In this day of “political correctness,” I feel sad and angry that an entire athletic conference is being given the right to bully. I am the proud parent of an Archbishop Murphy High School senior. When he graduates, he’ll make room for his brother, who will start in the fall, followed by his sister the next year. Upon graduation, he will have completed 13 years of Catholic education. Paying out of our pockets for that education has been a sacrifice my family has made by choice. I can’t imagine a better investment than our children’s future.
There appears to be a great misconception as to what goes into choosing a Catholic education. This is not a school filled with “rich kids.” In my own 12 years of Catholic education and through this time with our children, I have met many families who sacrifice a great deal to send their kids through Catholic schools. My son does not play football, or soccer (back to back state champions), lacrosse or baseball. Yet he, along with his friends who do participate in those activities, is being punished. For what? Success? Hard work? Dedication? The fortitude to spend four years working together and practicing to become a football team that was 3 and 6 freshman year … to this team?
There is a reason this story is attracting national attention. What the Cascade League and the WIAA are allowing is unheard of. There was not one incident of unusual injury in the first three AMHS games. Football teams take turns dominating. The fact that parents and coaches have taken the season away from our kids, to prove a point, is deeply disappointing.
As of today, like many other schools, our homecoming dance has moved to next weekend. Unlike any other school, we have our only football game for the foreseeable future, scheduled for the same day. We don’t get to be picky about days and times, we’re grateful to Olympic High School for giving our kids a game.
As parents, we are proud of our students for their choice to remain graceful in the face of such ugliness. We are grateful to our faculty and staff for working tirelessly to teach our kids to be not only strong in academics, but more importantly, in character. AMHS (not ATM … just for the record), will come out of this situation stronger, and united as a family. No amount of bullying changes that.
Mindy Humphrey
Mill Creek
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