NOVEMBER 12, 2015 -THE LONG ISLAND ADVANCE 9 MASTIC BEACH William Floyd cements academic policy for athletes 28 KATE SIGNORELU ‘oncems. “Every period, we've checking distinction, with sis lerose boasting an in with every stent tha’ ona progress impressive average of 5 7 percent ‘The Willam Maya School District has Yepory and making sure that theyre doing "Beyond the numbers is dhe elect that phased at aeaenie polly for star the right thing to tam ie around said dhe policy has don inva stents Feneathietes requiring them to receive Mensch. "After five weeks, i theyre pase- "One f the things that's realy been a grest passing scores fn each couae in oder to ithe clase thal hey were filing, then experience for me fling the hid 0 Ionian athe eligibility. According ta theye eligible to partcpate the game” comes to our hearing and we find oUt That of education tstee Jonept Barone, Afenoch says that a common complaint that there homeless, o that there as the policy was developed partly ae an from-stwdentsinthe appeals process sthat_ death i the fay a petty sgiieant Inte to ase graduation rates and hes sports are often the only thing wotiating divorce” sald Mensch, “big, Ifechanng Troughe measurable succes to students the stant to come to school “This ive: evens (ha realy impacted the students inthe sree, with senlly decreasing Week probationay period Isreal’ saying, aby to do well in school, and the only Aropout nuabers and inereasing scores “you have Co meet us halfway. Prove tous reason anybody fond out about Tt was fmong the district's student alee with that athletics Isso Important dat you wil because ofthis poley and ws stepping in Stveral awards and ditinctions bestowed do everything $ou ned to pase Your class ak Why dd It happen” And then they fapon Willam Floyd! teams from the New tobeeligible wo pay ina game” he sad. open up and we sit thore as a comitee York State Puble High School Athieie "The poley ioe witout stration for going "OK. well we need to help You" Association ‘atminitatars i's teen diel.” said ‘Tha een the greatest thing come “T'heard stories of kids coming into Mensch I toached for many years To out of this I¢s grea that our GPAs went setool to parcpate ina sport and then kv that my’ ese ate ol going t> up, is geal tha our Kids are doing el ‘ot going to class and not beng on trace be ale to play because he's ang math, overall, but when you get 10 really Help to graduate? std Barone. “Ifo that we tals very fasteatng when we know that Stanly and help a Kid, i's a humbling Soul put something ito place so thal we cou possibly win a couple of gues experience” they were. Bachof our kidshas he poten- Wwe had hum playing, but t wouldnt tal that they ean doit you ase the bar send the right message We're doing to be igh enough fr them.” Willam Floyd and were ging do things "The bar was fist rise during the 2012- the righ way” 2pisehoot sear inthe inte’ nial Coster explained hat the policy has Dice Studentathletes signed an academy helped them to modate students, but Ie fe poly atthe beginning of a season, has also required dedication on the part ‘which mandated sents who were fail. Of administrator, educators a coaches Ing two or more courses to peal their “TC had avery pone Impact an ont slighty for extreurnenlar sports. The overall rade point average for ou teas, following school year the bar ae tased but ithas not been without hang to dea ‘gain o allow tenis no more than one line he sand and reinforce the policy failure, and lst year, thelr policy wns for students who realy aren't taking thet gain elevated when ihe dstict placed academic careers serious,” said Coster, io lec the caret pote, allowing sing that the werk gots beyond che for ze faire from its sdentalbietes. stile athletic season. “It stadt fs Any stents who fell below the academ- particpating tna fall sport ad eye ie'sandand met wih a panel including 8 hot in winter ot spring sports the ahlete highsehooladministrson alee dnector department keeps rack of them ad gts Mark Mensch and. Superintendent Kew- them volved inthe offseason taining in Coster The panel then revewest the so thal theyre constantly monitoring thet Student's transcript attempting to moti progress. I's a very organized, time-con- ate students ad troubleshoot problems imi proces at has eal Te to Kee before tailoring a srtegy ad's contract inthe student in 'studentathlet’ here a foracademie access Willa Fyd "The contract incladesa weekly progress New York State Public High School Ath- reportihat stents lek upona Thursday. ede Assocation honors teas With spore ‘The students ate then response for hat: season report ead averages of 9.0 pee ing teachers fill ot the report during each cei or greater and inthe 2019-2014 school peso ou Pda, noting ay qulz or test yea, three Willan Floyd teams reoetved cores forthe week swell sary missing the hotor. Inthe 20142015 schoo! year, Slgiments and behavioral or attendance five of Wiliam loys teams recetved the Athletic Director Mark Mensch, Board of Edveation Trustee Joseph Barone and Super Intendont Kevin M. Coster have raised the bar to help Willam Foya's student athletes achieve, “Willan Pon! photo