Sports

Mission of DHMS Athletics

The mission of the After school Athletic Program at Dorothy Hamm Middle School is to aid in the academic, emotional, and physical development of our students through the promotion of teamwork, sportsmanship and athletic competition. The athletic program at Dorothy Hamm believe that students who are involved in after school activities have been found to gain confidence, school pride, and a connection to the community as a whole. Our sports program is an excellent opportunity for students to experience the many benefits of being involved. Sports provide students an opportunity to learn and grow; they provide a ‘practice field’ for life. Student athletes learn to work as a team and develop social skills that will help them as they grow into adulthood, not just as athletes.  Students participating in sports may develop teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, self-discipline, and coping skills.  Research has also shown that students who participated in sports had better grades, attendance and behavior in school.

Goals of DHMS Athletics

• Develop sport skills by maximizing participation and focusing on instruction.
• Develop the positive values of athletics, including sportsmanship, teamwork, cooperation, and competition.
• Foster academic and athletic achievement in students by emphasizing the importance of self-discipline, sacrifice and dedication to accomplishing goals.

Dorothy Hamm Middle School hold its athletes to high standards. Student athletes are seen as representatives or both our school and community. AS representatives of Dorothy Hamm, student athletes are expected to adhere to all school and athletic rules.

All athletes are expected to:

• Act in a responsible manner at all time.
• Attend and arrive on time to practices and games.
• Refrain from using profanity or obscene language or gestures.
• Show good sportsmanship and respect for officials, coaches and fellow athletes.
• Play fair, play hard and forth your best effort in practice and in competition.
• Treat other student athletes with respect and dignity.

Arlington Public Schools Athletic/Co-Curricular Participation Agreement

Parents are encouraged to support their student athlete and recognize the importance of athletics in their children’s lives. Per the APS Athletic Handbook (2.6), parent(s), guardian(s), and/or family members are expected to be supportive of their student’s participants in their sport(s).  In addition, parent(s), guardian(s), and/or family members are expected: Support school administrators and coaches in their effort to promote a student’s social emotional learning through sport participation.

Parents are expected to:

• Understand that academics are a priority over athletics and emphasize successful classroom performance.
• Insist that athletes abide by expectations of the athletic department and by team rules.
• Encourage fair play (Fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality, sport without doping, respect for written and unwritten rules such as integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence and joy, are the building blocks of fair play that can be experienced and learned both on and off the court/field.)
• Respect the actions of coaches regarding contest strategy, athletes’ play status and playing time.
• Avoid “coaching” from the stands or sidelines during both games and practices.
• Ensure the athlete attends all practices and contests and is picked up at designated times.

The number of students permitted on some teams may be limited due to allowable roster sizes. For these teams a tryout will be conducted. At the tryout, all athletes will be afforded an opportunity to showcase their talents and earn a spot on the roster. Basis for team selection will be at the sole discretion of the coach. Coaches will have in place clear and consistent criteria for the tryout period. Criteria may include, but is not limited to, the following indicators:

• Demonstration of required skills
• Demonstration of physical fitness
• Demonstration of good sportsmanship and teamwork
• Demonstration of positive behavior and attitude

Students must tryout for teams each year; team selection will be based on selection criteria rather than grade level.

Students who do not have health insurance are required to purchase accident insurance to participate in inter-scholastic sports. Injuries that occur at sporting events and other school activities are not the financial responsibility of Arlington Public Schools. Click on the links below to view insurance information and enrollment forms. This accident insurance is available to ALL STUDENTS regardless of citizen status.Student Accident Insurance Coverage

Virginia Medicaid

Students who are U.S. Nationals, Citizens, or have favorable immigration status may be eligible for Medicaid, Virginia’s free health insurance program for children.  Information on that program can be found HERE.

Concussion Management Protocol is based on the best practices recommendations published in the Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport from the 3rd International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, Nov 2008.  Starting July 1, 2011, in compliance with the new Virginia law, Senate Bill 652 Concussions in Student-Athletes and amended code 22.1-271.5, all student athletes will be required to complete a brief overview and baseline test. The concussion education will be conducted annually.

According to Arlington Public Schools policy implementation procedures for Students and Concussion (25-3.5), neurocognitive testing is provided as one measure of concussion management for secondary student athletes. APS will baseline test student-athletes engaged in contact/limited-contact sports as well as students with a known concussion history.The ImPACT Test that is the most widely used computerized neurocognitive test to help evaluate and manage concussions. APS uses ImPACT to establish a baseline score and as a post-injury assessment.

1. Baseline Test – Administered by a physician, nurse, athletic trainer, athletic director, or coach before the start of a sport season, employment period, school year, or other activity. Baseline scores are collected and stored on our HIPAA compliant server. ImPACT recommends re-administering the baseline test every two years.
2. Post-Injury Test – Administered after a concussion is suspected. A licensed healthcare provider compares test results to baseline scores and/or normative data scores.

ImPACT is not a diagnostic tool and only a licensed healthcare professional can diagnose and treat a concussion. Instead, ImPACT can be used before and after a licensed healthcare provider has determined that a concussion has occurred:

• In addition to establishing neurocognitive performance baselines, healthcare providers use ImPACT test scores as an important component of their assessment of an injury.
• Post-injury test scores may be used by a licensed provider to inform an effective concussion treatment course of action.
• ImPACT may be administered multiple times after a clinician has diagnosed a concussion—scores can be used to help measure rehabilitation and to consider whether to return an injured individual back to activity.

ImPACT is a 25-minute online test on a desktop computer delivered on a secure web portal. In APS, the test is administered in the presence of an athletic trainer, athletic director, or trained coach. Only a licensed healthcare provider can administer an ImPACT post-injury test.When ImPACT is delivered in a controlled environment according to recommended specifications, it provides highly reliable neurocognitive data that measures attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, non-verbal problem solving, and reaction time.