New Jersey assemblyman pushes bill to allow home-schooled students to play for public-school teams Tommy Rowan |The Express-Times 

Erik Peterson says let ‘em play.

“I’ve always thought that academics and athletics were both important,” he said. “We shouldn’t deny these kids the opportunity to play on a sports team in high school.”

The state assemblyman is a primary sponsor on legislation that would allow charter, vocational and home-schooled students to play on their public school district’s sports teams.

Assemblyman Peterson prefers trust rather than automatic suspicion of parents’ intentions.

“You want those kids to not put athletics before academics,” he said. “But I suspect any parent who is homeschooling their kid. … is not likely to allow their kid to participate in sports if they’re not achieving their education goals.”

Caution from Larry and Susan Kaseman: Why the Question of Homeschoolers’ Playing Public School Sports Affects All Homeschoolers

What We Can Do

* We can let our legislators know that most homeschoolers do not want legislation that would allow homeschoolers to play on school teams so they are less likely to introduce or cosponsor such bills.

* We can be alert for proposals in our state that would allow homeschoolers to play public school sports and oppose them. If we are not alert, such bills can be passed while we are either unaware of them or feel that they don’t or won’t impact us.

* We can discuss this issue with others and encourage them to explore alternatives rather than trying to make it possible for homeschoolers to play public school sports. Then at least some of the groundwork will have been done in the event that legislation is introduced.

* We can keep ourselves informed so we are not misled by articles like the one in Time. The mainstream media often cannot be relied on for information about homeschooling. We can write letters to the editor when we see incorrect information or exaggerated stories like the one in Time.

Conclusion

Changing state laws or regulations to allow homeschoolers to play public school sports would undermine the homeschooling freedoms of all of us. Therefore, it is important that we inform ourselves and others of the risks involved and remember that, despite the publicity that a few families may receive, most homeschoolers do not support the participation of homeschoolers in public school sports, especially once they realize why and how it would lead to increased state regulation of all homeschoolers. We also need to be alert so that legislation allowing homeschoolers to play public school sports does not quietly pass with little notice.

Bailey Gambertoglio: Singing, Dancing, Acting

Sep 22nd, 2012 | By Jessica Parnell | Category: Featured Articles, Student Showcase

From a very young age it was clear that Bailey Gambertoglio was meant for the stage. Bailey was an outgoing child, interacting with people and children of all ages, and taking every moment as a chance to explore her world with enthusiasm. And Bailey never stopped exploring. As the youngest of 3, her siblings have all experimented with the stage before her, paving the way for Bailey’s own career to bloom. According to Bailey’s mom, as a small child Bailey would get salt and pepper shakers, make up lines then she would act out the scenes with them. Now, at age 12, Bridgeway homeschooled student Bailey is tackling the entertainment industry by the horns. According to Bailey’s own personal website, “At the age of 6, she filmed the movie Yarn in which she met her good friend Kaylee Beth Dodson. Over the years Bailey has appeared in over 5 movies, a supporting role in the children’s television program Barneyand in numerous commercials. “Now moving into the music industry, Bailey has already recorded 4 original songs, 2 original remixes of Christmas songs and 10 cover songs from her favorite artists. Bailey is currently working on a new original song and music video. She also tours as a soloist with Nathalie Gaulthier’s All Kid Pro Circus – Le PeTiT CiRqUe, performing at numerous events.”Bailey has a lovely singing voice, and many of her tracks can be found on YouTube. One of her latest songs from 2012 entitled “Can’t Break Me Down”has the potential to go big!But acting and singing are not all that is important to Bailey. Physical fitness is high on her list– and only adds to her acting and singing skills, as well as her marketability during casting calls. She enjoys pursuing gymnastics for flexibility, hip hop and jazz dancing, horseback riding, running, and pretty much anything that keeps her active and fit for her performances.After a bout with private schooling, the option to homeschool became the ideal path for the Gambertoglio family. According to Bailey’s mom, “We began to homeschool Bailey in 4th grade because we were driving back and forth to Houston, Dallas (TX), LA, and New York. She literally became exhausted trying to keep up with the work – and me too with all the grading!” Britney can do much of her work while driving to auditions, and feels that the Bridgeway curriculum actually “teaches” her – allows her to retain and build upon the information – unlike some of the other programs out there where children just read and monotonously write in notebooks.The option to homeschool was a no-brainer for the Gambertoglio family. The beauty of homeschooling your children is that it allows them to pursue their dreams – at an early age. Some kids are just born “knowing” what they want to do or be or specialize in. Special talents become apparent at an early age. Why not utilize the flexibility of homeschooling to allow gifted children the greatest gift – time to explore their God-given talents!

Elizabeth Price gets to go to the 2012 Olympic Games alternate to Gold team

Courtesy of Homeschooling Help, Sports story about homeschooling student athlete.

It’s a chance of a lifetime that not many young teenagers are given. But after a whirlwind of training and competitions all across the United States and in Italy, Elizabeth Price was selected as alternate to the U.S. Women’s 2012 Olympic Gymnastics Team in London, England. The U.S. women took the gold medal, beating out Russia’s powerhouse team and the third place Romanian team to etch out their place in the annals of Olympic history.

Although a bit bittersweet, being selected as alternate was no small accomplishment for the talented young athlete from Coopersburg, PA. She performed amazingly at the Olympic trials, scoring career highs on all four events and the all-around. Elizabeth finished fourth-place all around, and following the competition, she was named as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team. She traveled to Birmingham, England, to continue her preparations in case she was needed to fill in for a teammate in the event of an injury.

The call never came, but Elizabeth got to experience the full momentum and excitement of the 2012 Olympics – without the pressure of competition. She kept her natural positive attitude, and cheered her teammates on for the gold. “I am so incredibly proud of team USA. My teammates couldn’t have represented their home country any better. I love those girls so much! Can’t wait to see how they do at the upcoming competitions!” an enthusiastic Ebee announced on her Facebook page.

The total experience of the international sport of gymnastics competitions could not have happened for Elizabeth without the benefit of a homeschool education. For the Price family, there was a bit of trepidation when choosing the path of homeschooling. Elizabeth’s mom, Diane Price, was wary of her own ability to provide Elizabeth with an education that universities would be impressed with. Elizabeth’s mother, Diane Price, agrees wholeheartedly.

So the Prices reached out to other homeschooling families in the area for answers and support. “Once we finally decided to try homeschooling, the process wasn’t as difficult as we thought it would be,” said Diane. “Elizabeth is actually very excited about her coursework through Bridgeway. She loves science, and is thinking about pursuing a career in bio-medical engineering. I know all homeschool academies aren’t the same, and I wanted one that universities looked at as being really good.”

Ebee’s recent successes are proof positive that homeschool families CAN have it both ways – allowing their child to participate in athletics or other areas of special interest such as music or acting careers– all while receiving the highest quality education possible during the flexible parts of their schedules. 

Elizabeth Price Gymnast and home school student.

A homeschooling student, Elizabeth “Ebee” Price spent the weekend pursuing her dreams, placing fourth overall at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials. We watched with anticipation on day one as she landed an incredible vault and impressed the judges with her floor routine.  The standings indicated that her other two events were amazing as well. We knew in January Elizabeth Price was going far.

Because she had not competed in the international events or world championships with the other girls, Ebee did not get the same coverage of the other top picks.  But by the end of Friday night, people were paying attention to this “newcomer,” Elizabeth Price. Her scores showed that she is a competitor worth noting who could really make a difference for the US Olympic Team.

When you combined her career best score (and the second best for the night) of 16.050 for her Amanar vault — a Yurchenko with 2 1/2 twists — her 14.900 for floor exercise and her 14.500 uneven bars routine, she landed in fourth place overall.  If you missed it, check out her key routines here.

On Sunday, we gathered again with our eyes glued to the TV screen waiting for coverage of her second night.  Once again Elizabeth Price made us proud with a performance and standing that held her fourth place position for the weekend and landing her the alternate’s position for the team.  You can check out some of her key routines from day two here.

Only the first place all-around leader is guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team, and that place was earned by Gabby Douglas, from Virginia Beach.  The other members of the team include McKayla Maroney, Long Aly Raisman, and Jordyn Wieber with alternates Sarah Finnegan, Anna Li, and Elizabeth Price.

Join us in celebrating Ebee’s amazing accomplishment!  We are so proud of her and look forward to her traveling ‘across the pond’ for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  Way to go, Ebee! And thank you for that smile. Elizabeth Price homeschools with Bridgeway Academy a full service homeschooling school.

Hello Homeschool Webmasters!

My name is Justin Canning, I work with the New York Red Bulls soccer team.  We are hosting a Homeschool Day on Saturday, July 21, for our 2:30 match vs our major rival Philadelphia Union, and I figured this group is as good as any to help spread the word about this exciting event!

We are offering a package for $20 per person that includes a ticket to the game and access to the exclusive hospitality space reserved for Homeschool families to meet up before the game.  Below is some more information about the event, as well as all my contact information; if you could post this information to any websites or blast this out to anyone that would be interested in this fun outing, that would be very much appreciated!  I also have a PDF file promoting the event if you would prefer to use that.

Thank you!

New York Red Bulls Homeschool Day!

New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union

Saturday, July 21 at 2:30 P

Come check out one of the biggest rivalries in soccer as the New York Red Bulls take on Eastern Conference foe Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Aren

For just $20, you will receive a ticket to this exciting match, plus access to the reserved hospitality space for Homeschool families to meet up

To receive this discount, go to: https://tickets.newyorkredbulls.com/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=BE91EB19-8F20-47B2-BD9F-7962E5844B33&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::promo_code=HOMESCHOO

Or go to

www.newyorkredbulls.com and ente

PROMO CODE: HOMESCHOO

Seats are reserved for the Homeschool group until Friday, June 29

so make sure to buy now to guarantee sitting together

Also, don’t forget to check out our FREE Interactive Zone outside the arena before the game for live music, games, and tons of fun contests.

Red Bull Arena is located at 600 Cape May Street, Harrison, NJ 07029

Parking is available around the arena for $10

With any questions, please contact:

Justin Canning

973-268-8468

Justin.canning@newyorkredbulls.com

Interesting article from ESPN:

“With action sports now an estimated $20 billion global business, and sponsors providing substantial salaries to young talent in an effort to lock up the next generation of stars, a growing number of athletes in surfing, skateboarding, BMX, motocross and snowboarding have discovered that their career aspirations conflict with school. For those who don’t drop out altogether, home school has become an increasingly handy option.”

Read the entire feature-length article (with photos) at the link above.

LEBANON, Ohio — Kelly and April Kamentz would like to see all of their six children play sports on Lebanon schools teams.

But the 19-year residents of the district may not get that chance because their children are homeschooled, and like other Warren County schools that have high “partial enrollment” requirements, Lebanon requires student-athletes to take at least five classes a year.

“As a resident, as a taxpaying citizen, I’ve invested my life in Lebanon,” Kelly Kamentz said. “I hope that Lebanon will adopt what we consider to be a more reasonable definition of partial enrollment.”

Continue reading Parents of homeschool children want sports, subtitled OHSAA’s rules leave room for interpretation; each school district gets the final say, by Richard Wilson, Staff Writer for the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, Ohio.

Sixteen-year-old sailor Abby Sunderland is homeward bound — though her plane flight back to California isn’t the homecoming she originally imagined when she set off in hopes of sailing around the world.

About two weeks after her rescue at sea, Sunderland departed Sunday from the French island of Reunion, off the southeastern coast of Africa, en route to France, then on to California. According to a Los Angeles Times article she’s expected to give a news conference in southern California on Tuesday. Abby’s blog states she met with her brother Zac “who brought her a backpack with some clothes, a hairbrush (!), and a few personal belongings. She was thrilled to see some familiar faces and have met another milestone in her long voyage home.”

In an AP Interview titled US teen sailor unfazed by ordeal Jeffrey Schaeffer reports “Rescued Teen Sailor Hopes to Try Again”:

PARIS (AP) — Yes, she’s 16, but Abby Sunderland says she knew what she was doing when she tried to sail around the world alone, and was prepared when it all went wrong in a remote zone of the Indian Ocean.

In an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Sunderland acknowledged that her adventure “can look pretty crazy,” but she defended her parents against critics who say she never should have been allowed to attempt it.

“Those people don’t know me. And if they did, they wouldn’t be criticizing my age,” she said by phone from the remote Kerguelen Islands, near Antarctica, where her rescue boat stopped briefly Tuesday en route to Reunion Island and a true reunion with her family.

“I think that a lot of people are judging me by the standards they have for their teens and other teens that they know … and thinking, ‘She’s exactly like them,’” Sunderland said. “They don’t understand that I’ve sailed my whole life and I do know what I’m doing out there.”

Continue reading Schaeffer’s report. Also available: photos and a video.

According to a news story in the Los Angeles Times, a French fishing boat was plowing through the southern Indian Ocean late Friday to rescue 16-year-old Abby Sunderland from her storm-damaged sailboat in what will most likely be the end of her attempt to sail around the world alone. A spokesman expected rescuers to reach her early Saturday, and Abby might have to remain on the fishing boat for several days, as it would probably make its way to Australia, about 2,000 miles away.

Abigail “Abby” Sunderland (born October 19, 1993) is a young American sailor, who in 2010 attempted to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Her brother Zac Sunderland was the first to complete such a journey before turning 18. She initially set sail from Marina del Rey, California in her 40-foot boat Wild Eyes on January 23, 2010, but had to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She restarted her circumnavigation on February 6, 2010, planning to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted, leaving from and returning to Cabo San Lucas, but autopilot problems then forced Sunderland to stop at Cape Town for repairs.

On June 10, 2010 while sailing in heavy seas and high winds in a remote area of the Indian Ocean, her sailboat was dismasted and she activated her two manual emergency EPIRB distress beacons, triggering a search and rescue effort. The following morning airborne searchers from Perth, Australia spotted her crippled boat and made radio contact with Sunderland, who said she was not injured.

In an interview with MomLogic last January, Abby’s mom, Marianne Sunderland, talked about homeschooling and why she lets her kids follow their dreams.