All school athletics require a sports physical for participants prior to the first day of practice. SHUSD has the forms that need to be taken to the doctor with the student. Concussion testing for MJH athletes is available but not mandatory.
Miranda Jr High has gone through many changes over the years. From it’s closure in 2002 to its reopening in 2014, and beyond. Before the closure, MJH had a healthy athletics program administered and funded by SHUSD. But after its closure, when our 7th graders attended our elementary schools and our 8th graders attended South Fork, there was a lot of disconnect and lack of structure. During this time, there was a large number of personnel, students, and parents lost to other schools that had been integral to keeping the athletic program in place. The parent volunteers (who didn’t move their kids out of district) saw the need to keep 5th-8th grade sports alive in Southern Humboldt and did what they had to do to keep it going.
During this time it was parent volunteers who coached, who played the roll of Athletic Director, who provided donations for fees, uniforms, travel, tournaments, referees etc. as the support from the school district waned due to lack of connectivity and funds. This was not easy. During the time of MJH’s closure, fees had not been paid, rules had not been followed, coaches were not properly registered as coaches, and we were on the verge of losing our place in the Eel River Valley Schools Athletic Association. More importantly, our kids were losing the opportunity to play sports. But parent volunteers saved it and put in countless hours of hard work to ensure that the structure and the funds were there for the SHUSD to work with in order to make the program strong again. Parents took the reigns of making sure that OUR school district was inline and set up properly for MJH to be part of the Eel River Valley Athletic Association.
The volunteer efforts have been a success. An example is the MJH Boys Basketball program. In 2012/13 our team was a squad of 5. They started with 7, but lost 2 mid season, and barely were able to finish the season. The students and parents persevered. In 2014/15 the boys basketball team at the newly reopened MJH had a squad of 8. They persevered and finished the season strong. In 2016/17 over 40 boys tried out for the MJH Boys Basketball team and for the first time in decades, many kids did not make the 7th or 8th grade boys basketball team. Our other MJH programs- 7th/8th grade girls volleyball, basketball and cheer- also came alive and has continued to thrive and grow. For those of us who have witnessed and persevered through all of this, it is a huge accomplishment to be proud of.
In 2015 the South Fork Boosters took in the MJH sports as part of their supported programs in an effort to support the feeder program to the high school while also consolidating volunteer hours, organization, and funding. In the past 5 years the program has made amends with districts up north through our AD, with willingness to follow the rules, be financially responsible, and display good sportsmanship. SFHS-MJH Boosters offers a foundation under the program that is both financially supported and community supported.
Since the MJH program has become overseen by SFHS-MJH Boosters, the MJH programs have continued to flourish and grow. We take great pride in this and never want to see our sports programs, at either school, fall into the near disrepair that it was 6 years ago. For this reason we follow our league covenants as stated in the bylaws and rules of the ERVSAA, as well as continuing to be the funding source for all athletic programs. As administration fluctuates in SHUSD, so does much of this knowledge and history about how this program functions within the school district. This is important information that should not be lost. The reopened MJH is 5 years strong now! The first 8th graders graduated in 2019 and the first 7th graders will graduate in 2020 with many of those student athletes playing through their high school careers and for some, the reason they stayed in SHUSD schools.
SFHS-MJH Boosters appreciates the amount of time and effort it takes from so many, from the AD to the parents and community who are dedicated to our Mission that has sustained this program through thick and thin.