Ramon Batts, the athletic director at Harshman Middle School, was also educated in the Indianapolis Public Schools system. He is a 1990 graduate of Arsenal Technical High School.
In addition to his duties at Harshman, he is also one of the co-hosts of “Harambee” radio show on WTLC-AM (1310) on Saturday mornings.
Coach E: How many male and female sports teams do you have at Harshman?
Ramon Batts: With more than 200 students participating in at least one sport, we field 12 total male and female sports here at Harshman: track (G/B), baseball, softball, basketball (G/B), volleyball, football, soccer (G/B), tennis (G/B)
How many middle school championships has Harshman won this year?
We have won a total of 10 championships thus far in the school year.
Harshman has changed as a school, please describe the changes.
Harshman has been converted to the Math, Science, Engineering and World Language Magnets. The focus of the school has been academics, academics and academics. Students are expected to learn on a high level, which has been a great partner to athletics.
What are the academic, behavior and attendance requirements to participate in sports?
We have the same academic, behavior and attendance requirements as the high schools and the IHSAA. Students have to maintain a 2.0 grade point (C average) and have to be in school 95 percent of the time.
How do you encourage community, parent and staff participation?
One of the things we do is have each athlete, parent and coach sign what we call the Harshman Athletic Family Agreement. In this agreement, it highlights the expectations we have and what parents should expect from the coaches and athletic program as whole.
We also partner with the John H. Boner Center as they provide the student/athletes with snacks right after school to help keep them focused and energized.
How do sports impact middle school students?
Middle school sports are very vital in the development of a child. One of the things I teach our student/athletes is whatever you do at home and in the classroom transfers over to the field of play.
What do you have in place to develop your kids academically, physically, mentally and socially?
All of our coaches are required to hold study tables weekly. We are fortunate to have teachers volunteer their time to tutor during those study tables.
We hire coaches who are not just concerned about winning, but who are also concerned about developing our players for the next level. At the same time, our coaches spend time talking to our student/athletes about matters, not related to sports.
