Cloverdale athletic jacket policy to change next year

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale School Corporation decided to change its athletic policy during Monday's school board meeting.

The new policy that will be put in place allows students to not only buy their letter jackets themselves but to get the jacket earlier in their high school careers.

Cloverdale High School Athletic Director James Wade presented the board with a proposal to change the jacket policy after finding out that more and more students have been participating in sports just to get a jacket and quitting shortly thereafter.

The current policy requires students to participate in a five-point system. Students earn their points by receiving one point for each varsity letter and a half point for each junior varsity letter.

In most cases, students receive their jackets closer to graduating high school. This poses a problem, however, as most students do not wear their jackets after they graduate.

The new policy would allow students to purchase their jackets after they receive their first varsity letter. The booster club has sponsored the jackets in the past but in an effort to save funds, they believe this policy would be more effective.

"It's costing the booster club too much money," Wade said. "There will be assistance on an as-needed basis for those who might not be able to afford it."

The policy will be put into effect for the next school year with the incoming freshman. The students who already attend the high school will have the choice to choose which option they would like to follow.

"Kids will start buying their own but we will still buy the patches, pins, and the big C's for Cloverdale," Wade explained.

Wade also updated the board on the status on the new football field lights as well as the old ones.

"The new lights are going fantastic," Wade said.

The corporation has also added new lights to the parking lots for safety. The old football field lights have been sold to Anderson Preparatory at $100 apiece. Cloverdale is debating on whether or not to save a few of the old lights as back-ups in case something was to happen to the new ones.

Fourth-grade elementary student Sarah Baker, eighth-grader James Neir and junior Miranda Tate were honored at Students of the Month during Monday's meeting.

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  • America, where everything has a price.

    -- Posted by exhoosier2 on Wed, Oct 12, 2011, at 9:34 AM
  • About time....athletes at other local schools get to buy their jackets when they are Sophmores and get to wear them for three years not just a semester. Very good news.

    -- Posted by mlooper on Wed, Oct 12, 2011, at 10:49 AM
  • In my day, we had to earn our letters to get our sweater or jacket, and we also had to pay for it. My, how times change...

    -- Posted by Clovertucky on Wed, Oct 12, 2011, at 11:44 AM
  • Same here! You earned your letter jacket when I went to school and that wasn't that long ago (late 90's). Some people earned it early on in their high school career some didn't get it till closer to the end. Point is you had to earn it meaning you had to work at it and dedicate yourself to an activity/s. Nobody just handed you a jacket after you hand them a check or cash!!

    -- Posted by bottomline on Wed, Oct 12, 2011, at 3:12 PM
  • these student are earning their jacket.....the article says "The new policy would allow students to purchase their jackets after they receive their first varsity letter" they are not given a varsity letter, it has to be earned first. i agree that they should be allowed to buy and wear jacket throughout high school years not half your senior year. i went to south putnam where we did pay for our own jackets and received it early enough to appreciate them. if these athletes earn a varsity letter before senior year, they should be able to show it off on a jacket

    -- Posted by aemommy on Wed, Oct 12, 2011, at 3:31 PM
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