The Athletic Leadership Council (ALC) wants Lancer Nation to know what they’re all about, and the PSA they recently produced does just that.
The ALC is a club whose mission is to promote good sportsmanship and encourage other athletes to be strong role models on and off the field. This year’s video features each ALC member reciting quotes from their “recently edited creed,” according to senior member Natalie Washington.
“The creed is what we hope Lancers ‘live by’ as students and athletes,” Washington said. “We hope to encourage students at our school to be strong leaders and role models of our community.”
The idea to create a PSA came about two years ago when Digital Learning Specialist Melissa Brayall had the idea to promote the ALC with a video featuring different group members.
“We couldn’t have gotten the video done without Mrs. Brayall,” senior member Cam Brutus said. “She really helped us put the whole thing together. She was awesome throughout the whole process.”
Adviser Amy Downing explained they started producing PSAs to show Lancer Nation what the group is all about.
“The first group that did it graduated two years ago,” Downing said, “and every group from there has tried to figure out how to put their own spin on it. This year, the kids wanted to include highlights to make it a little bit more exciting.”
While House 3 Assistant Principal Crystal Rich was the person who started the ALC, Downing has been the adviser for six years after Rich got the job as assistant principal.
“I knew it was an open position and I wanted to get more involved at the high school level,” Downing said. “I had been a coach for many years, so it was kind of like a natural fit.”
The ALC is a group that is working on developing leadership skills and trying “to impact a positive culture into the school,” according to Downing.
The ALC doesn’t just promote good sportsmanship, they also teach children the values of leadership and bringing the community together by hosting different events. Some of these events are mentoring middle school students, student-teacher basketball games, and tournaments open to the middle school and high school community.
“It’s really about these kids developing their leadership skills, and being able to pass on what they learn to their teammates, on their teams, but also to the school as a whole,” Downing said.
To be a part of the ALC, students need to be nominated by their coaches.
“I was nominated as a candidate to be a member of ALC and I happily accepted,” Washington said. “I started helping out at events shortly after being invited.”
The ALC is a way for the leaders and role models on various sports teams to come together and see if they can pass these skills on to future Lancers.
“The best thing to do is be that leader on your team so that your coach notices you and wants to nominate you,” Downing said. “But I would also say have a conversation with your coach and say ‘This is what I’m interested in,’ because it starts there.”
