Principal Thankful School Sports Back on Track

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The decision by the Director of Education to cancel her earlier decision to halt all school sports is welcomed with joy by the Principal of Faasao Marist High School Victor Langkilde.

Langkilde had written to Director Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin Finau over the weekend to express disappointment over her decision to cancel school sports without any consideration of several factors.

These include that the parents have already bought uniforms and signed consent forms for sporting events that are underway and coming up, that players and coaches have been practicing in the sunmfor some time, and that parents want their kids in other sports to attract athletic scholarships just like football players.

The principal also asked how ASG was able to send the High School Senior All Star Football team to Hawaii and can’t provide funds to cover overtime of officials and bus drivers for other sports.

Langkilde asked the director to reconsider her decision.

Yesterday at a meeting with principals, coaches, parents and the American Samoa High School Athletic Association, Vaitinasa announced that school sports would resume today.

Her announcement came as some schools were planning to demonstrate outside the DOE main office in Utulei against the cancellation.

The Faasao Marist principal said he was pleased to hear that the DOE Director reconsidered and that school sports will start today for the rest of the school year.

He said, “I was very happy not just for FMHS students but more so for all the students in all of our public and private schools.”

Langkilde had said in his letter to the Director that calling off sports for Semester Two would eliminate 70% of sports for high school girls for the whole school year.

He told KHJ News he was also happy for the girls and feels strongly female athletes should be given the same level of attention as the boys.

Commenting on a planned demonstration by students, Langkilde said he got wind of a demonstration to take place yesterday afternoon and called a school assembly yesterday morning.

He assured his students that this issue would be discussed and reviewed by the leadership of ASDOE and ASHSAA along with the PTA.

Langkilde said the students were sad and very concerned but he instructed that no one was to attend the planned demonstration until the outcome of the meeting with DOE and ASHAA was known.

While the principal was attending meetings in the Governor’s Office concerning his schools trip to the Pacific Arts Festival and the sports cancellation he was informed his students had prepared signs, posters, and videos to send to DOE.

Commenting on yesterday’s meeting with the DOE Director and ASHAA Langkilde said Vaitinasa told him she was moved by his letter which he said was for the students and conveyed what “we all know, feel and believe regarding this issue.”

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