Soccer match provides lessons in leadership
On an unusually cold Thursday morning in March, Seagoville High School students and team members filed out onto the soccer field after morning announcements. With a field bathed in sunlight, the anticipation of spring break in the air, and music blasting from a sound speaker, they all got ready for the kickoff of the first ever soccer match between staff and student athletes.
Headed up by teachers Yennifer Reyes, Daniel Seelig, and Jennifer Wallens, the soccer match was intended to raise funds for Link Crew, a program that pairs up freshmen with upperclassmen who can help them navigate the high school experience. The proceeds from the match, he said, will go to booking an escape room which will serve as a team-building exercise for the final Link Crew leadership training.
“This was an idea that the kids had, and we are just supporting them in their passion for soccer and to unite the school and do something fun for our campus,” said Reyes.
This initiative builds on a tradition of teacher-versus-student games, which in the past have featured basketball. This year, the students shifted to soccer, opening the door for a new kind of experience. Seelig explained that an essential part of education is also allowing students to lead.
“I think that teachers can sometimes take a step back and let students lead,” he said. “Just letting young people take leadership is rewarding for them.”
The students did all the planning and ticket sales for the match, Seelig said. The teachers facilitated to ensure everything was working for success.
Representatives of the recently opened soccer club Atlético Dallas, including head coach Peter Luccin and professional soccer player Lee Benting, were in attendance. They were also assigned a team to coach. Inspired by the collective glee, Benting ended up dribbling with a group of students standing off to the side and later joined the main game.
“We’re just here to be present in the community and have some fun,” said Jeremy Jones, Atlético Dallas marketing director. As the wind blew cold and chatter carried across the field, cheerleaders, dressed in vibrant black and blue, took to the turf in staggered rows with their pom-poms rustling at their sides. Students and staff members donning shorts and white T-shirts ran through the tunnel of cheerleaders
“My husband is the director of Marketing for Atlético Dallas, and so I told him about the match and invited his team to come out here,” Wallens said. “I wanted the kids to feel that sense of professionalism—getting professionally coached and having that really awesome marketing experience for the school.”
The timing was intentional: students had been working hard on their growth goals, and this game served as a celebration of their effort and progress. The result was a week of excitement leading up to the event and a strong turnout on the day of the game.
“We wanted to bring the kids and teachers together to build relationships, have fun, and celebrate our success and growth,” said Wallens. “It was a big opportunity for us and gave the kids a chance to really get involved.”
As the game began and players dribbled in tight quarters, switched play, or arced the ball through the air, it seemed there would be no clear winner. Every time the ball sailed too closely to either goalpost, the goalkeepers caught it effortlessly. After about 45 minutes, the match ended in a tie and with cheers from both sides.
As participants gathered for a final send-off and a group photo, Luccin, who had been observing the game, selected two MVPs from among the student players and awarded them swag from Atlético Dallas. With the event concluded, students marched back to their classrooms, but the excitement of the morning still buzzed in the air.
“It’s fulfilling to see all the students—and all their hard work—turn into something as cool as this soccer game,” Seelig said. “The more effort you put into students, the more they show that effort back to you, and it’s really rewarding.”
