As sounds of ricocheting volleyballs echo through the hollow arena and sneakers squeak on the glossy court, a group of seven SM East teachers dressed in Columbia Blue shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts are warming up, laughing between passes while calling out unserious plays.
When a teacher brought up the idea of creating a volleyball league at a staff meeting, hands raised across the room in support. After one person joined, it became a team of two, then three and now seven teachers make up the "Lancer Teachers" volleyball team.
The “Lancer Teachers” consist of varying educators spanning six departments – science teachers Joshua Parker and Meghan Stanley, special education teacher Kolker, school social worker Leah Starks, social studies teacher Jacob Penner, Spanish teacher Abra Scanlon and math teacher Samantha Newlin.
The league quickly turned into one of the most unexpected highlights of the first semester, according to Kolker. A staff volleyball team that brought teachers from across the school together through growing connections, teamwork friendly volleyball tournaments.
The league began with a simple goal: create a time for teachers to connect outside of the walls of SM East.
Before matches, the teammates drive to the Berkeley River Market downtown every Monday for a pre-game meal.. These gatherings have become just as important as the tournaments themselves. They give teachers a chance to unwind after long periods of teaching and grading homework and come together, according to Starks.
And before their tournaments, with no planned practices, the team warms up and plays three matches against a range of people from all around Kansas City from Prairie VIllage to Westport. Throughout their season, they played a total of six games, or 18 matches.
The teammates admit that not everyone had experience. Most were beginners, still learning the basics while the others hadn’t played volleyball since high school.
Still, that didn’t stop anyone from diving into a new hobby— sometimes, literally diving in to score a point.
“We had a lot of fun and we laughed a lot,” Kolker said, “Sometimes we hit the ball off each other's heads, but it was enjoyable.”
Beyond the volleyball court, the team has created an unexpected community. Teachers who work on the first to the fifth floor used to only exchange quick greetings at meetings or in the busy hallways; now, they spend time playing together and building teamwork.
“This is my first year [teaching] at [SM East] so I wasn't sure how I was going to make friends and meet new people,” Starks said. “It was really nice to be able to meet new people, especially since some of us are in different departments.”
And while there were no practices, there was still improvement. When the team first started, Penner had no experience and used to hit the volleyball into the net, but by the end of the season in October, he could do an overhand serve onto the opposing team's side.
As the team started the first match, they weren’t focused on anything but having a fun time; finishing the season with a 1-6 record.
After the season, there was consideration of adding other activities, like kickball to expand their involvement in extracurriculars. But for now, the focus remains on their volleyball team for next year with no prepping and playing for the team bonding.
“I thought that was a really positive part of my life during that time,” Penner said. “Those six weeks were always something I looked forward to. No matter how stressful things get, that was a really joyful thing to do.”
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