Houston-Area Schools Align Their Communities at School Implementation Team Training
Last week, Joe Ehrmann and AD Partner Matt Percival had the pleasure of meeting with School Implementation Teams—made up of leaders, athletic administrators and coaches of influence—from schools across the Greater Metropolitan Houston Area at NRG Center. Since launching in Houston in January 2019, Houston-area education and athletic leaders, along with the Houston Texans and NFL Foundation have been instrumental in helping this transformational work gain traction and grow.
This growth is thanks in part to incredible partners like Debbie Decker—Executive Director of Athletics of Katy ISD Athletics—who has been a critical partner in helping spread the word about InSideOut within the Katy school district and the Greater Metropolitan Houston Area. Debbie kicked off the day in Houston with a brief message. “If you’re here today, you love kids,” she said. “Everybody likes to win, but with education-based athletics, there’s a higher purpose. We’re here to raise good stewards and good citizens.”
Under Debbie’s leadership, all high schools in the Katy system have come together to collectively define what success looks like for their athletic programs. Here are some examples:
Cinco Ranch High School
Success is about the journey of growth and finding out that the team is more important than the individual. It is about what you can accomplish together. It is about relying on each other and relinquishing the outcome, knowing that you cannot control the uncontrollable, like officials, weather and/or field conditions. Success is about representing our school and our community with the pride that reflects what Cinco Ranch High School is all about. Our success at CRHS can be judged by our student-athletes becoming positive members of society and applying the life lessons we provide for them in an impactful way.
Katy High School
Success is TRUST: TRUST in the coaches and players; TRUST in the system; TRUST that everyone will do the RIGHT THING.
Mayde Creek High School
MCSC Athletic Program believes that success is defined as an individual’s growth to reach their maximum potential as a student athlete. Success is achieved by having the ability to work with others as a unit towards a common goal and understanding that you are a part of something larger than one’s self. The pathway to maximizing their potential begins with laying the foundation for life-long development in being accountable, committed and consistent in all phase of life.
Morton Ranch High School
MRHS athletic programs define success as going above what is expected on the court, in the classroom and in our daily lives.
Obra D. Tompkins High School
OTHS defines “success” in a couple different ways. On the field, we define it as being highly competitive at all levels, within every program, and on all teams. To do that, we instill the importance of the team over the individual and strive to create a culture of continued, consistent improvement and growth within every player. Off the field, we define success as seeing each individual athlete become a better person for having been an athlete at Tompkins. We constantly remind our kids to not only be great athletes, but to be better people. Our ultimate desire (and, therefore, our ultimate “success pursuit”) is to establish a program that produces high-character young adults, productive members of society, great players and state championships, year in and year out.
Paetow High School
PHS coaches will establish a culture of high effort competitiveness with integrity and class. We will use sport as a platform to develop the complete person by taking daily lessons in athletics and relate them to real world issues. This will prepare our student athletes for success beyond high school and help them have a positive impact in our community.
Seven Lakes High School
SLHS athletic programs believe success is not solely based on what the scoreboard says at the end of the contest. Success in our programs is equipping our athletes with the tools to succeed in their lives beyond high school.
Taylor High School
Success is peace of mind, resulting from a continual effort to grow, to improve, and to make the best use of your abilities in the service of others. We see it as our top priority to do everything in our power to lead our student-athletes to this mindset.
We’re honored to be on this journey with our partners in Houston, and look forward to continued transformational work in the great state of Texas.