In just a few weeks, the Friday night lights will be turned on, bands and dancers will take the field and football season will officially begin in St. John the Baptist Parish.

It would be easy for coaches to focus solely on winning games, after all that’s where the trophies, the media coverage and the glory lie. But for the head coaches and athletic directors at the parish’s two public high schools, winning is secondary and comes as much as a result of building character and academic success among the student-athletes in their care as it does as a result of time spent on the practice field.

Graduating every student-athlete has been the No. 1 goal for East St. John High School Coach Brandon Brown since he took over the program last year. His commitment and that of the school is remaining consistent going into his second.

East St. John High is in the process of creating an academic center in its field house, with tables and chairs for studying, laptops and printers to make sure, as Brown puts it, that there is no excuse for players not to be A athletes first and academic athletes always.

At West St. John High, an after-school study hall utilizes peer tutoring where teammates help those who are struggling with classwork. West St. John High School Coach Brandon Walters said he’s lucky to have teachers who also volunteer their time after school to help student-athletes who need it.

On the first day of school and every Friday thereafter, football players at WSJH show up to school in button-down shirts, ties and slacks. You’ll see the same on Wednesdays at ESJH, when the team sports its signature “the E” ties.

And every young man wearing one of those “E” ties is also required to sit in the first row of class each day.

Character is also a focus of the athletic programs.

After school every Thursday during football season, WSJH’s players spend a half-hour talking about the spiritual aspects of life. Later in the year, men from the community and surrounding areas host school-wide round table discussions, where they discuss life, investing, going to college and many other topics with students who have an opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insight from people who’ve already made their marks in society.

Coach Brown said his players are used to their coaches harping on the little things, from trash left on the ground to misplaced weights in the field house and he talks about winning the little battles, such as getting to class on time and having their student IDs, that students can control. He said it’s about accountability and letting students know that every little thing counts.

“If we graduate every student athlete we are going to be successful on the basketball court, on the football field, on the baseball diamond. I tell my guys all the time those things go hand in hand. If you can’t do what your teachers are asking you to in the classroom you won’t be able to execute a play correctly on the field. Those things go hand in hand,” he said. “Our overall objective is that we want to represent ESJH and this school district in such a way that every student, every fan, every community member, every stakeholder has something to be proud of and this includes instituting a high standard for attitude, work ethic, our character and our integrity.”

 

Jennifer Boquet is communications specialist for St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools. She can be reached at jboquet@stjohn.k12.la.us.