The future of North Kitsap athletics has been mapped out on paper during the past year and half by an Athletics and Activities Committee comprised of representatives from the school’s administration, coaches, students, teachers as well as the community’s parents and stakeholders.
Months of AAC meetings and input from three community forums — including e-mail and online surveys — have helped mold the proposed face of NK athletics next year as Kingston High School opens. In addition to that shift, which will give the district two high schools, the North Kitsap School District’s junior highs will become middle schools as it realigns to a K-5, 6-8,-9-12 format.
Student and community interests as well budget restrictions have been among the constant forces that have driven the AAC process, said Gregg Epperson, the North Kitsap School District executive director of student support services and AAC chairman.
Epperson and NKHS athletic director Trish Olson will present the AAC’s final recommendation for secondary athletics in the 2007-2008 school year to the NKSD board at 5 p.m. Thursday at the district’s headquarters in Poulsbo. The recommendation suggests increasing participation fees from $60 to $90 at the high schools and from $25 to $50 at the middle schools. Near-mirror programs will run at each high school with offerings for students in each sport, however, KHS will have one less team in some sports. In the middle schools, students will have one offering (per gender) per season, as fastpitch and baseball have been taken off the schools’ athletics rosters in the recommendation.
Though the time for accepting public input into the AAC recommendation has passed, residents will still be able to make their voices heard to the NKSD board during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 14.
The board is expected to make its final decision on the matter Jan. 11, 2007.
The nuts and bolts of the AAC recommendation for both middle school and high school sports along with the number of coaching positions for 2007-2008 is available for review on the district’s Web site: www.nksd.wednet.edu.
