Middle School Sports
Community Services' middle school sports programs offer seventh and eighth grade students the opportunities to practice and compete in key sports in preparation for high school sport participation. Our instructors are experienced and skilled in teaching and coaching their sport. Students learn the value of competition and good sportsmanship.
Middle School Swimming/Diving
Middle school swimming and diving instruction focuses on strengthening and perfecting students' swimming strokes and diving form while increasing endurance for competition. The girls' middle school swimming and diving program is offered each fall and the boys' program is offered during the winter.
Middle School Girls' Water Polo
Imagine the sports of soccer, hockey, basketball, and lacrosse combined into one sport, played in the water, without horses! Middle School water polo is an excellent opportunity for girls to gain water polo experience before high school. Participants must be able to swim and tread water; swim team experience is not required. The middle school water polo program is offered each spring.
Middle School Co-Ed Tennis
Athletes interested in participating the West Michigan Middle School Conference Tennis program should enroll in our middle school tennis program. Instructors emphasize proper forehands, backhands, serves, volleys, overheads, and specialty shots. Court strategies are also taught. Practices will take place at the high school courts adjacent to each student's middle school. The middle school tennis program is offered each spring.
Middle School Sports Programs:
Community Services or Your Child's School?
Forest Hills Public Schools offers many opportunities for seventh
and eighth grade students to compete in key sports in preparation
for high school sports participation. For FHPS, some middle school
sports are run through the schools’ athletic departments, and some
are run through FHPS Community Services. What’s the difference? Not
much. It’s knowing where to register in order to participate and how
it all works together. The following information will assist you and
your child in understanding middle school athletics for FHPS.
Each of our middle schools, Eastern, Central and Northern Hills
Middle Schools, oversees the following interscholastic sports for
seventh and eighth grade students: for fall, boys and girls cross
country and girls volleyball; for winter, boys and girls basketball
and boys wrestling; for spring, co-ed track. FHPS Community Services
runs the following middle school sports: for fall, co-ed swimming
and diving; for spring, girls' water polo and co-ed tennis. To
participate in either a school-run sports program or a Community
Services sports program, the student must be a Forest Hills Public
Schools student.
“By allowing Community Services to operate additional sports
programming for our middle school students, we are building a bridge
for growth in sports allowing youth to participate in a broader
range of activities,” said Joe Curcuru, assistant principal,
Northern Hills Middle School. “It’s a win-win for our students and
schools.”
Enrolling
As stated above, the primary difference between the middle school
sports programs, is where and how to enroll. For the sports
organized by the school (volleyball, cross country, basketball,
wrestling and track) the child has to enroll through their school.
For sports run through Community Services (swimming and diving,
water polo, and tennis), the child must be enrolled through our
office by calling (616) 493-8950, or register in person at our
office, 660 Forest Hill Avenue SE. No online registration is
available for Community Services' middle school athletic programs.
Only students attending Forest Hills Public Schools can be enrolled
in Community Services' middle school athletic programs.
There are minimal participation fees associated with the FHPS
interscholastic athletic program as well as the Community Services
program. At the schools, no athlete will be denied the opportunity
to participate due to financial reasons. Qualifying families must
contact their school principal for confidential arrangements. To
participate in a sports program through Community Services, payment
plans are available.
MHSAA Guidelines
All middle school sports, regardless of who runs it within FHPS,
follow guidelines set forth by the Michigan High School Athletics
Association. These guidelines include academic eligibility, athletic
physicals, and codes of conduct. Additionally, all coaches adhere to
and meet strict employee standards. Instructors are experienced and
skilled in teaching and coaching their sport(s), and both programs
compete against other middle school teams.
Transportation
As for transportation, when participating in a school-run activity,
if school transportation is provided, athletes must ride to the
event as a team, unless the school principal or athletic director
approves an alternate plan. There is no busing associated with the
middle school sports program run by Community Services, and
parents/guardians of the athletes are responsible for
transportation.
Additional Information
For additional information about the FHPS middle school sports programs, call the middle school athletic offices at the following phone numbers: Central Middle School, (616) 493-8750; Eastern Middle School, (616) 493-8850; Northern Hills Middle School, (616) 493-8650. For information about middle school sports run through Community Services, call (616) 493-8950.
Middle School Swimming
and Diving