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Clubs and Enrichment Programs

Our school is proud to offer a variety of student clubs and enrichment programs that encourage kids to explore their interests, try new things, and build new skills—all while having fun! These opportunities support well-rounded development and help students stay engaged beyond the classroom.

 SEL through Sports uses physical activity and athletic settings to explicitly teach life skills like emotional regulation, resilience, empathy and teamwork.  Rather than just focusing on winning, coaches intentionally guide athletes to manage stress, bounce back from setbacks, and build positive peer relationships. 

The 5 Core SEL Competencies in Athletics

Sports serve as a real-world laboratory where emotions run high and character is constantly tested. The framework operates across five distinct areas in athletics: 

  • Self-Awareness: Athletes learn to recognize their emotions and triggers. For example, a runner understanding how pre-race anxiety or frustration from a poor start affects their performance. 
  • Self-Management: Using physical and mental strategies to control behavior. This includes taking deep breaths before a free throw, managing frustration after a bad referee call, or maintaining focus.
  • Social Awareness: Building empathy and understanding. It involves reading when a teammate is struggling, understanding differing skill levels, and actively supporting others.
  • Relationship Skills: Developing healthy communication and cooperation. Players practice passing the ball, giving constructive feedback, and resolving conflicts with teammates or opponents.
  • Responsible Decision-Making: Choosing constructive behaviors based on ethics and safety. Examples include following the rules, playing fair, and realizing how individual actions impact the whole team. 

Why Sports are Ideal for SEL

  • Safe Environments: Under the guidance of trained mentors like coaches or physical education teachers, athletics allow students to test their boundaries, fail, and try again in a supportive setting. 
  • Physical Release: Combining movement with emotional processing helps youth regulate their nervous systems and manage the stress associated with performance and competition. 
  • In-the-Moment Teachable Moments: Because a game creates rapid changes in emotion (e.g., scoring a point versus losing the ball), coaches can address emotions, sportsmanship, and resilience in real time rather than in a hypothetical lecture. 

                              For any questions, please reach out to: Galen Moran (Galen-Moran@scusd.edu)

                               or Elexis Boss (elexis-boss@scusd.edu)