Release Date: Oct 19, 2004 1:00 AM  

McKean, Newark and William Penn High Schools Receive Awards

Dover, Del.–October 19, 2004A strange thing happened recently at the conclusion of the Los Angeles Dodgers – St. Louis Cardinals Divisional Championship game. For the first time in anybody’s memory,the two teams met on the field after the conclusion of the game, shook hands and congratulated each other. The idea was Larry Walker’s, the Cardinals’ slugging outfielder,who came up with the idea while watching the Stanley Cup Finals in the National Hockey League.

Tony Glenn, Executive Director of the Delaware Foundation for Retarded Children and Jack Holloway, Executive Director for the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA)were both elated to see such an outstanding display of sportsmanship at the professional level. Both Glenn and Holloway have been working to put sportsmanship at the forefront ofDelaware’s sports since several disturbing incidents of misconduct occurred at sporting events last year culminating with an after game fracas at the annual Blue-Gold football game at the University of Delaware’s stadium.

Holloway invited Glenn to speak to the state’s athletic directors last week on the topic of sportsmanship and how it affects the overall presentation of an event.It was within this context that the DIAA was proud to be able to point to three schools that have won state championship awards for sportsmanship.The 2004 Sportsmanship Award Winners have been awarded to McKean, Newark and William Penn High Schools.

This is the second consecutive year that McKean and Newark have been recognized for their school’s completion of the vigorous ten-part application.Both schools have developed sportsmanship councils that are now actively involved in their school’s community.They have developed plans for dealing with recognition of positive sportsmanship and appropriate responses to incidents that are negative in nature.

William Penn has firmly established itself as the leader in our state for sportsmanship. The Colonials have won the award for the seventh straight year and continue to impress the awards selection committeewith their new ideas and program for putting the proper perspective on student athletics. William Penn sportsmanship chairperson, Betsy Fleetwood, helped DIAA run a first ever leadership/sportsmanship conferenceat the University of Delaware Virden Center this past August. She was also recently appointed to the National Federation of High Schools National Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethics.

Congratulations to these three outstanding schools for their tremendous efforts in spreading the importance of sportsmanship.

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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