From: Mt. Lebanon High School <noreply@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 9, 2018 10:00 AM
To:
Subject: Call for Nominations for Distinguished Blue Devils
Mt. Lebanon School District is accepting nominations to honor the class and excellence of players, teams, coaches, and contributors as Distinguished Blue Devils to enter as members of our Hall of Champions. Nominations for Distinguished Blue Devils must be submitted on the attached nomination form by July 12, 2018.
Selections will be honored for induction on October 6, 2018. More information about the October 6, 2018 celebration will be issued soon.
Go to http://www.mtlebanonsports.org/fan_zone/hall_of_champions for more information. Go LEBO!
Another bah humbug post from Lebo Citizens.
ReplyDeleteMost Hall of Fames recognize people beyond the athletes in a specific sport. They recognize coaches, sportswriters, administrators, etc. Why shouldn’t we recognize those folks in Lebo who contribute to our programs and our student athletes as coaches, administrators, trainers, statisticians, etc?
Keep in mind also that in the past if you coached a sport in which the individual athletes (rather than teams) won WPIAL or State championships, the athletes would enter the Hall, but not the coaches. Now we can recognize tennis coaches, wrestling coaches, swimming coaches and the like who have done so much for so long without recognition.
When will there be a Hall of Fame for science, technology, fine arts, community service, etc.? Why do we only recognize those affiliated within the sports community? Why is it only about sports?
ReplyDeleteBy your comment, 3:31 PM, it sounds like sports is the only accomplishment that is worthy of recognition.
Elaine
Come one Elaine, the post was about the current hall of champions. Therefore, it only involves athletics. Not to mention, the hall of champions dates back about 60+ years. It’s not a new thing. Just the location is new.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Mt. Lebanon recognizes a number of distinguished alumni each year, and those individuals are nominated for any number of accomplishments in a large variety of fields. I also read a lot of articles articles about Mt. Lebanon students who receive scholarships and similar recognition in math, science, theater and have a bunch of other accomplishments. Rarely are those articles posted here.
If a particular discipline would like to form a Hall of Fame to recognize students in a particular field, I would absolutely support it.
To suggest that the athletic hall of champions is something that was established at the exclusion of all of their activities or interests is simply another one of your attempts to bring a dark cloud over the community. It’s tiresome and disingenuous.
And yet you keep on reading...
ReplyDeleteElaine
I am sorry but this is yet another exclusively snobby Mt. Lebanon politicized club that pits people against one another. It's like the alumni recognition clique that only pertains to Mt. Leo grads and excludes non-lego grads who contribute more to our district and community than the exhausted nominees. Why can't we be normal around here, acknowledge who goes the extra mile with class letters? "Hall of Champions" sounds like some state-wide or national honor. Why can't these Mt. Lebanon die hards just let the kids play sports and achieve at their level. It's not the Olympics for crying out loud. Get over yourselves.
ReplyDelete10:34, the Hall has been around since the 50s. Try to catch up.
Delete10:34, you do realize that the distinguished alumni is an award s for ALUMNI right? Is that a problem? If so, is it because you have a problem recognizing alumni who graduated 20+ years before you even moved to Lebo? If so, get a grip.
ReplyDeleteELAINE, you sound like a democrat. That happened fast.....
ReplyDeleteThe capacity of this District to so often focus on anything but EDUCATION is absolutely amazing. Like a puppy dog and a squirrel. They are so easily distracted.
ReplyDelete10:34 Just because something has been around since the 50s does not make it okay. I can name lots of things that were around in the 50s that either have been deemed illegal, that are against public policy or that are still around reminding us of our lack of progressive change in our environment. I think that, perhaps, YOU need to try to catch up.
ReplyDeleteCome on 10:21. That's ridiculous. Last year, over 1,200 students participated in interscholastic sports at the high school, 450 or so in middle schools and about 1250 in intramurals. Even with such significant participation, the school district only spent about $1.5 million on athletics, including intramurals. That's all-in. Salaries, equipment, buses, everything. So contrary to your assertion, only 1.5% of the district's overall budget is "focused" on athletics. 1.5%!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to suggest that the district doesn't focus on education ignores about 75 years of being a leader in teaching kids statewide and beyond. Not to mention, the combination of academics and athletics has also created incredible opportunities for kids to further their education. In the last few years alone, Lebo has sent student-athletes to Penn, Yale, Princeton, Michigan, Cornell, William & Mary, and Lehigh just to name a few. All really smart kids in their own right, but they all probably wouldn't have had those same opportunities without athletics.
Personally, I think we have a healthy focus on athletics and certainly no more than our peer districts. I think that you may perceive a focus on athletics if you're a regular reader of this blog, only because the host loves to focus on turf, athletic fundraising, the hall of champions, youth sports associations, etc., in her continued effort to pit residents against each other.
For example, in other District news from the past couple months that you won't read about here:
Jefferson Middle School 8th Grade Language Arts teacher, Mike Hladio, was selected as 1 of 11 teachers in Western Pennsylvania to be honored as a "Remake Learning Champion" by the Remake Learning Council.
The Association of School Business Officials International awarded the District with the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting.
High School junior Hannah Jones, was selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2018 Ohio River Sweep Poster Contest. The Ohio River Sweep is an annual, volunteer cleanup of the Ohio River and its major tributaries.
The U.S. Department of Education announced today that Mt. Lebanon High School is among the 2018 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools award honorees.
24 students from grades 4-12 competed with over 1000 competing students and 100 competing teams from across the country at the Academic Games Nationals Tournament in Knoxville, TN. Students participated in games involving mathematics, set theory, propaganda, language, current events, presidential trivia, mythology trivia, and current events trivia. Mt. Lebanon players received several awards and distinctions at the national competition.
The Mt. Lebanon School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. This is the 10th year the District has been recognized for its outstanding music education program.
2:44 PM, I am so glad that you brought up ASBO. I have written about it here. We pay for that award. Here is more background on that "prestigious" award. https://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2014/05/6-1-in-favor-of-54-mill-increase.html
ReplyDeleteAll-in? Are you serious? You are forgetting about turf projects, the high school renovation which was primarily sports related, trophy cases, oh wait...you listed the additional spending here: "the host loves to focus on turf, athletic fundraising, the hall of champions, youth sports associations, etc., in her continued effort to pit residents against each other." You are forgetting all the other funds that exist. Factor those in for a better picture of what the district spends on athletics. Don't forget the million dollar heist too. Donations were made toward that disaster, but not enough to break even. We don't need that kind of athletic fundraising.
Elaine
Ah yes, I forgot. The high school renovation was a sports project above all else. Thanks for making my point Elaine.
ReplyDeleteHey 6:05 how could you forget the pool....the gyms....the wrestling room...the tennis courts...THE ROCK PILE ?
ReplyDeleteNobody is attacking the current athletics program or the kids. People are questioning why this is necessary and such a time suck. Who dreams this stuff up!?! The School Board? The Superintendent? The Athletic Director? It simply does not advance the mission of the District. Do residents on a limited income want their taxes frittered away in this manner? Very odd.
ReplyDeleteOh you got me 6:36. We should’ve decided to either keep a 60 year old pool and gyms or do without, right? That’s what great schools do isn’t it?
ReplyDeleteIn other news, half of the proposed Upper St. Clair millage increase, 0.319 mills, is being allocated to offset the debt service payment for the district’s current capital construction projects. Construction began this spring on the projects, which include a new 8-lane pool at the high school and a multi-use complex adjacent to the high school stadium, and the completion of Boyce athletic field facilities.
The athletic supporters are blessed to have others finance their endless wish lists. How fortunate they are that the funding does not have to go to a referendum.
ReplyDeleteYes, I’m blessed that I get to pay the $40 student activity fee, an additional $550 sport specific fee, another $300+ in fundraising, another $250 for equipment, and another $40 for spaghetti dinner tickets. And the real blessing is, after all that, I still get to pay $6 ($12 if my spouse goes) on game days to get into the stadium to watch him play. $6 that doesn’t even go towards the athletic dept budget, let alone to help offset the cost of the sport itself. Yes, we are truly blessed.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, 9:56 AM. I get the feeling that the "athletic supporters" include the likes of Elaine Cappucci, who has no more children participating in the athletic programs, but does have a child who is in the coaching capacity at Mt. Lebanon. Tonight, we get to hear a presentation for "Lebo Gives." They will be asking for the ashes from the Capital Campaign to be transferred over to this new "fundraising" venture.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mtlsd.org/uploaded/SchoolBoard/Agendas/DISCUSSION_AGENDA_June_2018.pdf
Also on tonight's agenda, The Superintendent will be recommending that the Board reject all bids and award a direct purchase agreement to Astro-Turf Corporation in the amount of $1,570,531.
Elaine