Sport: High School

San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California, joins You Can Play in working for equality for all in sports, including LGBTQ athletes, coaches, and fans.

“That’s exactly what Masters is all about,” says Kevin Versen, Director of Athletics and Physical Education. “We do not judge one’s religion, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. We judge our athletes on the spirit in which they play, their work ethic and dedication along with and their passion to compete. We honor their integrity and embrace their diversity.”

Agincourt Collegiate Institute has made a video in support of the You Can Play Project. Agincourt is a secondary school located in the Scarborough area of Toronto. They were founded in 1915, and have an enrollment of 1,351. They proudly wear the colors green and white, and their mascot is the Lancer. 

“All the members of our council felt that it was time for us to ensure everyone felt included in our athletics, as well as at our school in general because at the end of the day, our teamates are our second family.  We also felt like it was important to do something to show that as leaders at our school, we’d be willing to accept anyone on our team.  Ultimately, it was important for people to know that they have allies who they can come to at any time, for whatever they need.”  

Agincourt student Meghan Sue

La Costa Canyon High School is the latest high school to support the You Can Play Project. Located in south Carlsbad, California, the school provides a comprehensive interscholastic athletic program with 26 different varsity-level sports, earning the Mavericks numerous League, CIF, and Open Division Titles.

La Costa Canyon High School’s approximately 2,000 students live in the San Dieguito Union High School District coastal communities of Cardiff, Encinitas, Leucadia, Olivenhain, and south Carlsbad. Many of which make up the school’s many teams ranked highly on both a national and state-wide level. The school has produced numerous division champions and offers a highly competitive full men’s and/or women’s athletic program in the following sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Marching Band, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Rugby, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Water Polo, and Wrestling. Surfing and Table Tennis are club sports available to students.

We are glad to have you in the huddle, La Costa Canyon. Welcome to the team.

The Eagles of Boston College High School join You Can Play in promoting inclusion and diversity for all athletes, coaches and fans. BC High school hosted a You Can Play Invisible Athlete forum at the urging of You Can Play board member Lee-J Mirasolo. Lee-J, an assistant women’s hockey coach at Princeton, encouraged the forum as a way to start discussion of LGBT issues. Patrick Burke, Jose Estevez and James Nutter spoke with the freshmen and sophomore classes as well as a number of team captains.

> BC High is an all-boys, Catholic school just outside Boston.  A member of the Catholic Conference, BC High has a reputation as a sports powerhouse. It was the second You Can Play address at an all-boys Catholic school in as many months, as Burke had addressed his alma mater, Xaverian, a month prior. According to BC High Coach Michael Brennan, “Being a Jesuit high school, we strive to promote justice in all areas of life and once we heard Patrick Burke speak at our school, we knew we had to make a video. Patrick was invited to speak with our students by guidance counselor Katie Griswold and the Students for Social Respect student group. BC High wants to show that in our sports program, it doesn’t matter who you are. If you know how to be a good teammate and you can play, you to play for BC High.”

“Our experience working with BC High has been amazing,” said You Can Play co-founder Patrick Burke. “Their support for LGBT issues has been exceptional. From the administration, to the teachers, to the students, it has been heartwarming to see full buy in from the community. Their support is just another example of the unmatched work YCP is doing with religious academic institutions to ensure LGBT inclusion.

“I issued BC High two challenges – the first was to eliminate anti-gay language from their community. The second was to try to beat my alma mater, Xaverian, to become the first member of the Catholic Conference to create a YCP video. In a rare upset, BC High did beat Xaverian this time. Their video is wonderful. It is great to see that BC High took our message for LGBT inclusion and extended it to the other aspects of diversity their students see on a daily basis. It shows a true understanding of our underlying mission. We hope that the LGBT administrators, teachers, and students of BC High feel a little more included today.”

All students who appear in the video are athletes and members of the class of 2014 at Boston College High School. They are: Christopher Solis (football), Stephen DeForge (Hockey, captain), Stephen DiCienzo (football, captain), Tom Moynahan (swimming and diving), John Carroll (lacrosse, captain), William Biggs (track, captain) Football, Christopher La Liberte (hockey, captain), Igor Carvalho (volleyball), Shaun Griswold, (swimming and diving),, Andrew Jaehnig (baseball), Sean Webster (baseball), Alexander Loughnane (basketball, captain), Michelle Laferriere (wresting, captain, football, track), and Jordan Samuels (track,captain).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Angels of Denver’s East High School became the first in Colorado  to speak on behalf of the You Can Play Project.  This weekend, they claimed the Colorado state high school basketball championship.

East’s student-athletes and student council both appear in You Can Play videos as part of the Colorado High School Acitvities Association’s positive leadership program, “You Can Play, Colorado!”  The program puts messages of inclusion in every student activity and sports program in the state.  The East athletes represent almost every sport at the school.

Established in 1876, the same year Colorado joined the union, East High has a number of notable alumni:  actors Don Cheadle, Pam Grier, Hattie McDaniel, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd and Antoinette Perry; astronaut Jack Swigert, athletes Joe Barry Carroll, Stan Williams and Cobe Jones; former first lady Mamie Eisenhower;  Beat poet Neal Cassady and novelist Sidney Sheldon; and, singers Dianne Reeves, Judy Collins, and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire.

For more information on CHSAA’s program, visit youcanplaycolorado.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Angels of East High School join You Can Play in supporting all teammates, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

East’s student council says that teamwork extends from sports into all student activities including theater and the robotics club. The video is in support of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s “You Can Play, Colorado!” positive leadership initiative.

“You Can Play, Colorado!” puts a message of diversity and inclusion in every high school sport and student activity. For more information visit www.youcanplaycolorado.com.