DASH: Discipline Ambition Scholarship Honor
 

DASH: Discipline Ambition Scholarship Honor

Discipline

When DASH started approximately 8 years ago, we recorded students as well as staff of Excelsior attending CHAMPS in the colors of other high schools.  The word discipline just does not sum up what that picture means.  If you think about it, what is your reason to be at CHAMPS?  Your primary reason is to cheer for your ALMA Mater, the school your children attended or the institution with which you are affiliated.  On Friday and Saturday of CHAMPS, people who supported Excelsior had absolutely nothing to cheer for, as none of the school’s athletes was in any of the finals. At the end of the day, Excelsior’s school supporters were left with a dejected low feeling.  Definitely not a disciplined approach to supporting your school but fully understandable under the circumstances.  That lack of school spirit, that indiscipline if you wish, has changed.  On Champs Friday, hundreds of Excelsior students and teachers now march as one school from Antrim to the National Stadium.  The carnival atmosphere with drums beating and kids smiling and shouting is quieted only by the disciplined manner in which they sit as a school (the only high school’s athletes who are allowed to sit on the “cycle” track because security felt they conducted themselves in a disciplined manner).  Remember Nathan Brown waving to the stands after he won the 800 meters, well Excelsior was sitting together cheering him on and he knew exactly where they were.  The emotion shared between him and his school was the stuff that builds character and Ambition.

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Ambition

“a particular goal or aim”, “a desire to be successful, or powerful or famous”.  Oh yea we now have tasted success why should we not “AGE ANIMO”. Now that we have tasted success on Saturday, we want to repeat that.  The low feeling replaced with giddy intoxicating elation.   We want more and we are setting our sights high.   Even though we have set our athletic sights high, we have not lost sight of the true meaning of Scholarship.

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Scholarship

Since the program began we have assisted 16 students to attain athletic scholarships to tertiary institutions both in Jamaica and in the United States, and that gives us great pride.  Great pride in the fact that we have positively affected the lives of these Excelsorians/Jamaicans, great pride in the fact that many of these individuals will be able to give back to Excelsior/Jamaica quite possibly creating a greater country for all.  Having said that we should be mindful of the great service that the Track and Field program has contributed to Excelsior/Jamaica.  The records indicate a number of students now wishing to attend Excelsior again, parents are also interested in the prowess of not just our track and field teams, but our Netball team, whose manager stated, she was inspired by the DASH exploits why she decided to give back to Excelsior as well.  Our Cricket team, our Soccer team.  We have also had successful Martial Arts, Chess, Cooking and Table Tennis teams to name a few, many of these inspired by the notoriety of the track and field program.  We had over 140 Student Athletes participate in Track and Field Athletics last season.  That is, 140 students who were occupied, away from negative influences that may have been detrimental to their growth and development.  One hundred and forty opportunities to experience the DASH Program, which includes daily Study Hall and tutoring.  Most importantly, the Scholarship we speak about is the Knowledge, the Learning, the Literacy, the erudition of our Excelsior Student Athletes and the Honor that ultimately comes with it.

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Honor

First, think of the respect we achieved, to be allowed to sit on the cycle track on Champs Saturday.  Think of the Honor, the respect given to our student athletes when they achieve points at CHAMPS or win their event, break an existing record, represent Excelsior and country at the Penn Relays, or Jamaica at an International event such as the Carifta Games.  These are experiences to build on, experiences which ultimately create new and more rounded individuals.  Persons who travelled for the first time or sat at a properly set dinner table, or mingled in the presence of dignitaries from both Jamaica and elsewhere.

These are some of the Emotions, the Goals, the Aims and indeed the successes of the DASH program.  We are sure that you share these as well.  DASH Athletics is you.  DASH is not just the group of former Athletes and like-minded individuals who make up the core of the Organizations but rather it is YOU.   We are humbled by the fact that you choose us to be the vehicle through which you give back and we continue to need your assistance in many ways.  You and DASH together continue to “AGE ANIMO”.