SMMUSD Unveils New Athletic Program for Santa Monica Middle School Students

NEWS RELEASE
February 28, 2023
SMMUSD Launches New Athletic Program for Santa Monica Middle School Students

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, in partnership with the Santa Monica Education Foundation, unveiled a new exciting athletics program for Santa Monica middle school students.

Starting in spring 2023, free clinics will be offered to current sixth, seventh and eighth grade students in basketball and soccer for skill development. Sign-up information is coming soon and will be linked here. Parents of Santa Monica middle school students will receive an email from the District.

Fall sports will be flag football, cross country and girls volleyball. Student athletes will try out for a spot to represent their school. JAMS and Lincoln will each have a team. SMASH students will be placed with the JAMS or LMS team based on criteria. More information will be coming soon.

As the program builds, the District will host more tournaments, expand sports offerings and schedule additional ways to participate in clinics and games.

Interested parents gathered to learn about the program at Samohi on February 6, 2023, expressing enthusiasm for the planned articulated program starting now in middle school, and planned to expand to elementary then high school in the coming years.

The meeting included a presentation from the Ed Foundation to build an athletics endowment to secure ongoing funding to support athletic programs for TK-12 and a presentation about the District’s plan for a free afterschool interscholastic competitive sports program for Lincoln, John Adams and SMASH middle schoolers.

For more information on the athletic program, contact Jason Hurd, Athletic Coordinator for Santa Monica Schools jhurd@smmusd.org. For more information on the SMEF athletics endowment, contact Linda Greenberg, Director of Special Projects, SMEF, linda@smedfoundation.org.

Watch: Athletic meeting video, 2/6/23