Flintridge Prep’s ACL Makes Connections in Nicaragua for Coaches and Athletes



Three Athletic Council on Leadership (ACL) students and three coaches were part of Prep’s summer initiative in Nicaragua in 2014. They brought special expertise in coaching and leadership skills, besides their abilities as Spanish speakers, to students at Prep’s sister school, Collegio Bilingue de St. Mary’s, the La Mascota Pediatric Hospital, and Casa de Maria in Ocatal, outside the capital city of Managua.

The ACL students participated in a US Embassy program, “Estamos Unidos” (“We Are United”), which brings sports to inner-city kids in Nicaragua. Embassy personnel commended Flintridge Prep and St. Mary’s for keeping sports programs going year-round in Managua, Ticuantepe, and Granada. ACL members supported their coaches in softball, baseball and basketball clinics, acting as assistant coaches and mentors to kids. And each Prep student had a group of young Nicaraguan athletes assigned to them so that on breaks, they could get acquainted.

Explains Jonah Sacks ’16: “We taught coaches how to articulate coaching information to their students. We would demonstrate drills and help kids with their skills. It was a great way to help others.”

“It was one of my favorite parts of our visit to Nicaragua,” said Lacy Coan ’15 of the two-day clinics. “We got to work with kids one-on-one and really had to rely on our Spanish to communicate. It was relaxed and I really felt like I made connections.”

Over 120 student athletes from Nicaragua participated in the sports programs, which were directed by Prep PE teachers and coaches Esteban Chavez (soccer) and Julie Mejia (softball); and Alex Rivera, Prep’s Director of Athletic Initiatives, handled basketball.

“It was one of my favorite parts of our visit to Nicaragua,” said Lacy Coan ’15 of the two-day clinics. “We got to work with kids one-on-one and really had to rely on our Spanish to communicate. It was relaxed and I really felt like I made connections.”

Over 120 student athletes from Nicaragua participated in the sports programs, which were directed by Prep PE teachers and coaches Esteban Chavez (soccer) and Julie Mejia (softball); and Alex Rivera, Prep’s Director of Athletic Initiatives, handled basketball.

Flintridge Preparatory School, 4543 Crown Avenue, La Cañada Flintridge, (818) 790-1178 or visit www.flintridgeprep.org.

 

 

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