Last month, eleven Liberty students traveled to Garfield High School in Seattle to engage in a district-wide Interhigh with other students in the KingCo league to address common sportsmanship issues in all KingCo schools.

All nineteen KingCo schools sent representatives to Interhigh. Liberty’s reps included mostly sophomores and juniors.

“We try to take spirit leaders that will consistently be at events, and kids that can help, in this case, keep positive sportsmanship,” Dean of Students Michelle Munson said, who accompanied the students to Garfield. “And the majority are sophomores and juniors because they are going to be on the frontline in the next couple of years.”

At Interhigh, former University of Washington football player and Garfield graduate Bruce Harrell spoke on sportsmanship, and students broke up into small groups to share ideas.

“Interhigh was really important because it opened our eyes to different opportunities and ways we can make this school come together as one in sports and spirit,” Interhigh participant Devin Anderson said. “With sports, sometimes it’s harder to cheer for the positive things instead of the negative things, so it was good for me and all of the other kids to see how we can make things more positive.”

Not only did Interhigh aim to discuss and improve sportsmanship in the KingCo league, it served to familiarize students with other schools and break down the barriers that often exist with competition.

“If I bring a kid to Interhigh and they meet someone from another school, it may change their perception about that school. It gives them a chance to use their voices and have input,” Munson said.