The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is working to bring more athletic programs to elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is working hard to bring new athletic programs to students enrolled in their elementary schools.

“This all stems from our overall mission of Catholic schools, which is to develop everything within a person,” explained Dr. Mark Williams, Superintendent. “We know that we have to move in this direction if we are going to develop the whole child, and sports are such an important part of that.”

All elementary schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux have already implemented at least one athletic program for their students to participate in (some implementing multiple), ranging from volleyball, to soccer, to cross country, and more. There have already been positive repercussions from this focus on athletics, as students are actively learning how to participate on a team, take constructive criticism, and work with those they may not otherwise socially interact with, all alongside cultivating healthy physical habits.

Lonnie Thibodeaux, Director of Media and Public Relations, also detailed how developing athletic programs at the elementary school level can help bridge the social gap during a student’s transition to high school. “The adjustment to the ‘big high school’ can be made a little easier on a student when they have already had experiences with what athletic programs can bring to a school,” said Thibodeaux. “Take pep rallies– That’s an example of school spirit that is so prominent in a high school setting, but a little elementary schooler might feel culture shock when they find themselves in a room of 600-700 excited high schoolers for the first time! But when you have that social development and exposure that athletics can give a child early on, it can only make that difficult transition easier.”

Currently, each elementary school within the Diocese have implemented athletic programs to some degree, with each school ultimately deciding what they are capable of providing for their students. However, Dr. Williams hopes that elementary-level athletics will be more streamlined, organized, and encouraged in their schools by the 2024-2025 school year– and is actively working to make that happen. “We want to bring this mission even further than we already have,” said Dr. Williams. “We have some schools participating in soccer, some in cross country, etc.– we have all our schools participating in some ways. By next school year, we really want every elementary school to bring an emphasis to their important athletic programs and raise their degrees of participation as much as they can.”

To stay up-to-date on the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s mission to bring athletic programs to their elementary schools, and the benefits it will bring to local students, please visit their website.