A Real Partnership

The partnership between the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and the School District of Philadelphia began in late July 2005. It was during that time that the program was pitched to representatives from the Office of Health, Safety, Physical Education and Sports Administration. "We thought the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation program was an ideal fit for our physical education curriculum,” said Marjorie Wuestner, Executive Director of the School District of Philadelphia's Office of Health, Safety, Physical Education and Sports Administration. “The program integrates physical activity, the opportunity for our students to experience a new sport, and it uses ice hockey as the base for routine discussions of character issues and life skills. We have been thrilled with the feedback from the students, teachers and parents.” Before long, the program was in full swing.

Fifteen schools across Philadelphia participated in the inaugural season, which included students in grades 1st through 8th. Each school used its own method to select students for the program. “It’s based on what works best for that particular school,” said Jim Britt, Executive Director of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. “One school sent the entire 5th grade while another school just selected 1 or 2 kids from each grade.”

With the first season in the record books, the relationship between the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and the School District of Philadelphia continues to grow. In fact, Ed Snider and Paul Vallas, the CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, are both excited about the many opportunities that the program has to offer. But they’re not the only ones excited about the future of the program. “When the season ended, all the schools wanted to know the same thing,” said Britt. “They all asked ‘How quickly can we sign up for next year?’.”

Saturday, April 01, 2006