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The primary activity of the RAB is to raise money as an additional source of funding for the athletic teams and sports clubs at our school. Our funding sources include the annual “Fundraising Gala” (a fun evening of food and conviviality every spring where we celebrate our current and former teams and athletes and raise the paddle to fund our programs) and receiving direct donations from you, our community. The monies earned assist the athletic director in supplementing the district’s budgets for all of our Roosevelt teams, reduce or eliminate player fees for club sports, and so much more.

RAB assists in the funding for items that will stay with the school or benefit an entire team or PE class. We do not provide funding for individual recognition, training done by individuals off season, personalized uniforms that the students are allowed to keep, and the like.

Types of monetary assistance that may be provided include:

• School wide sports recognition banquets or awards night events
• Uniforms and equipment for sports teams
• Facility rentals not covered by the school
• Training and skills enhancements for teachers and coaches; Assistance for teams competing at the State level
• Fingerprinting and background checks for coaches
• Athletic support groups (Cheer Squad, band, Sports Booster Club)
• Equipment or supplies related to athletics
• Transportation

According to the WIAA, since 1993 more than 4.5 million students have participated in interscholastic sports in the state of Washington, an average of over a quarter million students each year.

At Roosevelt High School more than 900 of our students participated in a Varsity or Club sport in the 2016 /2017 school year. We are privileged to have access to an exceptional educational environment where athletics and extra-curricular activities are embraced and supported by a staff and community who understand and insist on the best experience for all of our students.

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices confirms that students who participate in school athletics nine hours or more each week for at least a year are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, win a school attendance award, participate in a science and math fair, and win an award for writing.

Here are some recent studies that further support the import and value of athletic competition as a core component of the educational experience:

1. A 2012 (Lumpkin & Favor) study of nearly 140,000 Kansas high school students examining data from the Kansas High School Athletic Association and the Kansas State Department of Education revealed that “athletes earned higher grades, graduated at a higher rate, dropped out of school less frequently, and scored higher on state assessments than did non-athletes.”
2. Roger L. Whitley and James S. Pressley from East Carolina University conducted a study with the voluntary participation of 133 (44%) of the 301 member schools of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and gathered data on 126,700 students in grades 9 through 12. Key findings:
   1. GPA for participating athletes was .86 higher (+21.6%) on a 4-point scale than the mean GPA of the non-athletes.
   2. Athletes recorded 5.97 fewer days of school absence during the academic year than the non-athletes.
   3. Athletes were referred to school administrators for disciplinary issues at a rate 9.5% lower than the rate for non-athletes.
   4. The percentage of dropouts was significantly lower for athletes than non-athletes. The mean dropout percentage for the athletes in this study was less than 1% (.7%), while the mean dropout percentage for the non-athletes was just over 9% (9.1%).
3. A study (Coe et al., 2006) looking at physical activity and academic performance in younger students found that those who participated in vigorous physical activity did approximately 10% better in math, science, English, and social studies than students who did no or little vigorous activities.
4. A Minnesota State High School League survey of 300 Minnesota high schools showed that the average GPA of a student-athlete was 2.84, compared with 2.68 for the non-participating student, and that student-athletes missed an average of only 7.4 days of school each year, compared with 8.8 for the non-participating student. (Born, 2007).
5. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association that found significant differences between North Carolina high school students who were athletes and those who were not athletes in GPA (2.98 for athletes vs. 2.17 for non-athletes), missed days of school per school year (6.3 for athletes vs. 11.9 for non-athletes), disciple referrals (33.3% of athletes vs. 41.8% of non-athletes), dropout rate (0.6% for athletes vs. 10.32% for non-athletes), and graduation rate (99.4% for athletes vs. 93.5% for non-athletes). (Overton, 2001).
6. Participation in high school sports appears to be not only associated with being more physically active now, but well into the future. In examining the physical activity and health of a sample of male World War II veterans over 50 years later “the single strongest predictor of later-life physical activity was whether he played a varsity sport in high school, and this was also related to fewer self-reported visits to the doctor.” The authors of the study further stated, “This is relevant at a time when funding for many sports programs is being eliminated and play time is being replaced by screen time.” (Dohle & Wansink, 2013).
7. Examination of data from the National Survey of Civic Engagement found that 18- to 25-year-olds who participate in sports activities while in high school were more likely than nonparticipants to be engaged in volunteering, voting, feeling comfortable speaking in public settings, and watching news (especially sport news). (Lopez & Moore, 2006).
8. “Those who get in the habit of participating and engaging in their high school community tend to continue those behaviors and kind of associations into adulthood. Those that find themselves on the track of uninvolvement and detachment tend to remain detached.” (Thomas & McFarland, 2010).
9. Adolescent participation in extracurricular activities was associated with a greater likelihood of college attendance, voting in national and regional elections, and volunteering for community and religious groups according to another examination of NELS data.  Consistent extracurricular activity participation in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades showed effects greater than participation in just one of these grades. These results held “after accounting for control and individual, parent, peer, and school process variables.” (Zaff et al., 2003).
10. A survey study of Life Skill Development in Ontario High School Sport concluded that parents, coaches, and student-athletes all perceive high school sport as positive and is a context where life skills are developed, that student-athletes score higher on most developmental assets than students who are not in high school sports, and that student-athletes appear to be more engaged and enjoy school more as a result of participating in high school sport. (Williamson et al., 2013).
11. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) administered every 2 years showed that regardless of year, age, gender or race/ethnicity, compared to non-athletes, athletes were more likely to report engaging in vigorous activity and using a condom and less likely to report carrying a weapon. This data showed additional health benefits associated with sports participation that varied by gender and race/ethnicity. These health behaviors included dietary habits, weight loss, sexual activity, Interpersonal violence and suicidality, and substance abuse. (Taliaferro et al., 2010).
12. Adolescent participation in extracurricular activities was associated with a greater likelihood of college attendance, voting in national and regional elections, and volunteering for community and religious groups according to another examination of NELS data.  Consistent extracurricular activity participation in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades showed effects greater than participation in just one of these grades. These results held “after accounting for control and individual, parent, peer, and school process variables.” (Zaff et al., 2003).
13. In a study looking at learning life skills through high school sports, a diverse group of students participating in high school soccer reported learning skills related to initiative, respect, and teamwork/leadership, despite the authors noting they “did not find evidence that the student-athletes were directly taught about the life skills that were reported.” (Holt et al., 2008).