Dupage Policy Journal

At the Jan. 23 Lisle 202 Board of Education meeting, board members discussed  adding cross country to its junior high sports offerings. 

Lisle Junior High is currently the only school in the SDEAA conference that does not have a cross country team. 

“And obviously it supports growth of the program in high school,” Linda Kotalik, assistant superintendent, said. “The sooner we can get them involved here, the sooner we can get them hooked on the program and they will carry on in the high school sport.”

In a recent survey to gauge interest in school activities, 30 of 130 students who responded said they would be interested in joining cross country.

The sport would be a no-cut sport, meaning it would be an option for anybody who wanted to train and compete. It would also be co-ed, with separate races for boys and girls. With 30 students on the team they would need two coaches/supervisors, which would cost around $8,000. The other costs include transportation: $1500, costs for attending other meets and invites: $9,000, and an extra $200 for hosting 1-3 home meets, which they could do at the community park. Team members would not need to purchase uniforms as they could use the middle school track uniforms that they already own. Total cost for the team would be $19,100.

The board members asked a few questions about specifics, which bus they would use for meets and the potential benefits of adding the sport. They decided they were overall in favor of it, and since they gave preliminary approval they will vote on a formal action item in a future meeting once more of the details are nailed down and coaches and invites are lined up.

The board also discussed the recommended employment of several certified candidates for the district’s middle and high schools.

The board will meet again at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the central office board room at 5211 Centrer Ave.