A group of students from John Dewey High School who participate in a PSAL sport, were invited to Borough Hall to meet the Brooklyn South High School Superintendent, Michael Prayor. These groups of students were recognized for their scholarship, athletics and other services they have participated in throughout the school year.
PSAL is the Public School Athletic League and it is within all public high schools located in New York City. Thousands of kids from all over the city participate in numerous sports that their schools may offer, whether it’s football, tennis, basketball and more. This is open for both women and men sports and students can even participate in more than one sport if they are in different seasons. PSAL is broken into different divisions depending on the teams that may perform. AA is the highest, and is played by some of the more advanced teams in the sport. The division can go down to a B division and they are adding more divisions like AAAA and C division as more schools begin to provide more sports for their schools.
Some students who were invited to Borough Hall had a lot to say about their experience and the main takeaways they had from the visit. According to senior Joshua Brezil, “I feel like I got invited because I am a role model to student athletes in my school. Being one of the top players on my team as well as making sure my grades are good is a responsibility and an accomplishment that I feel should be passed around to many other student athletes.” It is a great thing to be proud of having the ability to maintain good grades and being a leader or role model on your team. Having high standards as an athlete is an amazing trait to have as it helps the students push themselves to be one of the best.
Not only were these students invited to meet the PSAL superintendent, but they also got an opportunity to meet former NFL Giants Super Bowl Champ Amari Toomer as he was a special guest invited to talk to the students and encourage them to keep going and strive in the sports they love. He spoke on the importance of knowledge and how the more you learn, it helps you get through more places in life. Kaila Ortiz, another Dewey senior who was there said that when Amari Toomer said “Everyday you either get better or you get worse” that stood out to her not only when she is on the court, but also comes to mind academically. It pushed her to continue growing on and off the court.
PSAL has rules that allow students to be eligible in order to play and keep their spot on the school’s team. A big one a lot of coaches emphasize is the 4+1 rule. This means that the students must pass 4 credited classes and their physical education class. If students fail to meet these requirements, they are not permitted to join any team until their grades change in the following semester. This is the reason why these select students were invited to join superintendent Michael Prayor at Borough Hall, because they were able to maintain a high average, participate in PSAL sports and other extracurricular activities whether it was within the school or out of the school.
Dewey’s wrestling coach Mr. Conrade was also invited to the Borough Hall trip. Along with the students, he gained valuable lessons that were expressed during the speeches that were presented. According to Mr. Conrade, “The trip motivated these students to continue growing academically and athletically. It was a reminder that these kids have special talents that they should continue to embrace even once they graduate whether they decide to continue playing sports or not. It takes a lot to be able to balance and recognize the importance of their education while also having their focus on the sport they are committed to. These extracurricular activities help students thrive and meet standards that they may set for themselves.”
This trip to Borough Hall was definitely an eye opener to student-athletes to continue to strive in all the activities they devote their time to. As much as they enjoy the sport they play, it emphasizes the importance of their education as well. No matter how far they get, they should always be willing to grow and continue to educate themselves. It motivated them to become a leader and help other students like them to recognize the importance of always emphasizing the student before the athlete.
