All four Olentangy middle schools earned the prestigious Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Harold A. Meyer Award for Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity for the 2009-10 school year. Olentangy Hyatts Middle School (OHMS), Olentangy Liberty Middle School (OLMS), Olentangy Orange Middle School (OOMS) and Olentangy Shanahan Middle School (OSMS) are four of the just 14 middle schools in the state to achieve this honor.
“We are very honored to be among such a select group of middle schools,” said Derrick Gilliam, athletic director for OLMS and OHMS. “This is proof of how fortunate we are to have such a supportive community that makes great sportsmanship a priority.”
The award is presented to schools that develop and implement a comprehensive program that reinforces the importance of sportsmanship, ethics and integrity in school culture. Some of the criteria for these programs are:
- Presentations emphasizing the school’s philosophy on sportsmanship, ethics and integrity;
- Evaluations of all coaches in the areas of instruction and demonstration of sportsmanship, ethics and integrity;
- A procedure for receiving, investigating and acting upon complaints regarding sportsmanship, ethics and integrity; and
- A method for acknowledging/rewarding examples of good sportsmanship, ethics and integrity.
“Our coaches do an excellent job of modeling and promoting sportsmanship among our athletes,” said Cathy Beck, athletic director for OSMS and OOMS. “In turn, our athletes do an excellent job of displaying good sportsmanship. We expect them to be winners in sports, whether or not the outcome of the game is victory.”
In total, Olentangy middle schools have received the Harold A. Meyer Award 24 times. All four schools will receive banners from the OHSAA during an upcoming school assembly or athletic event.