Granville needs to have more middle school sports that are supported and ran by the school district. The Granville Recreation Department is a separate public entity which means they are not within the school system and leave the athletes feeling like they aren’t a part of their school. As a result, school spirit and a sense of belonging suffers. 

In an interview for this article, Josh DeVoll, the high school Athletic Director, explained why the GRD sports are not fully funded within the school. “There are a couple reasons why the GRD houses some sports that we don’t house and a lot of that has to do with our handbook and what it takes in creating a sport here at  Granville,” said Devoll. In reality, funding, fields, scheduling, and other factors make housing all sports in the district problematic.

However, a lot of students that go to Granville middle school want soccer, lacrosse, baseball, field hockey, and so on to be a school sport and considered a big deal just like basketball and other school sports.

“Some sports should not be funded because there is limited space within the middle school system…GRD is more light hearted and less pressured than club teams,” Grace Largent said.

Jackson Coffey had a different view. “The middle school soccer team should be funded by the school because some of the other sports teams are funded within the school,” Coffey said. “So, soccer should be funded within the school too.”

DeVoll highlighted many of the important realities on why GRD sports are not handled within the school. Although it is clearly a complicated issue,  an effort to make more sports at the middle school level housed within the school still needs to be a priority. As more sports are housed and controlled inside the district, a better sense of belonging and increased school spirit will make all the effort worthwhile.