of numbers, when a student joins the Eagles the entire number of students attending or registered with their school, regardless of it they are home-schooled, counts towards the total number of students at BCS.
“We get some good athletes to come and play with us, it strengthens our program and gives them an opportunity of playing,” said Bailey.
Bailey highlighted that because BCS is a small school students receive a lot more court time then at bigger schools giving the opportunity to gain more experience in their sport.
“We’re small and up and coming and we’re just opening the door for more athletes like Jack [Pavier] and the other students that have already joined,” said Bailey.
It is easier for students to join in on the fun at the junior high level, as opposed to the high school level where the numbers game can become more difficult.
For some Eagles, Brant not only offers the chance to join in on team sports it also gives home schooled students the chance to connect with their peers.
“It’s pretty cool because I wouldn’t get to do it at a bigger school. It’s fun getting to know those guys,” said Okotoks’ Jack Pavier, a home schooled Grade 10 student who played volleyball for the Eagles.
“I’ve improved a lot in my skills,” said Pavier.
The student-athlete began playing for the Eagles after his mom found out the team was open to home-schooled students.
Pavier along with his teammates took home silver at the high school Senior Boys 1A South Zone championships in Lethbridge in November
“The numbers [of home schooled kids] in Okotoks are huge,” said Brock Pavier, a former Eagles volleyball.
“As a parent I value the experience of being on the team and a team sport. I feel that that’s a good growth experience for my kids and I think they enjoy it as well,” said Brock Pavier.
He said there are a number of positives created by the program including the growth it fosters for students and the opportunity for them to engage in organized physical activities.
He said that the opportunity for home-schooled kids to play with BCS students because of the friendships it fostered between the athletes combined with the teams traversing the province of Alberta for games.
“I like the character building aspects. Competing and pursuing excellence and that means if they’re going to work well as a team they have to work on excellences of character as well and work with others,” said Brock Pavier.
“For home school students that’s something that parents worry about, so this provides us with a great opportunity to do that.”
Brant is looking to recruit students for the next school year and hoping to build up both its boys and girls sports team.
The Eagle are still exploring where practices will take place in the coming season and are looking at having practices at the High River Baptist Church or Crescent Point Regional Field House in an effort to be central for all participating students.
