In an effort to increase community support, Midtown’s volleyball, football and cheerleading teams have been visiting the cluster elementary schools. The goal is to show students what high school looks like and provide a firsthand experience of the teamwork and connection involved in high school athletics.
Springdale Park’s principal, Dr. Jennifer Toney, said the visits helped brighten the students’ day and showed them what they could do when they are older.
“You could feel the energy and excitement buzzing through the building from the moment the high schoolers arrived,” Dr. Toney said. “The Dragons thought the high schoolers were so cool and made them feel like superstars. Many of our students were in awe, waving, smiling and even dancing along with the dancers and band.
Junior Samantha Ludlam is a captain on the cheerleading team and visited Virginia-Highland Elementary, Hope-Hill Elementary and Springdale Park. She thinks these visits helped show her and the kids what being a student-athlete is really like.
“As a student-athlete, you also set an example for others, including the younger kids in APS,” Ludlam said. “It showed me how important it is to have a great school spirit to spread the fun to our school and other schools. I hope that they will be excited to get to high school in a few years and, hopefully, join the cheer team. I hope they see the fun opportunities you get as a student athlete at Midtown.”
JV volleyball coach Jordan Shepard believes allowing younger students to meet the high schoolers sparked interest and created bonds for all ages.
“I think it was a good idea for the teams to greet students at the elementary schools because it encourages the younger generation to take an interest in the high school programs and sports,”Shepard said. “It might spark an interest to begin playing volleyball or to continue playing if they’re already an athlete. I think the students benefited from seeing the players just in gaining pure joy. At that age, high schoolers, especially athletes, are like celebrities, so for the kids to see our players, they probably had a Midtown-adjacent fan-girl moment.”
Some of the Midtown athletes said they were able to picture themselves in the little kids they greeted and it made them feel a special connection. Freshman Sasha Adamovic visited Morningside and said she felt many special connections.
“There was this one moment where I really saw myself in one of the kids,” Adamovic said. “This little girl with a sparkly pink backpack walks up to me and is wearing a Haygood Spikers shirt. I could tell she was amazed because I was once that little girl looking up to the big Midtown kids, waiting for my turn to play volleyball for the high school.”
Ludlam also said she was able to be in the younger kids’ shoes, especially because she has a younger sister.
“The kids were very excited to see us and were very happy we were there. There were little girls that were so excited to see the cheerleaders and asked us to do certain skills,” Ludlam said. “I could see my younger sister in all of the kids we greeted. My sister is four and one of the little girls was so bubbly like her and had such a bright personality. She talked to me for several minutes, and she was so sweet and adorable. This meant so much to me because she was so excited to see us, and she reminded me of what my sister would be like in a few years.”
Adamovic hopes that everyone benefits and that the elementary schoolers feel a spark of hope and excitement for high school.
“What I hope every kid takes away from their experience with us, good or bad, is that we really want more students to play Midtown sports,” Adamovic said. “ Not only volleyball, but everyone is welcome to try out, and even if it seems out of reach, you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Dr. Toney said the elementary students learned something from the visit, beyond just sports; it showed life skills and teamwork that is very important.
“Moments like this teach younger students so much more than school pride.” Dr. Toney said. “They learn about teamwork, commitment, and what it means to represent your school with enthusiasm and integrity. Watching the older students come and greet them, talk to them, and ask how their morning was going, showed our kids that success isn’t just about individual talent but about truly supporting one another.”
