Academic Overtime is a growing off-the-field focus. We require all travel players to share their report cards. If we learn that a player is struggling in school, we do not exclude them from our teams but rather seek out mentors or other academic resources to help. In 2018, we ran our first after-school tutoring program, or Academic Overtime, for a handful of students with educational needs. It was staffed and coordinated by the wonderful Diane LaMonica, who has more than 25 years of teaching experience. Covid-19, unfortunately, shut that effort down. We restarted last spring, and now William Inirio, a former player, Central Catholic High School coach, and soon-to-be nurse, has stepped up as PT Academic Overtime Coordinator and brought back this important off-the-field focus.

We also learn about our players’ non-soccer interests and find opportunities to fuel those interests through local partnerships. For our oldest participants entering high school, we also monitor their transition and support them where needed. We also write dozens of high school, college, and job recommendations every year and now have our first-ever scholarship, the Paul “Lefty” Wennik Outstanding Character Scholarship Award (read more here).

Overall, we are constantly reinforcing classroom achievement. Because we offer such a powerful hook through sport, our participants stay with us for extended periods and are more open to “off the field” enrichment opportunities that expand and challenge their minds.

To promote “student-athlete,” every season, our travel teams compete for “the highest team GPA,” plus the first team that also hands in their report cards receives an outing!