SHU Athletic Communications visits New Fairfield Middle School
June 19, 2008
Sacred Heart Associate Director of Athletic Communications Bill Peterson and Assistant Director Rick Cohen traded in working on media guides and summer projects to try their hand at teaching Tuesday afternoon, spending the day at New Fairfield Middle School sharing their work experiences with nearly 200 seventh graders. Students from Mr. Alterman's math classes had the chance to hear how many of the math, writing and editing skills they learn each day are used every day by the SHU Athletic Communications staff to fill the university's website as well as working with media members in reporting on Pioneer athletics.
The duo put together a half an hour presentation highlighting the use of statistics in all sports, reading and interpreting box scores and how to put together game story and press releases. Students took time writing up their own game stories based on a Sacred Heart men's basketball game and a football game from this past year.
"I thought that the presentation was very informative," stated student Nick Dundie. "I learned a lot about how to figure out statistics and that writing is a big part of sports communication."
"I learned how to read scores to a football and basketball game and how statistics are used by the media to write about sports," said Student Ashley Keenan. "They really helped to inspire us to do well in math, science and writing especially if someone wants to work in the athletics field."
Student Ryan Tharas found the learning how to keep statistics at game the most helpful. "I was really interested because I want to be an ESPN announcer when I grow up."
Each of the day's five classes ended with a question and answer period along with some SHU trivia as the students took home prizes as well as copies of 2007-08 Pioneer media guides.
"This is the third-straight year we have had the chance to spend a day at New Fairfield Middle School and each year the experience keeps getting better," stated Associate Director Peterson. "The students really do their research about Sacred Heart and ask great questions not only about what we do but about all the places we have traveled and other universities we have visited."
"It's such a great opportunity just as summer is starting for us to get out from behind our computers and share a little of what we do with middle school students," stated Cohen. "It's great to see them make a connection with some of the lessons they learn in the classroom during the school year and how they relate to some real life work experiences that we deal with day-to-day."
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