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EXAMPLES OF PAST

PERRY HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR THESIS PAPERS

What follows are two senior thesis essays that each scored well.

One is critiquing the novel The Da Vinci Code

One is arguing against high school athletic programs being

cut from schools

While each of these essays has both strengths and weaknesses—

none is perfect!—they collectively represent the level of thought

and composition expected of Perry High School seniors on this

project.

If you have questions about any of these, be sure to ask!

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Danielle Somebody

Senior English A

Mr. Kemsley

November 15, 2008

The Deceit of The Da Vinci Code: The Truth Behind The Slander

When his book The Da Vinci Code hit the bestseller list in 2003, author Dan

Brown caused an immediate phenomenon. The popular novel held the number one spot

on the New York Times best seller‘s list for thirty-five consecutive weeks.

Approximately seven million copies of The Da Vinci Code are in print, and it is being

translated into over forty languages. Various television networks like CNN and ABC

have aired specials on the controversy sparked by the novel. In addition, a major motion

picture of the book starring Tom Hanks is scheduled to be released in the year 2005.

A long with receiving popularity, The Da Vinci Code is causing extreme

controversy. Religion is an extremely sensitive subject to most people. This novel

contradicts the reliability and history of Christianity, the most prominent of world

religions, and is therefore unfathomably controversial. When reading the novel, one

forms questions about the credibility and history of the Bible, the divinity of Jesus Christ,

the origin and development of Christianity, and the actions of Church leaders during the

religion‘s formative years. The central claim made by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code

is that the divinity of Jesus Christ is false. Brown asserts that Jesus Christ married Mary

Magdalene and they had a child. Moreover, by dividing a Latin word for ―Grail,‖

sangreal, into two parts, ―sang‖ and ―real,‖ meaning, ―Royal Blood,‖ he deduces that the

mythical Holy Grail is not actually the cup Christ drank from at the last supper, but

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another sort of container: a woman‘s body (Brown 249). In the case of his novel,

Brown‘s ostensible ―container‖ is Mary Magdalene who ―contained Royal Blood,‖ which

are Jesus‘ alleged children. Magdalene is portrayed as the real ―Holy Grail‖ that,

according to Brown, has been sought for over a millennia. He advocates that in the

completion of a successful Grail quest one would actually ―kneel before the bones of

Mary Magdalene‖ (Brown 257). Documents supporting this theory are supposedly hidden

in the small town of Rennes Le Chateau, located in southern France. Many ―non fiction‖

books that were used by Dan Brown to research his novel further elaborate on this ―Holy

Grail Theory.‖ This theory and many other claims made in the novel contradict

Christianity, and as a result, they have caused intense dispute among people with

differentiating opinions.

Although The Da Vinci Code is categorized as a fiction novel, many people,

including Brown himself, consider it much more. Brown claims that he has uncovered a

hidden ―truth,‖ and encourages his readers to accept his historical assertions as factual.

―In an interview on Good Morning America he declared that if he had been asked to write

a piece of nonfiction on these things he would change nothing about what he claimed in

the novel‖ (Bock 3). The opening page of the novel is entitled ―FACT,‖ and states, ―All

descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are

accurate.‖ Brown makes himself sound very believable. I myself admit, the first time that

I read this novel I was almost convinced, along with the novel‘s many other supporters.

But the question remained in my mind: how could Brown‘s supposed ―truth‖ be

concealed for so long? In fact, an overwhelming amount of research shows the ―Holy

Grail Theory‖ – along with other key assertions by Brown—are all absolutely theoretical:

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there is no ―solid‖ evidence backing up Brown‘s so called ―secrets.‖ In reality, while The

Da Vinci Code is a historical fiction novel, and therefore at least loosely based on fact,

Dan Brown exaggerates these minor facts to such an extent that they become ridiculous

and lose their validity. Brown‘s real motive here is popularity, and popularity he has

received. Readers are naïve as to what he is really doing and buy into his dishonesty. As a

result, many people have been polluted by false ideas about Christianity. Due to the

invalidity of Dan Brown‘s research, his deceit in presenting the material, and his

ignorance about the subjects he portrays, the assumptions made in The Da Vinci Code

cannot be taken seriously.

First on the long list of Brown‘s flaws is the invalidity of his research. The

acknowledgements page in the novel communicates the impression that Brown has

completed elaborate research. Some of the sources listed include: the Louvre Museum,

the French Ministry of Culture, Project Gutenberg, Bibliotheque Nationale, the Gnostic

Society Library, the Department of Painting Study and Documentation Service at the

Louvre, Catholic World News, and many more. ―It is not clear how many of these

acknowledgements represent Brown padding the list to make it sound more impressive

and enhance his credibility. For example, Project Gutenberg is an online library of public

domain texts, and Brown‘s ‗acknowledgement‘ may signify no more than that he looked

at the text on one of the Project Gutenberg web sites‖ (Catholic Answers). Brown‘s

acknowledgements of institutions similar to museums or resembling libraries may mean

that he simply used their facilities and they did not assist his research. Not only is Brown

misleading his readers by exaggeration, it is also apparent that he has been downright

deceitful about the credibility of his research. A reflection of this is Brown‘s

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acknowledgement of Catholic World News. When contacted by Catholic Answers, a

Catholic website, the editor of Catholic World News, Phil Lawler, stated that his

magazine was, ―surprised and bemused to learn that Catholic World News had been listed

in the acknowledgments of this book‖ (Catholic Answers). Lawler goes on to say, ―We

cannot recall any contact whatsoever with Dan Brown. He is not listed among our past or

present subscribers,‖ and continues by stating: ―Certainly we never did any research for

him or answered any questions from him‖ (Catholic Answers). It is obvious that Brown

is trying to make it appear that he did intense research, when in all actuality he is

exaggerating.

Not only is Brown‘s research exaggerated, but the sources that comprise the

majority of the book‘s research are merely theoretically rooted, and therefore do not give

solid evidence supporting Brown‘s assertions. ―These titles represent works of New Age

speculation that run counter to established history, focused on alleged secret societies and

conspiracy theories, attempt to reinterpret the Christian faith, and are imbued with radical

feminist agendas. Historians and religious scholars do not take these works seriously‖

(Catholic Answers). The books that are the most crucial in Brown‘s research are Holy

Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, and The

Templar Revelation by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. It is extremely ironic that Brown

borrowed Baigent‘s and Leigh‘s names for his character Leigh Teabing (whose surname

is an anagram of Baigent) and describes him as a fiction writer, when his research is

largely based on the fact that Baigent and Leigh are Masonic Historians. It is obvious that

Brown knows he is being deceitful. In The Templar Revelation, Picknett and Prince try to

prove everything that we know about Christianity is lie, and that the truth has been

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clandestine for two millennia by men intent on promoting their own agendas. They have

no premise to make these claims. Book reviewer L.D. Meagher comments that: ―Nothing

in The Templar Revelation rises to anything like the level of ‗definite proof.‘ Instead, its

conclusions are based on the flimsiest of premises, which are supported by the slimmest

of indirect and circumstantial evidence or, just as often, by the assertion that the lack of

evidence justifies their conclusions‖ (Catholic Answers). As a testament to his fiction

writing ability, Brown does a good job of portraying his novel as ―truth,‖ but by digging a

little deeper one will see that it is anything but.

In his depiction of the Catholic Church, Brown makes assertions that are both

ignorant and offensive. ―In making phony claims of scholarship, Brown‘s book infects

readers with a virulent hostility toward Catholicism‖ (Miesel 6). The Da Vinci Code

slaughters the good image of the Catholic Church, by portraying Catholics as conniving

murderers that will stop at nothing to hide the ―truth.‖ In reality, Brown is the deceitful

one. He projects the image to his audience that he is knowledgeable about what he is

postulating when, in reality, he is extremely ignorant. For example, the ―fact‖ page of

Brown‘s website (danbrown.com) states:

―The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that

has been the topic of recent controversy due to the reports of brainwashing,

coercion, and a dangerous practice known as ‗corporal mortification.‘ Opus Dei

has just completed construction of a $47 million National Headquarters at 243

Lexington Avenue in New York City.‖

In the novel, Brown ―goes on to describe Opus Dei as ‗a Catholic Church‘ and portrays it

as an order of monks with members serving as assassins, one of whom (a ‗hulking albino‘

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names Silas) is a key character in the book‖ (Catholic Answers). This is an example of

Brown using exaggeration to trick people into believing him. Part of what he says is true:

a Catholic priest named St. Josemaria Escriva founded the actual Opus Dei in Spain in

1928 with the intention of promoting Holiness, and the work of the Opus Dei has been

very strongly supported by the Catholic Church; Pope John Paul II even established it as

a personal prelature of the Catholic Church in 1982. Although this is true, it is the only

truth written by Brown about the Opus Dei. Brown‘s description of the Opus Dei is

infested with errors. First and foremost, he mischaracterizes the Opus Dei as ―a sect‖ and

in addition falsely calls it ―a Catholic Church.‖ The Opus Dei does not perform ordinary

diocesan functions; it is instead a ―supplemental spiritual formation‖ (Catholic Answers).

―Moreover, it is intrinsic to the concept ‗catholic‘ that there can be only one Catholic

Church, the Catholic Church, and Opus Dei is a fully integrated part of it‖ (Catholic

Answers). The Opus Dei has no monks or members like the novel‘s assassin monk Silas,

but instead aims to help people seek holiness in their everyday lives. Also, Brown‘s fact

page accuses the Opus Dei of ―brainwashing,‖ ―coercion,‖ or ―recruiting.‖ This is his

way of grossly exaggerating the fact that the Opus Dei teaches faith, gives spiritual

guidance, and acts as Christian witnesses, which are fundamentals to the Christian faith

as a whole, and not just the Opus Dei. This exaggeration is proportionate to calling a

kitten a mountain lion, merely because they are both felines. The Catholic Church and the

Opus Dei are two completely separate religious orders, but in The Da Vinci Code Brown

combines them into one. Not only does Brown show that he is obviously ignorant about

Catholicism and the Opus Dei, in his novel he portrays them as evil assassins and

murderers that will stop at nothing to hide the ―truth.‖ This is extremely offensive to both

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Catholics and the Opus Dei. The Opus Dei has responded to their false portrayal in the

novel with a letter of protest to the Doubleday publishing company and an explanation of

the real Opus Dei. It is unknown if they will take legal action against the publisher.

Brown took a few small facts and exaggerated them into lies. This is deceitful to readers

because when they see that his claims are partially factual they are led to believe that they

are wholly so. This results in a false image of the Catholic Church and the Opus Dei.

Brown‘s attempt to ruin the Catholic Church is both malicious and unfair. He has no

grounds to write a book completely demolishing the credibility of a religion, especially

when he hasn‘t even taken the time to do the research. Popularity is obviously his real

motive.

Another area that Brown‘s research falls short of sufficiency is on the subject of

Christ‘s matrimony to Mary Magdalene. ―Mary Magdalene was a faithful disciple, [and]

a witness to the cross, burial, and resurrection of Jesus‖ (Bock 29). In The Da Vinci Code

the Opus Dei strives to cover up the ―real‖ life of Christ, which according to Brown,

includes a wife and children. The novel bases its argument that Jesus‘ conjugality is truth

through the following premises: celibacy is taboo in Jewish culture and according to

ancient Gnostic text Mary and Jesus were accused of both kissing on the lips as well as

having a close companionship that aroused jealousy in the other apostles.

It is extremely ironic that Brown doesn‘t trust the biblical gospel and regards it

prejudicial, but without hesitation he bases his claims on texts that were written more

than a century afterward. Could these Gnostic books, too, not have been written by

historical ―winners‖ as he states in an interview that the bible was? Not even in these

texts does it say that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were wed: it merely, in Brown‘s

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opinion, insinuates it. If they were married, then why didn‘t they just say so? What were

they afraid of? Supporters of Gnosticism would be likely to argue that they were afraid of

persecution by the church. Unfortunately for them, that excuse isn‘t substantial. ―Gnostic

writings are full of teaching that are obviously incompatible with an orthodox

understanding of Jesus Christ, his life on earth, and the Church he established‖ (Olson

and Miesel 96). It is obvious that the Gnostic texts have already defied the church. So

again I pose the question: why didn‘t they just say Jesus and Mary Magdalene were

married? Perhaps because they weren‘t. We again find ourselves subject to the author‘s

irritatingly inaccurate habit of assuming, when in fact ―No early Christian text we

possess, biblical or extrabiblical, indicates the presence of a wife during His [Christ‘s]

ministry, His crucifixion, or after His resurrection‖ (Bock 41).

Brown‘s alleged proof of this matrimony is insubstantial not only due to his

flimsy sources, but also because of his ignorance of Jewish culture. In the novel he claims

that it is unheard of for a Jew to adopt a lifestyle of celibacy during the time of Christ.

Darrell Bock, PH.D. and Research Professor of New Testament Studies disagrees with

Brown: ―some Jews did not view marriage as an obligation and chose celibacy as a sign

of piety‖ (80). In fact, the Prophet Jeremiah was commanded by God not to marry: ―You

shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place‖ (Jeremiah 16:1-

2). Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7, reflects a similar exhibition of this attitude by advising

people not to marry because of the nature of the times. In the books Mathew, Mark, and

Revelations, Jesus is portrayed as taking the church as his ―bride.‖ To further prove this

point note Mary Magdalene‘s name. In the time of Jesus, women‘s names were linked to

their husbands. Oddly, Mary Magdalene‘s was linked to Magdala: her place of birth.

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Therefore, Mary was single. The liberal Jesus scholar John Dominic explains Brown‘s

view on Jesus‘ marriage perfectly when he says:

―There is an ancient and venerable principle of biblical exegesis [interpretation]

which states that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck,

it must be a camel in disguise. So lets apply that to whether or not Jesus was

married. There is no evidence that Jesus was married (looks like a duck), multiple

indications that he was not (walks like a duck), and no early texts suggesting wife

or children (quacks like a duck)… so he must be an incognito bridegroom (camel

in disguise).‖ (Bock 31)

Dan Brown further proves his impotence by making additional claims based upon

unreliable theory.

Brown further shows us his incompetence by making the absurd assertion that the

Church set out on a campaign full of murder and violence in order to slander

Magdalene‘s name so they could ―erase evidence of her powerful family ties‖ (Brown

261), meaning of course her alleged marriage to Christ. Brown also claims that the

church is still hiding the ―truth‖ today, albeit in a less violent manner. If what the novel

claims is true, and the Church was trying to erase the memory of Mary Magdalene, they

did a horrible job of it. In fact, Mary is even celebrated by Catholic Churches, Eastern

Orthodox, and some Protestant denominations. ―By the eighth century the Western

Church was celebrating a feast day for Mary Magdalene, the twenty-second day of July.

By the ninth century there were specific prayers for her feast day, and by the eleventh

century there was a complete mass dedicated to the saint (with introit, gradual offertory,

communion, and lessons)‖ (Miesel and Olson 87). It is apparent that Mary Magdalene

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was important in the eyes of Christianity, and in addition, equally obvious it is false that

―the Church outlawed‖ any talk of Mary Magdalene as The Da Vinci Code claims (261).

This matter is further proven by the fact that she was spoken very highly of by major

church leaders during the earliest centuries of the church. Gerald O‘ Collins, a Catholic

author, reflects on Brown‘s claim in a review of The Da Vinci Code: ―So much for the

tributes Church Fathers like Hippolytus, Gregory the Great and Leo the Great paid to her

as ‗the apostle of the apostles,‘ ‗the representative of the church‘ and ‗the new Eve

announcing not death but life‘ to the male disciples!‖ (1). In addition to being celebrated

by the Church and praised by its Fathers, Mary was mentioned in the Gospels over a

dozen times. In Luke chapter 8, sections 1-3, Mary is described as a disciple who was

both a beneficiary of an exorcism executed by Jesus Christ, and part of an entourage of

women who both supported and traveled with Jesus and his disciples. In Mathew, she

was described as being at the crucifixion (27:55-56). On top of that, she is portrayed as a

witness to the resurrection in John chapter 20, section 18. Throughout the Bible, Mary is

mentioned an abundance of times, but her prominence as a witness to the resurrection is

by far the most important, especially considering the fact that ―testimony of women had

little value in the first century Jewish society‖ (Miesel and Olson 79). It is obviously false

that the Church wanted to slander Mary Magdalene; once again proving Dan Brown‘s

research is insufficient.

But Brown is not done yet, for in another arena his ignorance prevails. In 325

newly converted Christian Roman Emperor Constantine called together a meeting of

bishops at the city of Nicea in modern-day Turkey. Brown adduces that before this

meeting Christians did not consider Jesus Christ divine: ―Until that moment in history,

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Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a

man nonetheless‖ (246). Contrary to Brown‘s adduction, the purpose of the Council of

Nicea was to ―affirm the historic and standard Christian beliefs, erecting a united front

against future efforts to dilute Christ‘s gift of salvation‖ (Hansen), because an

Alexandrian theologian name Arius argued that although Jesus was a remarkable leader,

he wasn‘t divine. Arius‘ theory is identical to Brown‘s. What proves Brown false is he is

claiming Christians didn‘t believe that Jesus was divine until Constantine declared him so

at this Council. Brown adopts Arius‘ belief as that of all pre-Nicene Christianity, when

the truth of the matter is that Christians believed Jesus divine long before the Council of

Nicea. Because Brown argues that the Scripture was written after the meeting, we will

look at other, earlier documents disaffirming his claim. ―In the earliest extra-canonical

Christian book, the Didache, which scholars agree was written no later than the late

100‘s, the earliest Aramic-speaking Christians refer to Jesus as Lord‖ (Hansen). This

book was incontestably written before the Council of Nicea. The belief of early

Christians that Jesus was divine was also unambiguous in other aspects. For example,

―Justin Martyr, a second-century luminary and the first great church apologist, baptized

in the name of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—thereby acknowledging the

equality of the one Lord‘s three distinct persons‖ (Hansen). In addition to being wrong,

Brown‘s theory simply isn‘t logical. Why would Christians, after centuries of dying for

their faith, allow Constantine to change the Gospel? Why would Constantine want to?

Not only does Brown claim Constantine established Christ‘s divinity at the

Council of Nicea, but also that he ―commissioned and financed a new Bible, which

omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ‘s human traits and embellished those Gospels

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that made him godlike. The earlier Gospels were outlawed, gathered up and burned‖

(Brown 234). The Gospels that describe Christ as ―godlike‖ were Mathew, Mark, Luke

and John. In his book The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code, author Richard Abanes

states: ―There is no historical evidence showing that Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were

embellished by Constantine‖ (26). It is impossible that the ―earlier Gospels were

outlawed, gathered up and burned,‖ because there were no earlier Gospels. The only

other Gospels Brown could be referring to are the aforementioned Gnostic Gospels which

were, according to most scholars, not written until after Mathew Mark, Luke and John.

To be specific; 65 to 100 years after Mathew, 40 to 75 years after Mark, 60 to 80 years

after Luke and 90 years after John (Abanes 26-27). Thus the Gnostic Gospels were not

rejected because of their content, but because of their tardiness.

Although the major mistakes made by Brown in The Da Vinci Code were

highlighted, there are innumerably more manufactured by his ignorance, invalid research,

and his mitigated deceit. For example, he largely bases his novel on the fact that Mary

Magdalene was the ―true‖ Holy Grail. As explained earlier, he obtains this hypothesis by

the derivation of ―sang‖ and ―real‖ from the Latin word sangreal. He continues to say

that ―sang real‖ is French for ―royal blood‖ (Brown 249). Brown is just plain

wrong…again. In French, ―royal blood‖ would be ―le sang royal‖ (Miesel and Olson

182). These elementary level mistakes make it blatantly obvious that Brown didn‘t do his

homework. As a consequence, his book is plagued with an uncountable number of

falsities, and it impossible to touch on all of them.

In summary, Paxton Hood says it best: ―Be as careful of the books you read as the

company you keep, for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the

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former as the latter‖ (Miesel and Olson 17). Dan Brown‘s The Da Vinci Code remains a

bestselling fiction novel that has been portrayed as truth. Brown deceitfully portrays it as

fact, knowing that in actuality it is fabricated, leaving his readers with a false sense of

reality. Dan Brown thought that he could fool us with his lies and exaggeration, but it is

now painfully evident who the real fool is.

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Works Cited

Abanes, Richard. The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code. Eugene: Harvest House

Publishers, 2004.

Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York City: Doubleday, 2003.

Bock, Darrell L. Breaking The Da Vinci Code. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004.

Brown, Dan. Official Website. 24 Oct. 2004 <http://www.danbrown.com>. n pag.

Hansen, Collin. ―CH Newsletter: Breaking The Da Vinci Code.‖ ChristianityToday. 24

Oct. 2004 <http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2003/no7.html>

n.pag.

Miesel, Sandra. ―Dismantling The Da Vinci Code.‖ Crisis Magazine 1 Sept. 2003:1-7.

Miesel, Sandra and Carl E. Olson. The Da Vinci Hoax. San Francisco: Ignatius Press,

2004.

O‘Collins, Gerald. ―Book Reviews: Sensational Secrets. The National Catholic

Weekly. 15, Dec. 2003.

―Special Report: Cracking the Da Vinci Code.‖ Catholic Answers. 24 Oct. 2004

<http://www.catholicanswers.com> n.pag.

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Justin Case

April 18, 2011

Senior English

High School Sports: The Education Supplement

In today‘s academic institutions, more is being expected of students in high

school than ever. Homework is being piled on, high grades are needed, and even higher

standardized test scores are needed to get into colleges. Students are being asked to

mature faster in order to keep up with the growing burden of these high expectations. Is

the average high school education enough to prepare students for success not only right

now but in the future as well? Sadly, the average high school education standing on its

own is not enough to prepare students for the growing expectations. Teachers and other

faculty members try their best to instill morals and values on high school students, but in

most cases, these efforts fall short. The efforts of the high school education system to

prepare students for success are not in vain, though, when it is supplemented by another

important teacher: high school sports. 7,536,753 high school students participated in

organized high school sports during the 2008 and 2009 school year (Howard). Every one

of these students, whether they realize it or not, are affected in a positive way by the

sports they participate in. During sports‘ practices and games, which occur almost every

day of the week, high school students learn what it takes to be successful. Participation in

organized high school sports develops time management and teamwork skills, teaches

morals and values, and creates a psychologically sound mind all of which are essential to

success in high school and beyond.

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Time management skills are very important in sports and in school. Student-

athletes are told by the coach the first day of practice that academics always come first. If

performance in the classroom is not satisfactory to the school, parents of the student, or

the coach, participation in sports can or will be taken away (Perry School Board 9).

While continuing to maintain a high standard in academics, students must also make time

for the daily practices and sports‘ competitions for their particular sport. With the little

amount of time left in the day after homework is finished and sports‘ practices are

completed, students need sleep. In order to maintain a high level of effort and

achievement, an adequate amount of sleep is necessary. The average high school student

needs eight and a half to nine hours of sleep a night to maximize academic and athletic

performance (Gavin). The students apply these time management skills in the classroom

by getting homework done efficiently and studying for tests and quizzes. Time

management skills are also important after high school, especially in college. In college,

there is no one to manage time for each student; the professors don‘t care if a student fails

and parents are not around to help (Fortman). Even after college, time management skills

are still valuable in the workplace. Deadlines are set up by bosses to make sure work is

completed on time. A worker may even have to complete multiple tasks during the same

workday. Time management skills must be enacted to finish the jobs on time. If the

deadlines for these tasks are not met, job loss could ensue. Time management skills are

essential to the success of student athletes both during and after high school.

Another skill taught through sports is teamwork. Teamwork is taught to athletes

starting the first day of practice. Athletes must learn to work for the good of the group,

even if it results in a sacrifice of individual recognition. In the sports of basketball and

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soccer, athletes learn to pass the ball, and in football, a player may have to block a

defensive man for a teammate with the ball, even though that player does not receive

credit for the touchdown. An individual cannot carry a team on his or her own, in order

for a team to be successful, individuals must sacrifice for the good of the team (Wooden

188). The second important part of teamwork skills is communication. Teammates must

be able to constantly express ideas or other thoughts that contribute to the success of the

team (―Communication Skills for Athletes: Giving Feedback‖). Examples of this

communication are a baseball player calling a fly ball to avoid a collision with a fellow

teammate, and a basketball player, while playing defense, calling out a screen, which can

let the other team score. Good communication skills can result in better problem solving

skills because many ideas are better than having only one to choose from, and

communication skills also result in fewer problems amongst the team. The final

important piece of teamwork is leadership. A player on a team must step up to guide the

team as a whole, be the voice of the team and the center around which the team rallies,

and he must be the extension of the coach on the field of play (Wooden 112). The leader

of a team must motivate the team as well as keep the team focused on the task at hand.

Though there may only be a couple of leaders on each team, leadership skills are learned

by every player through the examples given by the team captains. Teamwork skills are

essential to success both in high school and afterwards. During high school, many group

projects are assigned. Communication skills are needed to express a student‘s ideas with

the rest of the group and to resolve any disputes that may arise inside the group. Also,

leadership helps to guide the group from where it is now to success in the future (Shead).

Teamwork is also needed in the workplace. In the workforce there are no jobs that

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involve not working with others, so a person must deal with other people every minute of

the day. With the communication skills learned in sports, it becomes much easier to

resolve problems with coworkers. Also, leadership skills will help a person ―move up in

the ranks‖ of the work force, and when he or she becomes a manager or boss, will keep

the workers underneath him working hard and keep them focused (―What Makes

Effective Workplace Leadership‖). Without high school sports, there would be a huge

difference not only with the students in high school now but with the community as a

whole (Day).

With the stress of needing high grades and test scores constantly on the mind of

high school students, a psychologically sound mind is hard to achieve. Sports help to

relieve this stress caused by the pressure of everyday life. When an athlete is exercising,

neurotransmitters called endorphins are released from the brain, which help to deal with

stress. These endorphins not only help to relieve stress at that moment but help the body

to cope with stress better in the future (McGovern). Sports also help to build up the

confidence level of athletes. Exercise helps get a person into better physical shape, which

results in a high level of confidence. This pride in physical fitness and the physical

accomplishments achieved along the way, help to improve self-esteem and the soundness

of the mind (―Psychological Benefits of Exercise‖). A sound body creates a sound mind.

During high school, many students worry about what others think about them. With the

improved self-esteem achieved through sports, students do not worry about others

opinions and can focus better during school on academics. Students in high school and

college also face a lot of stress to do well academically. Exercising and the endorphins

which accompany it help to relieve this stress, making it easier to perform well on tests

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and in school overall, both of which cause stress in most students (Tharp). In the

workplace, stress is especially high. Whether it is a high workload or the fear of layoffs,

workers are under constant stress on a daily basis. This stress can build up over time and

eventually cause depression or other mental or physical ailments (―Stress In the

Workplace‖). Endorphins released through exercising helps to relieve current stress and

help to cope with stress in the future, which is essential in creating a sound mind.

Every decision is made according to what values have been taught to each

individual person. High school sports teaches many values such as teamwork,

responsibility, commitment, and leaderships skills all of which are dying qualities in

today‘s society (Bentley). Responsibility is taught in athletics by the athlete remembering

practice times, attending the practices, and also learning that every action has a

consequence (Zeigler). Also, responsibility is learned when athletes admit to mistakes

made by them, but they learn from them in the long run. The most important value

learned through sports is respect. The first thing most coaches will say to his or her team

is to respect the coaches, teammates, and opponents. When respect is given out it is also

received back, which can create essential bonds between teammates that ultimately lead

to success (Doty 4). Work ethic is another value that is taught through athletics. Athletes

must put in practice time if they want to become the best that they can be at that sport

(Perconte). Not only do they have to practice, but they also need to practice things the

correct way or bad habits may form. Setting a student-athlete‘s priorities straight is

another important part of work ethic. It is stressed that schoolwork always comes first

and then athletics comes second. If these priorities are mixed up, the opportunity to

21

participate in sports may be taken away. Athletics are guided by values, and teach

athletes to live their lives by important values as well.

During high school and in the future, the values taught in sports still remain with

individuals. Respect is needed in high school for teachers, fellow students, and other

faculty members to produce a successful working environment. If a student decides to

disrespect anyone, whether it is verbal or physical, that student may be suspended or even

expelled (Perry School Board 12). Another value that is needed in the classroom setting

is responsibility. This not only includes the responsibility of completing homework and

studying for tests and quizzes, but it also includes the responsibility of the work that is

finished to be the students own ideas and not be plagiarized. Also, students must have the

responsibility to attend classes everyday to be able to participate in daily practices and

games. Work ethic is essential to being successful in high school. Homework is

completed correctly and on time and tests are studied for when work ethic is in place.

With work ethic in place, high school students‘ grades will improve. In the workplace,

respect is needed for coworkers and bosses. If respect is not given out to others in the

office, a worker can be fired. Responsibility is needed in the workplace through showing

up to work everyday and completing all tasks that are assigned to a worker. Finally, work

ethic is needed in the workplace to produce satisfactory work. No matter where someone

ends up in life, the morals and values taught through sports continue to stay with him.

High school sports teach those who participate in them many skills and values

which are all needed to be successful in life. Time management skills are taught in sports

through learning how to prioritize the tasks that need to get completed each and every

day. These skills are then used in high school and in the future by completing work

22

efficiently and completing it on time, studying for tests and quizzes, and to schedule use

of free time to benefit the individual. Teamwork skills are taught in sports by sacrificing

individual recognition for the good of the team, learning to communicate efficiently with

teammates, and learning to be a leader. In the High school setting and beyond, these skills

are applied while completing group projects in school or in a job, communicating with

fellow students or coworkers and using leadership skills to keep everyone around an

individual working hard and focused on the task at hand. A psychologically sound mind

is created in sports when endorphins are released during exercise, which help to relieve

stress and when an athlete has a higher confidence level of physical stature and physical

accomplishment. The endorphins released during exercise are hard at work during the

school and workday when stress levels are very high. An increase in self-esteem also

helps individuals by eliminating unneeded distractions such as thinking about what the

person sitting next to them is thinking about them when they could be hard at work.

Finally, morals and values such as responsibility, respect, and work ethic are taught to

athletes each and every day during practices and games. These values are used outside of

the athletic field by respecting teachers, coworkers, and fellow students; having the

responsibility to complete work on time that is entirely based on that individual‘s

thoughts; and using work ethic skills not to just complete the work but to complete it to

the best of that individual‘s ability. What is being expected of high school students

today? It is not mediocrity or satisfactory work but is perfection. Perfection, though, is an

unreachable goal that no one will attain during his or her lifetime. Rather, a better goal

should be for each and every person to be successful. Success does not mean winning or

getting a perfect score on a test in school, but it does mean to give a one hundred percent

23

effort with the abilities that each individual has. If it is expected that every student is

perfect on every homework assignment or test, how many people have actually

succeeded?

24

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