KIS Student Coaches Soar

September 2026

The majority of KIS middle schoolers participate in co-curricular activities and athletics. We think that’s awesome and a great way to build student community. A few years ago co-curricular leads in the middle and high school decided to invite older students to help coach younger athletics participants – after success in the middle school program, high school coaches also began supporting elementary athletics. The idea was to build student leadership skills and add capacity to our programming – multidivision collaboration generates interest and strengthens sustainability. We want our elementary schoolers to join co-curricular activities in middle school and continue as high schoolers too.

Jessica Williams is the middle school co-curricular coordinator. She and four high school assistant coaches share how this schoolwide co-curricular initiative benefits all participants.

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The Learn to Soar program began in 2023–2024 when I stepped into the co-curricular coordinator role. Learn to Soar challenges young athletes to focus on building skills for the kind of healthy competition they will experience as high school athletes. Initially, high school varsity and junior varsity coaches recruited their athletes to assist the middle school program. Seeing the positive impact the student coaches made, I decided to make their role a consistent part of every program. This year all Learn to Soar programs have two to four high school student coaches with shared expectations and responsibilities.

It has been amazing to watch this initiative grow over the past four years. Students I once taught in middle school are now returning as coaches, serving as role models for younger students who look up to them. Many of these high schoolers are eager to give back to a program they were once part of. It’s also rewarding to hear current middle schoolers say they want to become student coaches themselves one day.

This involvement extends into our internship program where high schoolers help run jamborees and KAIAC tournaments. The leadership, mentorship, and connection these students bring to Learn to Soar have become key contributors to the program’s success. Below four of our current high school student coaches tell their own reasons for getting involved and what they’re learning from leading. 

Eddie remembers how fun each practice was for him when he was a middle school athlete. That’s the main reason why he volunteers as a student coach. “I want to give the current middle schoolers the same experience and support to lead them to success,” he says. Tina remembers the influence high school student coaches had on their middle school teams. She says, “I looked up to older students and wanted to play with them to improve. Now I want to give middle school students that same kind of support and make the activity feel welcoming and enjoyable.”

Andy and Leah also reflect on the positive impact student coaches can have on players. I think every co-curricular activity is an opportunity to develop as a whole person and both Andy and Leah remember looking up to the student coaches who worked with them. Now they want to motivate and help players become better people on and off the field. 

The student coaches have learned a lot about coaching too. When I first started coaching I also realized that being a coach is not just about teaching skills – coaches listen, encourage, and have to figure out how to help each individual become their best. “One thing I have learned as a coach is the perspective of the head coaches,” Andy says. “I didn’t know how much effort they put into running the programs and I learned to appreciate their dedication towards the teams.” 

Even as these high school student coaches lead, they also learn. Eddie’s coaching experience has made him more patient. He also leaves practices feeling happy and energized. Tina says coaching has taught her to become more responsible and confident as a leader. Andy now understands the effort KIS coaches put into their programs and has a new appreciation for his own coaches. Leah learned that adaptability is essential to effective leadership because everybody learns differently and is uniquely motivated. Each of the assistant coaches in our Learn to Soar program give so much to the middle schoolers they work with and I am proud of their commitment to the KIS community. 

Learn more about student life at KIS.