Junior Cam Reddy knows that being an athlete is “more than what you do on the field.” So when the final whistle or call from the official signals the end of game, 10 Athletic Leadership Council members, who are also athletes from various sports, exchange their uniforms for time around the table in adviser Mrs. Rich’s room.
The ALC, with a core group eight seniors and two juniors, provides community service opportunities, fosters fan support, makes events better and runs the varsity banquet at the end of the year.
As part of the council who works to spread their message through the athletic community, students and staff are involved in events that, according to Rich, “make the community better than it was before.”
ALC visits Manchester Children’s Hospital during Christmas Vacation.
One of the programs the group is most proud of is the “Little Acts of Kindness Program,” which gives students and staff the opportunity to participate in acts that make people smile or help them in times of need.
Members, who are selected by teachers or coaches, dedicate a lot of time to ALC as they meet once a week and can also be found most days in Mrs. Rich’s room during H period.
Although it is a lot of work, Rich said she does not mind. In fact, she is proud to spend time with the council whether it is discussing important issues in athletics or executing an event.
“To me, it doesn’t feel like working. I love it. I love spending time with them,” Rich said. “Each year as an adviser, it just gets better and better.”
As adviser, Rich’s goal for the program is to try to create a more cohesive atmosphere among student athletes. She said she would do anything to “make the world better for her kids.” She believes that educating students on the diversity in the school can make everyone involved a better person.
“Advising this group really gives me a chance to affect change in the community,” Rich said. “There’s a way to do good things in the world. They already have what they need to be successful inside them. They just have to draw it out.”
While the group has already participated in events like a Celebrating Differences walk on the Londonderry Rail Trail, the dodge ball tournament, and a fundraiser at Launch Trampoline Park in Nashua, they have also raised money to help support a local family that lost everything when their house burned down.
As the group works together planning these projects and events, they have built close relationships with one another while, according to members like Reddy, they also have a lot of fun in the process.
“Even though [these events] all have purpose and are donating money to good causes or raising awareness,” Reddy said, “we always find a way to make them fun.”
Senior member Max Hastings said he also enjoys taking on these kinds of projects “that benefit the school we love” and looks forward to more ALC events throughout the year.
“If any students or groups around the school have ideas or need help,” Hastings said, “ALC is always willing to lend a helping hand to those with a worthy cause.”
