School Board Adds Archery As A Sport

At its Sept. 8 meeting, the board of directors of the McDonald County R-1 School District added archery as a high school sport.

Husband and wife team Neal and Emily Hutton spoke in favor of adding archery as an extracurricular activity. The couple have been teaching archery on a volunteer basis through an after-school program. By making archery an official school-sponsored sport, they hope to host a tournament and also to reach students not already participating in extracurricular activities.

Neal Hutton said archery is an emerging sport that is popular worldwide. Through a grant, the couple has already secured all the equipment needed to get the program started. Emily Hutton said parents of the participants have also been discussing forming a booster club. She added that most students who shoot competitively end up buying their own bows, which takes some of the burden off the program’s equipment. The couple said they can also get corporate sponsors for their team.

Board member Kim Harrell said archery is not a Missouri State High School Activities Association activity, but students involved should have to comply with the same standards and code of conduct while representing the school.

“This is an area that our kids can be successful in,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Stanton said. “When you give kids hope and they’re successful, they stay in school. This is a whole new target area of students that we should be targeting.”

He added he wants the school’s program to be the best in Missouri.

The board voted to add archery as a sport and will soon hire a coach and assistant coach.

In other business, the board:

Granted permission to the FFA team to attend the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

Approved bus pickup for students that live within a mile of their school.