Four years ago, four freshmen at Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School enrolled in an elective class called Original Civic Research and Action (OCRA). The goal of the class is to have students research their community, identify a challenge or issue that needs attention, and then develop a problem-solving framework to address the issue. The class is progressive over four years, keeping students engaged in the process over the full span of their high school careers.
“This program is completely student-centered and group based,” said Joe Liberti, the MHS teacher who designed the OCRA class and serves as its advisor. “The students decide what they want to work on. It’s about curiosity driving and motivating the students.”
The four students - Owen Bischoff, Charlotte Foley, Charlotte Noll, and Lea Sampayo – came together around the issue of a sports opportunity gap within their community.
Conducting their own research, their findings confirmed that many youths in Mamaroneck, a diverse town located about 25 miles north of New York City, were interested in playing lacrosse but faced barriers to participation.
Further, the group identified the key barriers that limited youth lacrosse participation – lack of transportation, equipment expenses, and registration costs being among the key obstacles – and set out to develop solutions.
“We were specifically interested in this issue because we wanted to figure out a way to close that social gap,” Foley said. “From our own experiences, we knew that one of the best ways to meet kids from other schools and neighborhoods is through sports.”
The group also believed that providing lacrosse access for all youth could help unlock more opportunities in the future.
“Getting kids into sports when they are in elementary school gives them more possibilities for later years,” Noll said. “They could get to play in high school, and if they’re good enough, perhaps even play in college. Maybe get scholarships.”
“Lacrosse is a very competitive sport in our community and making sure that people from all socioeconomic backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate is important,” Sampayo said.
The group eventually developed a comprehensive, 10-page guide designed to assist local lacrosse organizations with solutions to the entry barriers. The plan includes multiple strategies for program administrators to employ, ranging from the use of bilingual promotional materials to free after school clinics.
One of the key concepts the group incorporated into the plan was the use of student ambassadors to facilitate clinics and collaborate with program leaders. Leveraging these high school-aged ambassadors seemed like an effective strategy to reach elementary students.
“When we were younger, we looked up to older kids so much because they just seemed so cool,” Foley said. “Personally, I wanted to do everything that they did. So, we felt that the best connection with younger kids would come from other kids who were just a few years older.”
“We had to figure out creative ways to get kids involved, even on an introductory level, just so that they would be open to the idea of lacrosse before they actually commit to playing on a youth team,” Noll said.
The students connected with local lacrosse program leaders to help develop a 6-day curriculum to be used in elementary school physical education classes. They also met directly with local elementary school teachers to share the idea and the curriculum.
USA Lacrosse supported the project by providing sticks for use at clinics and in the PE classes.
“We’ve distributed that equipment and now kids are able to spend six days in school learning and experiencing the sport with a curriculum that we created,” Bischoff said. “So, we rolled out the curriculum and then gave them the sticks that they needed.”
Site visits to the elementary schools have been encouraging.
“All the students are really engaged and having fun,” Sampayo said. “I remember from my PE classes in elementary school, it was usually the same units every year, so to change it up with something different, I think, is why they are all having fun.”
As the group of four, all graduating seniors now, continue to roll out and distribute their step-by-step guide, the feedback from all corners has been very positive.
“I think the best part of this is knowing that we’ve had an impact on our community,” Bischoff said. “It’s very rewarding to see the hard work that we’ve done and all the hours we’ve put into this project now making a difference. The plan is being implemented and it’s having real, tangible success. Enrollment rates in the local lacrosse program (Larchmont Mamaroneck Youth Lacrosse) are increasing and hopefully will continue to increase in the future.”
Community Heroes
USA Lacrosse consistently seeks to recognize individuals who are helping to grow lacrosse on the grass roots level. Do you know someone who is making a positive difference in their community? Submit an online nomination and share their story.
