Dear Board of Education:

This past summer we attended a field hockey camp held by the NHS field Hockey coach Mrs Davey. There we, as well as many other sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls, learned how to play and understand the game of field hockey. We thoroughly enjoyed it and were very upset when we found out that there was no team or league to play on before high school. We are not the only ones.

It has been brought to our attention that the new physical education teacher at Newtown Middle School played field hockey in college and enjoys the game a great deal.

With this information at hand, we think that it would be a great idea to have an intramural girls’ field hockey team at Newtown Middle School. It would give eighth grade girls another sports option, when going into high school, would be a great opportunity for girls to learn and practice the game, and is a lot of fun.

We are both going to be attending Newtown Middle School as eighth graders this fall. We are not very excited about the fall sports that the school offers. Creating a field hockey team would mean another option for us, not only for eighth grade, but for high school as well. Playing the game more often before high school would make it more of a possibility for us to make the high school team.

By the time we get to high school, field hockey is already very competitive, but most girls don’t even know what the game is. They are missing out on a very good experience, and a great time. Going to one camp for a week only once a year is not nearly enough time to practice and really play the game. Some girls who want to attend the camp cannot, because of vacation, or another family reason. Even if you go to the camp for two years, by the time you go into high school, you’ve forgotten it all, or haven’t played since the camp. Although we did learn a good amount about the game at camp, one week is not enough time to cover everything in the game. Most girls don’t even know about the game at all, or how to play it. An intramural field hockey team would mean a chance to learn as well as practice the game, before getting to the high school level of competitiveness.

Field hockey is fun! At the camp we attended, we had the time of our lives, and met many other girls our age. An intramural team would mean more of that fun, and many more girls to meet. Field hockey is a great learning experience, and after all, isn’t that what school’s about.

We understand if this idea fails, but depending on the new physical education teacher as a potential coach, and the number of girls who wish to get involved, this plan could work very well. We hope you take this idea into consideration because it would please a great many girls such as ourselves. An intramural field hockey team would give eighth grade girls another sport option in high school, would be a great learning experience, and would be extremely pleasurable.

Thank you for listening. We hope our effort encourages you to create this team.

Katie Vanveen, Victoria Marlin

8 Scenic View Drive, Newtown

28 Cobblers Mill Road, Sandy Hook       July 31, 2001