Setting aside the history of both schools, Walnut and Diamond Bar athletes sat down to learn and embody the acronym of their brand new T-shirt, “Students United in Mentorship, Motivation, Integrity and Teamwork.”
Walnut athletes from every sport were invited for the first time to a summit with Diamond Bar athletes at the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar on Monday, Aug. 25. Around 55 athletes from both schools participated in games, scenarios on who to report in possible situations of misconduct and similar issues and guest speaker presentations to learn more about responsibility and leadership based on the acronym of the summit.
“[The purpose of the summit was that] students reflected, they discussed and they took accountability in order to develop their leadership,” Athletic Director Valerie Varela said. “We were telling them the importance of their impact, the importance of their words and how much their words mean to other people on their team.”
To make this summit possible, Director of Student Services and Secondary Education Ryan Maine played a big role alongside both Varela and the athletic director from Diamond Bar, Kurt Davies, Athletic Secretaries Eve Strang and Ave Tauvao and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Diane Perez. In working together, they structured how the summit would go, planning for who to invite as guest speakers and how to create a relevant acronym. With their teamwork, students were able to hear from different speakers such as Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Matt Torres, Perez and California Interscholastic Federation President-elect of the council, Assistant Superintendent Alexis Barile.
During the summit, many athletes enjoyed the different activities planned. While the purpose of the summit was to inform students about teamwork, guidance, motivation and integrity through scenarios and speeches, it also made sure students had fun.
“My favorite activity was probably the scenarios. We were able to say ‘in this situation, if someone [would] do this, how would we react to it and what’s the best thing to do.’ I also really like the games because we played a competitive game [like] grab the cup first,” corner and receiver senior Keneh Ejike said.
The process of commencing the summit began in early July of this year but during that time, Davies, Maine, Perez, Strang, Tauvao and Varela faced some challenges with the location, the time and date and transportation. Through multiple meetings in person or in zoom, they were able to find a date in which students would not miss a lot of class time or practice. Through the help of both districts, student athletes were able to attend and participate in the athletic leadership summit.
“We really just want to give [the athletes] that time to set the tone for the year and be able to really know how they’re supported by our district and our school sites, and let them know they’re part of a bigger network than just their team,” Maine said.
With the success of the first summit, Varela plans to develop an ongoing athletic leadership summit every month. Her goal is to invite guest speakers like past coaches or alumni that can be a positive influence to student athletes. She also plans to have an end of the year banquet where awards can be given out to athletes who are outstanding leaders.
“I’m hoping that it starts [to] build a little bit more [of a] positive culture amongst athletes and just with leaders in general,” Varela said.
Ultimately, the summit is beneficial for athletes to continue working together in achieving greater goals. Representing the school and becoming better leaders everyday are among the many motivations behind the event. Through the summit, student athletes are able to apply what they learn to any aspect of their life.
“Work hard no matter what happens, even if you don’t know your path,” Ejike said. “Paths change and however it starts isn’t how it has to finish.”
