My Personal Thoughts

Academic Varsity Letters are great for those students, like me who are physically unable to play a sport, or prefer to explore academic interests over the pursuit of physically involved activities.

I am a strong believer in the words of FIRST founder Dean Kamen;

"FIRST is more than robots. The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect- of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first season, with a vision, with confidence, and with a sense that they can create their own future".

This same principle applies to Academic Varsity Letters. They are a method to allow students to find who they are and what they want to do, all while earning something for it. In psychology, we learn about the concept of reinforcements for behavior. These are things that strengthen the behavior. The letter could be seen in this same vein. It reinforces the behavior and acts a reward for fulfilling guidelines set forth, typically in a handbook.