Simsbury Among 14 High Schools Awarded Michaels Cup

Fourteen high school athletic programs have been selected as CIAC Michaels Achievement Cup exemplary programs recognizing their achievements for the 2016-17 academic year.

Amity Regional High School, Berlin High School, Bloomfield High School, Brookfield High School, Cheshire High School, Glastonbury High School, Killingly High School, New Milford High School, Oliver Wolcott Technical, Shepaug Valley High School, Simsbury High School, Suffield High School, The Gilbert School and Westbrook High School were selected for the honor.

The 14 schools were selected by the Michaels Cup Committee for their efforts in launching and implementing the CIAC Class Act Schools sportsmanship program. The Class Act School program was launched at the 2016 Sportsmanship Conference and was designed to empower schools and specifically students to enhance sportsmanship.

“These fourteen schools with the creative and enthusiasm of their students have exemplified what we hoped the Class Act School program would be” said CAS-CIAC Executive Director Karissa Niehoff. “This group has demonstrated the impact that student leaders can have on challenging issues such as sportsmanship when they are empowered to make a difference.”

All CIAC member schools that have opted in to the voluntary Class Act Schools program were eligible for the Michaels Cup. All Class Act Schools were given the opportunity to fill out an application consisting of several questions regarding the ways the Class Act program was implemented and the impact that has come as a result. The Sportsmanship Committee then studied the applications and selected the 14 honorees.

“The committee members were pleased in the manner in which all of the Class Act Schools have embraced this program and we felt these 14 schools have gone above and beyond at this stage in implementing programs and activities and have made the Class Act program their own” said Beth Smith, Shelton High School Headmaster and Michaels Cup Committee Chairperson. “The committee is interested in how schools handle sportsmanship issues, empowering student input and their creative, proactive suggestions for communicating sportsmanship expectations, limiting sportsmanship concerns and correcting behavior when expectations are not met.”

This is the first year the Michaels Achievement Cup exemplary program has been tied directly to the Class Act sportsmanship program, a program that 84 member schools have opted to join to date. Four of the programs are being recognized as Michaels Achievement Cup exemplary programs for the first time since the CIAC began administration of the program for the 2008-09 school year.

The 14 schools were honored at the CIAC Sportsmanship Conference at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Nov. 16.

The Michaels Achievement Cup program was created in the early 1980s as the brainchild of Roy Michaels, the owner of Michaels Jewelry, in an effort to recognize outstanding athletic programs. The program recognized yearly winners since that time, and then in 2008 transitioned directly to CIAC administration of the program.

Story and photo courtesy of CIAC