OSKALOOSA, Iowa – In a room filled with poster boards, pizza boxes, and student leaders from across central Iowa, the usual lines of rivalry blurred. Instead of chants aimed at opponents, students talked about respect, leadership, and how to cheer with pride. The Little Hawkeye Conference Student Section Training brought together representatives from every conference school, along with future member Ames, to set a new standard for sportsmanship, led by students.
Hosted by Oskaloosa Schools, the training focused on four agreed-upon conference norms. Cheer for your team, not against your opponent. No profanity. No animal noises or taunting. No singling out individual players. While the rules are simple, the intention behind them is larger.
“We’ve felt the need to make sportsmanship a priority, and that starts with our students,” said Jamie Jacobs, director of activities for Oskaloosa Schools. “We can’t expect it from them without giving them the tools to do it.”
Jacobs said the training was designed to empower students to lead change within their own student sections. Rather than relying on administrators or adults to intervene, students were encouraged to hold peers accountable and model positive behavior at games across all sports.
“We’re hoping students leave today with the skills to address their peers and say, This is how we do things here,” Jacobs said. “That’s how you promote positivity across conference events.”
Adult facilitators, including student council advisors and peer helper sponsors, guided team-building activities and discussions around soft skills. Representatives from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association also reinforced expectations that align with state-level events.
For students like Grace Clark, a senior at Pella High School, the day offered a new perspective on competition.
“Every team wants to win. Every team wants to be the best,” Clark said. “But behind that, all of our administrators want us to be respectful and uplift one another while keeping that competitiveness.”
Clark said her biggest takeaway was realizing that intensity and kindness are not opposites.
“You can still have fun and want to win, but it can come from being kind,” she said. “Cheer for your team instead of downgrading the other one.”
Clark plans to take that message back to Pella’s student section immediately. She and her peers manage an Instagram account for their student section and plan to post photos of the posters they created during the training, along with explanations of the norms.
“At our next game, we’re going to be more intentional about stopping crudeness or insults,” Clark said. “Instead of laughing it off, we’re going to redirect and reinforce being positive toward our team.”
Sustainability was a recurring theme throughout the day. Clark said her school’s activities director has already discussed expanding the group beyond seniors and juniors, intentionally adding underclassmen who demonstrate leadership so the effort continues year after year.
“That way, it doesn’t end with us,” she said. “It keeps building.”
Linus Morrison, a senior at Oskaloosa High School, said the training mirrored conversations happening at a national level. Morrison serves on the National Federation of State High School Associations student committee, where sportsmanship and school involvement are major points of focus.
“This is the same thing we’re talking about nationally,” Morrison said. “Teaching kids how to have sportsmanship, be involved and show school spirit.”
Morrison hopes the training helps students recognize the value of showing up.
“Coming to games is a big deal,” he said. “It’s part of the high school experience.”
He also acknowledged a broader challenge facing high school athletics, as fan behavior at collegiate and professional levels increasingly influences younger students.
“Sometimes that atmosphere trickles down,” Morrison said. “But if schools build a strong culture and legacy, students will stick together and take pride in doing things the right way.”
That idea of shared purpose resonated with Dan Branderhorst, activities director at Pella Christian High School. He said bringing students from rival schools together was a powerful step toward healthier competition.
“We’re gathering students to collaborate and partner so we’re on the same page,” Branderhorst said. “We want our events to be fun, excitable and special for athletes, while still being uplifting and appropriate.”
Branderhorst said rivalries are natural and can add energy to games, but they should never come at the expense of safety or respect.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to accomplish the same things,” he said. “We want activities to be safe, fun for communities and meaningful for students.”
One of his favorite moments came not during a presentation, but around the tables.
“When you see students from different schools smiling, eating pizza together, creating posters and videos, it changes the dynamic,” Branderhorst said. “They realize we’re a lot alike.”
Students were chosen by their schools’ activities directors with attention to availability, a mix of grade levels, and demonstrated leadership among their peers. Finals schedules made attendance a challenge for some schools, but representation remained strong, underscoring the conference’s shared commitment.
Jacobs said the response from both students and adults reinforced the value of the effort.
“They’re passionate about being part of the change,” she said. “That’s encouraging.”
By the end of the day, the room was still filled with rival colors and school apparel, but the message was unified. Sportsmanship is not about losing a competitive edge. It is about channeling passion in a way that reflects pride, respect, and leadership. With students now equipped to lead that charge in their own sections, the Little Hawkeye Conference hopes this training becomes not a one-time event but an annual tradition that reshapes the culture of high school athletics from the student sections.
