Henninger Black & Gold Athletics Club Provides Food, Fellowship to Student Athletes

New this year, all students participating in athletics at Henninger High School are offered a daily meal – courtesy of SCSD Food and Nutrition Services.
 
“They often practice until really late,” Athletic Director Kevin Ryan explained, noting that the meals are meeting a huge need.
 
In the last several months, Henninger student athletes have gained another new perk: weekly team dinners and motivational speakers! Thanks to the Henninger Black & Gold Athletics Club, each Tuesday, student athletes are invited to gather for a team meal and a guest speaker. Founded by Henninger alumnus David Davis (’97), the group’s mission is simple: provide a nutritious meal – consistently – to students who are participating in grueling physical activity long into the evenings.
 
“We want to make it a nutritional exercise for them, so when they leave, they pick up good habits and go home knowing what foods to look for on their own,” Mr. Davis shared. “It’s another devil in and of itself with the access and food deserts our students encounter. So if I get a chance to feed them a good meal, it’s a success.”
 
Mr. Davis played football, basketball, and track during his time as a Black Knight – and noted that his own experience was the spark that led him to start the Black & Gold Athletics Club.
 
“Having a regular meal in the evening would have made a huge impact on me as a student athlete,” he added. “Our teambuilding and our cohesiveness wouldn’t have come from hanging out in the hallway waiting for practice to begin. I would have gotten actual nutritional value. I remember the hurt feeling in my stomach when I didn’t have enough food. It’s not something you want to get used to. It’s not a good feeling to be hungry. I remember it distinctly.”
 
In addition to feeding students, the Club also wanted to create a sense of connection between student athletes and the community that supports them.
 
“Knowing that we have their attention for an hour, we realized we can provide food, and we can also provide food for thought, food for the soul at the same time. It’s the perfect opportunity to give them things that I didn’t have,” Mr. Davis said. “We speak to mental health, time management, stress management, etiquette, how to tie a tie. It’s really just about how much programming can we fit into the hour. Every week is another success!”
 
From a school standpoint, the student athletes – and coaching staff – are grateful for the added time together.
 
“It really brings the athletes together, and helps them bond with their teams,” Mr. Ryan explained. “It’s always hard for the coaches to arrange a formal, sit-down meal every week, so this gives our coaches a real source of support.”
 
“They inspire us as youth athletes,” senior Caleb Davis, a Track and Field athlete, shared. “Their speakers give us good influences to look up to. I kind of see it as a reward for all the hard work we put in as athletes, to come back here and have a nice meal together. It’s such a good feeling… it’s great to see that they care for us, to see that support from the community.”
 
“It really is a good team bonding experience,” senior Camila Garcia-Maso said. “In track, we only have 1.5 hours to practice, and we’re all participating in different events… it feels like we don’t get much time to hang out together. This is an opportunity to do that! It’s also good to see the success stories… to see people from our community that we can look up to, who all come from such diverse backgrounds… it’s really inspiring.”
 
The Henninger Black & Gold Athletics Club is planning to expand their efforts to serve students at Henninger and Nottingham in the fall. They hope to add a third school next spring, with the goal of eventually reaching all SCSD student athletes.

In addition to meals and motivational speakers, the group also plans to implement other programming to help give students a step up. This summer, they hope to start a Future Leaders Landscaping opportunity, to train students in the landscaping trade and give them insight into owning their own business, while also providing them with some summer income. In the fall, they plan to kick off a Grades for Braids program to help student athletes receive back-to-school haircuts. To learn more about their initiatives, or to contribute, please visit https://thebgac.org.