Lunchtime sports league brings local sixth graders together before junior high

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A recent football game drew millions of viewers together through sport and 60 students from four local elementary schools met to replicate exactly that on Monday, Feb. 13.

Teachers and staff from Monroe Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Harding University Partnership School, and Adelante Charter hosted a lunchtime soccer league for about 60 6th-grade students.

It was not school versus school as students were sorted into different teams to meet each other, work together to win and maybe build friendships to carry into junior high.

“We wanted to bring these students together for a day of fun and to get to know each other before beginning junior high,” said Cleveland Principal Gabriel Sandoval.

The original idea for this pre-junior high meet-up came from Monroe Principal Brian Naughton and the schools plan to have more meetings and feature other sports in the future.

“My hope is we’ll be able to do this again and bring back the positive vibes to school,” said Harding's Assistant Principal, Martin Cook.