When Scott Seagraves became the athletic director at The Weber School in 2018, knew he wanted a strength conditioning program for athletes. Last year, the first sessions were offered as classes during the day rather than after school, which had an unusual effect.
“The classes were full,” said Seagraves. “We had about 50 kids in five classes; this year, we have more than 60 in nine classes.”
Seagraves was also surprised by what the students focused on. “They were so interested in the science behind what they were learning that they asked for smaller classes to explain it.”
At the same time, Head of School Rabbi Ed Harwitz was looking to create a scholastic athletic program. “We started researching what other places were doing, and we found a few nationwide but nothing in Georgia at the high school level.”
The two ideas came together in the fall of 2019, when Weber’s Sports Science Academy began offering courses in physical therapy, sports medicine, physical training, fitness and sports management that have changed the culture of the school, said Harwitz.
“Coaches will tell you about the important work and educational impact the academy has made,” he said. “But it’s the cultural impact that I’m most proud of. In one way or another, about 175 of the 266 students are directly involved through competitive athletics, fitness and training programs and different classes, and that’s created a culture of health, wellness and fitness as a core value embraced by faculty and students.”
The academy has also attracted a diverse group of students.
“We’ve had theater kids, kids who’ve never played a sport before, learning about their bodies, nutrition, proper movement patterns and exercise science,” said Seagraves. “We’ve had to build another weight room to accommodate the amount of interest.”
The academy’s electives have been incorporated into other academic departments, including science, Jewish studies, social studies, English and math, where students can take classes such as anatomy, sports ethics and economics and sports. The program includes semester-long internships that has had students working at chiropractor’s and doctor’s offices, coaching baseball, learning the business of coaching and studying nutrition. In the spring, three students will have completed the entire program to earn an honors distinction in sports science.
Additionally, students can study to become certified personal trainers by the time they graduate.
“They learn to analyze ways bodies move, what exercises they need, how to write programming for their clients,” said Associate Athletic Director Jessica LaGala. “We’ve also reached out to the community and trained about 12 police officers from Sandy Springs based on their goals and work environments. Our plan is to extend that to a wider community.”
Harwitz said the academy exemplifies the mission of Weber as well. “I’ve been in education for 25 years, and I’ve never worked at a school where athletic programming meaningfully reflected a true Jewish mission of having health and wellness inform competition.”
Information about The Weber School is online at weberschool.org.
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Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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