Overlea Track & Field/Cross Country
Donation protected
Hello,
My name is Jeremy White and I am a Special Education teacher and the Head Coach of the Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field teams at Overlea High School. For the past 2 years, I have worked to better the Overlea community both inside and outside the classroom.
Overlea is located on the line between Baltimore County and Baltimore City. We are classified as a Title 1 school, which means we have a large portion of our students come from low-income households. This has impacted our student population in various ways, most notably inadequate nutrition and equipment.
To combat this, several members of the Track & Field staff have provided food for meet days or any time a student needs it. We believe that providing a firm foundation for our student-athletes is the first and foremost mission as a coaching staff. Along with providing that basic need, we have a strong focus on the student in student-athlete. With 2 mandatory study halls a week, we are able to keep our athletes focused on the importance of academic excellence.
As a result of the hard work our students athletes have put in, we have seen remarkable growth and success in our teams.
Athletic Accomplishments:
-This past fall, Overlea fielded their biggest Cross Country team in 4 years.
-Indoor 2018:
2 New School Records
-Outdoor 2018:
3 New School Records
9 Athletes competed in 5 events at the Maryland State meet
Highlighted by a Silver Medalist
-Indoor 2019:
1 New School Record
-Outdoor 2019:
9 New School Records
10 Athletes competed in 11 events at the Maryland State meet
1 State Champ, 1 Silver Medalist, 3 Bronze Medalists
This was all capped off by a 7th place finish by the Boys team at the state meet this past spring.
The highest placement of any team in the North Region
School Record for points scored and placement at the State Meet
Our student-athletes are fully invested in the program and the results speak for themselves.
Although we have found a measure of success, it has been without the benefit of what is considered basic equipment for training and competition.
As you can see in the photos, our track is deteriorating, with exposed concrete in large sections all around the track. We do not have enough hurdles to run 2 lanes, which makes it difficult to run multiple workouts at once. Most of the hurdles that we do have are taped together in some fashion. We do not have pole vault poles (we are getting old mats from another team in the fall).
My parents donated new uniforms to replace the worn out, threadbare ones, but the team is growing and will need additional sets.
As a staff, we have invested our own money into buying what we can, but many of these pieces are just far too expensive for us to purchase.
With these funds I will invest in: hurdles, poles, uniforms, indoor shots, discus netting, entry fees to invitationals, and any other equipment that we deem necessary.
$30= 1 Complete Uniform Set
$75= 1 Indoor or Outdoor Throwing implement
$110= 1 Hurdle
$200= Attend an Invitational (Indoor or Outdoor)
$400= Pole Vault Poles
If you would like your funds to go to a specific aspect of our team, please let me know!
I believe that a stronger athletic program can help to improve our school climate, ultimately leading to an increase in student engagement, success, and improved academic scores.
Thank you for your time, donations, shares, prayers, kind words, and any other means with which you can assist these young men and women. If you have other materials/equipment you would like to donate, please reach out to me at [email redacted] and we can try to arrange something.
If you want to keep up with the team, follow us on Instagram @OverleaXCTF
My name is Jeremy White and I am a Special Education teacher and the Head Coach of the Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field teams at Overlea High School. For the past 2 years, I have worked to better the Overlea community both inside and outside the classroom.
Overlea is located on the line between Baltimore County and Baltimore City. We are classified as a Title 1 school, which means we have a large portion of our students come from low-income households. This has impacted our student population in various ways, most notably inadequate nutrition and equipment.
To combat this, several members of the Track & Field staff have provided food for meet days or any time a student needs it. We believe that providing a firm foundation for our student-athletes is the first and foremost mission as a coaching staff. Along with providing that basic need, we have a strong focus on the student in student-athlete. With 2 mandatory study halls a week, we are able to keep our athletes focused on the importance of academic excellence.
As a result of the hard work our students athletes have put in, we have seen remarkable growth and success in our teams.
Athletic Accomplishments:
-This past fall, Overlea fielded their biggest Cross Country team in 4 years.
-Indoor 2018:
2 New School Records
-Outdoor 2018:
3 New School Records
9 Athletes competed in 5 events at the Maryland State meet
Highlighted by a Silver Medalist
-Indoor 2019:
1 New School Record
-Outdoor 2019:
9 New School Records
10 Athletes competed in 11 events at the Maryland State meet
1 State Champ, 1 Silver Medalist, 3 Bronze Medalists
This was all capped off by a 7th place finish by the Boys team at the state meet this past spring.
The highest placement of any team in the North Region
School Record for points scored and placement at the State Meet
Our student-athletes are fully invested in the program and the results speak for themselves.
Although we have found a measure of success, it has been without the benefit of what is considered basic equipment for training and competition.
As you can see in the photos, our track is deteriorating, with exposed concrete in large sections all around the track. We do not have enough hurdles to run 2 lanes, which makes it difficult to run multiple workouts at once. Most of the hurdles that we do have are taped together in some fashion. We do not have pole vault poles (we are getting old mats from another team in the fall).
My parents donated new uniforms to replace the worn out, threadbare ones, but the team is growing and will need additional sets.
As a staff, we have invested our own money into buying what we can, but many of these pieces are just far too expensive for us to purchase.
With these funds I will invest in: hurdles, poles, uniforms, indoor shots, discus netting, entry fees to invitationals, and any other equipment that we deem necessary.
$30= 1 Complete Uniform Set
$75= 1 Indoor or Outdoor Throwing implement
$110= 1 Hurdle
$200= Attend an Invitational (Indoor or Outdoor)
$400= Pole Vault Poles
If you would like your funds to go to a specific aspect of our team, please let me know!
I believe that a stronger athletic program can help to improve our school climate, ultimately leading to an increase in student engagement, success, and improved academic scores.
Thank you for your time, donations, shares, prayers, kind words, and any other means with which you can assist these young men and women. If you have other materials/equipment you would like to donate, please reach out to me at [email redacted] and we can try to arrange something.
If you want to keep up with the team, follow us on Instagram @OverleaXCTF
Organizer
Jeremy White
Organizer
Baltimore, MD