Boise Valley Adventist School is pleased to revive its sports program to support a lifetime of habitual exercise, to teach sports skills and to glorify God through sporting activities.
The revived program includes girls’ volleyball and girls’ and boys’ basketball, which are organized and facilitated by Jamie Miller, athletic director and seventh- and eighth-grade teacher.
Here’s a Q&A interview with Miller to share more about this revived sports program.
Q: Why did you want to revive the middle school sports program?
MILLER: Students thrive when given opportunities to choose in learning. It's important for our students to have experiences that are rich in academics, creative in the arts and music, and active in sports.
Q: What was your goal for implementing the sports program?
MILLER: My goal was for middle schoolers — sixth through eighth grade — to have the opportunity to glorify God through exercising their bodies, to make new friends, to implement a lifetime of habitual exercise, to develop volleyball and basketball skills, and to develop healthy competition with other schools.
Q: Sports also help with academic performance, social skills, teamwork, leadership skills, discipline and health. What benefits did you see through the implementation of the sports program?
MILLER: I believe these goals drive students to be successful in relationships with God and others, in academics, in arts and music, and in navigating daily life.
Q: Students were able to scrimmage with area Christian middle school and homeschool leagues. Which schools participated in the program?
MILLER: This school year, students from BVAS and Caldwell Adventist Elementary School practiced and played volleyball and basketball games against other middle schools in the valley.
Q: Who coached the teams?
MILLER: Girls' volleyball was coached by Courteney Mace, BVAS Pre-K/Kindergarten teacher, and Ariel Fuentealba, a church friend. Girls' and boys' basketball were coached by Peter Smith, a church friend.
Q: I heard the girls were so excited about the startup of the new sports program that 16 showed up to volleyball practice on the first day. Did you receive parent support, as well?
MILLER: Yes! Parents and family members volunteered to carpool students to the games, run the money table and provide new uniforms for the girls’ volleyball team. Teachers and students volunteered to run the scoreboard for basketball and volleyball games. In addition, church members volunteered to help coach the various teams.
Q: The implementation of this sports program has been a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the game and build skills for future sports. What is your hope for the future of this program?
MILLER: My hope for the future is to join Gem State Adventist Academy as their middle school team in the Western Idaho Conference League.
