Advisory Council Seeking Class Of '22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 9, 2020
The MHSAA is seeking student-athletes to become members of its Student Advisory Council beginning with the 2020-21 school year.
Four boys and four girls from the Class of 2022 will be selected to two-year terms, and will meet on matters related to maintaining and promoting a proper perspective and sensible scope for high school sports in Michigan. Eight members from the Class of 2021 already are serving on the Council, while eight members of the Class of 2020 are leaving the Council this spring.
To be eligible for the committee, candidates must be a member of the Class of 2022, complete the official application including answering the three short-answer questions, submit a letter of recommendation from a school administrator, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and be available for all scheduled meetings.
In addition, candidates should show a history of leadership on athletic teams as well as with other extracurricular activities, community service projects, or in the workplace; and show an understanding of the role of school sports and have ideas for promoting a proper perspective for educational athletics.
Applications are due to the MHSAA by 4:30 p.m. on April 29. Applications can be downloaded from the Student Advisory Council page of the MHSAA Website and must be returned via e-mail.
The Student Advisory Council meets seven times each school year, and once more for a 24-hour leadership camp. In addition to assisting in the promotion of the educational value of interscholastic athletics, the Council discusses issues dealing with the 4 S’s of educational athletics: scholarship, sportsmanship, safety (including health and nutrition) and the sensible scope of athletic programs. A fifth S – student leadership – is also a common topic. Members contribute in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events, and assist with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events. The Council also judges the “Battle of the Fans,” which it created during the 2011-12 school year as a way to promote positive sportsmanship.
Newly-chosen members will join the following from the Class of 2021: Pierre Brooks II, Detroit Douglass; Macy Brown, Cadillac; Lydia Davenport, Ithaca; Freddy Kopplow, Traverse City St. Francis; Colin McAuliffe, Salem; Avery Peters, Mason; Abigail Pheiffer, Novi; and Landen Thompson, Stevensville Lakeshore.
The eight new members of the Student Advisory Council will be notified by May 8. The 2020-21 meetings are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 23, Oct. 4, Dec. 6, Feb. 14, April 18 and May 16. Meetings will take place at the MHSAA Office in East Lansing. Conference call meetings will be held Jan. 10 and Jan. 24. For more information, contact Andy Frushour at the MHSAA – 517-332-5046 or [email protected].
PHOTO: The MHSAA Student Advisory Council takes a minute out of a busy 24 hours during its annual overnight trip in 2019.
MHSAA Representative Council Elects 1st New President in Decade at Fall Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2024
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association received reports on the upcoming sponsorship of two recently-added sports, provided support for a study group to discuss the number of postseason divisions for several more sports, and elected a new president for the first time in a decade during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 6 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in March and May. The Council took only one action at this meeting but began conversations on several topics that will be continued throughout the remainder of this school year.
The lone action regarded baseball and a previously-approved requirement for teams to submit their pitch counts online beginning with the Spring 2025 season. The Council approved a one-year delay in that requirement to allow more time for technology development and implementation.
The Council received reports on two sports set to begin with MHSAA sponsorship with the 2025-26 school year – girls field hockey and boys volleyball. The first Girls Field Hockey Committee has met and will be sending several proposals to the Council for action during its March meeting in preparation for the Fall 2025 season. The Volleyball Committee will meet soon with potential proposals for boys volleyball coming before the Council in March or May.
MHSAA staff led a discussion regarding the number of postseason divisions for baseball, basketball, Lower Peninsula cross country, softball, Lower Peninsula track & field and volleyball, which are all sponsored by at least 550 schools. The conversation included data from a 2023 Update Meeting poll question that addressed the topic and discussions that took place during MHSAA sport committee meetings during the 2023-24 school year. The Council discussed if adding fifth divisions to those sports is necessary or desirable and gave support for MHSAA staff to form a study group on the topic and provide a report to the Council during its May 2025 meeting.
Council members discussed social media issues that had arisen in the school sports community over the last several months, and how member schools should address these situations and the role the MHSAA should play in communicating with all schools involved in specific instances.
The Council also received updates from the MHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and discussed several matters related to recently completed fall tournaments, broadcast partnerships, MHSAA Athletic Director Update Meeting and In-Service Programs and other administrative topics.
The Fall Meeting also saw elections of Council officers for the upcoming year. Midland assistant principal and athletic director Eric Albright was elected president, as retired Grand Haven Superintendent Scott Grimes completed his tenure on the Council and 10th and final term as president. Brighton High School athletic director John Thompson was reelected as Council vice president, and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was reelected as secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy was appointed for a second two-year term on the Council. Monica Merritt, superintendent for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, was appointed for a first two-year term.
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.