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