As spring rolls around it is common to see Tyrone athletes sporting their new varsity lettermen’s jackets. These jackets are warm, bold, and custom-fitted with the iconic orange “T” on the chest. The letter is adorned with gold pins representing achievement in varsity sports, including football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country, track, swimming, wrestling, baseball, softball, tennis, golf, cheerleading, and even weightlifting. Under each pin are bars representing the years of achievement in that sport.

Varsity jackets are a great way for students to showcase a personal achievement, show school pride, and have something to remember these accomplishments even after high school.

But why are athletics the only achievements recognized on varsity jackets?

Don’t get me wrong, athletes are extremely deserving of recognition; their hard work, dedication, and overall physical abilities are all traits that indisputably deserve recognition. It is absolutely valid and justifiable for athletes receive this attention, but I feel that students who excel in academics and other extracurricular activities also deserve the same level of recognition.

Many Tyrone students put forth just as much, if not more, time and effort into extracurricular activities as our athletes do in sports. How is it fair that only athletes get the option to wear a quality jacket that displays their achievements?

Awarding varsity jackets and letters for extracurricular and academic achievement would not only show recognition to the students who don’t participate in sports, it would also shine a light on the athletes who participate in more than just sports.

The new pins and patches would also serve as advertisement to underclassmen; if a freshman sees a non-athletic senior sporting a letter for a club they didn’t even know existed, it could spark increased interest and participation.

This is not a new idea; there are plenty of schools in our area and across the country that award letters and patches to their choirs and other clubs.  Some schools even award varsity letters to students for maintaining a high GPA or achieving a high score on the SAT.

So which extracurricular activities should be eligible for varsity letters?

Tyrone is overflowing with students achieving in many different clubs and organizations. Members of POPs Extension rehearse daily to learn music and choreography to perform for events year round across Tyrone. The Drama Club dedicates months into perfecting a show, giving up almost every day of the week to run the show over and over again to put on for the community. The Mock Trial Team works tirelessly after school and on weekends developing a case to present in court, along with memorizing lines, rules, and characters. Members of the Speech Team, which is the oldest club at Tyrone, spends a lot of time preparing for only a few seasonal competitions. Other organizations such as Scholastic Quiz League, Eagle Eye, FFA, FBLA, HOSA etc. dedicate similar amounts of time and effort to their respective activities, and are therefore deserving of a varsity letter.

Academically, the students in Tyrone are flourishing, and it is apparent. Being a National Blue Ribbon School is proof that our students have achieved on a nationally recognized scale when it comes to academics. Many students, along with passing their Keystones and PSSA’s with advanced scores, maintain a high GPA annually and score well above average on the SAT. Students in National Honors Society don’t only keep their GPA up yearly, but also perform at least 40 hours of community service annually to maintain membership.

With all of this achievement at Tyrone, it is almost a crime that it is not being better recognized.

It is very possible and simple to fix this issue: letters and patches could be awarded by the coach or advisor of each extracurricular according to their role, achievements, and years in the club at the advisor’s discretion.

With every new idea, it is expected that arguments should come from every side. The argument could arise that not everyone should get a varsity letter, that the point of a “letter” is to award the “elite.”

I strongly believe that students in all of these clubs have achieved to the fullest extent. If the argument were to be brought farther however, it could be justified with the fact that many of the clubs are their own version of “varsity” (POP’s, Mock Trial, and Drama Club all require audition), and that the coaches wouldn’t just throw letters at every member of the club, that there would be a required level of achievement to receive a letter.

Another argument could arise that varsity jackets, letters, and patches are specifically for athletes only. To that, all I can say is that is unfair. Students around Tyrone are achieving in every aspect of life, from athletics, academics, and extracurriculars. How is it fair for just the athletes to be recognized, when others work so hard, and succeed, in other areas?

Tyrone has many brilliant and talented students who achieve amazing things and they should all be recognized. As I mentioned before, we’re a Blue Ribbon School, and we advertise that accomplishment all over the building and the community. I think that all our students should have that same luxury.