School Brings Lacrosse To Inner-City Kids

 SAN DIEGO - The Preuss School UCSD, jointly chartered by the San Diego Unified School District and UC San Diego, is joining US Lacrosse to host a free introductory lacrosse clinic for 100 middle and high school students.

Students from Preuss, Lincoln High School and Gompers Middle School are invited to participate in the clinic from11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Preuss School on the University of California, San Diego campus.

The event is part of US Lacrosse’s Fast Break Initiative, a program that allows the organization to better serve groups in inner-city or underserved communities.

“In the past, lacrosse has been known more as an elitist sport, played by a more affluent population,” said Lisa Hawk, The Preuss School UCSD exercise and health science department chair. “Through this partnership between Preuss and the US Lacrosse Fast Break Initiative, this is no longer the case. It is a community building sport that bridges people and transcends ethnicity and economic levels.”

Ranked by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report as one of the top schools in the nation, the middle and high school is dedicated to providing intensive college preparation for motivated low-income students who will represent the first generation in their families to graduate from college.

Lincoln High School and Gompers Charter Middle School work in partnership with UC San Diego to educate historically underserved communities to support their youth throughout high school and prepare them for a college education. This is done through a college preparatory school culture which emphasizes higher education as an attainable and beneficial opportunity.

Hawk said she’s excited to expose students from these schools to the game of lacrosse, one of the fastest growing sports on the West coast in which young athletes fall in love with. No experience is necessary to participate in the clinic and the equipment is free to the first 100 students who register.

The clinic is part of The Preuss School athletics department which provides students with the opportunity to compete in quality athletic competition at the high school level. “Our school believes that athletic participation is an integral part of the total educational program at Preuss,” according to Hawk. 

With 820 students in grades 6-12, The Preuss School has a record high Academic Performance Index Score (API) of 894, which is one of the highest in the county.