Niswarth Hoops

The vision is to develop an educational and sport program for 20 Andover students and two head coaches from the varsity boys and girls basketball teams in Chennai, India. This thirteen-day experience would take place during Thanksgiving break in 2015 (11/20 – 12/2), and build on our experience with the Andover Niswarth program as well as the Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy summer basketball camp in Chennai. Students and faculty will learn about the intersection of classroom learning and sports in a range of public/private schools in and around Chennai. The design of the program will include site visits and one-day basketball camps at 5 different schools, host family stays with families from the American International School of Chennai, reading and discussing articles about India’s culture as well as the role of sports in any culture, and visiting historic cultural sites. One goal is for participants to better understand the roles of education and athletics in a context very different from Andover. Building on that, we will design a process (including a writing curriculum) for each participant to reflect upon their own education and involvement in sports at Andover and beyond. Additionally, we hope that this experience will have a profound impact on building trust and team spirit within the two varsity teams especially just prior to the start of their seasons.