“The students are engaged, they ask questions, and I’ve been happy to see them apply it,” King said. “I’ve also had complete support from coaches. They have given me access to their practices, games and postgame talks. They have not restricted me in any way as far as me interacting with their programs and that’s been exciting and rewarding.”

Dave Breitenbucher coaches girls tennis in the fall, boys basketball in the winter, and boys tennis in the spring at the High School. He says he has seen a number of positive changes on his teams.

“At first I wondered what the training was going to look like and if there was going to be conflict with what King was teaching and with what I was teaching, but it’s just been great,” Breitenbucher said. “I’ve seen a real willingness from my captains to go to the next level with leadership that I haven’t seen before. During the basketball season I saw a willingness of the captains to step in and help the coaches when there were issues. Something has definitely changed here.”

The conversations around leadership have also caused St. Louis Park coaches to rethink how they select captains for their teams. Ewald said that several years ago he attended a workshop where it was stated that 85 percent of athletic team captains are selected for the wrong reasons, including popularity, seniority and skill in a specific sport. “We want our head coaches to be more intentional and more purposeful and take more time with how we’re selecting these leaders (captains) for our programs,” Ewald said.

Class of 2018 Seniors Maddie Lund and Jonny Sorenson were both multi-sport athletes and captains. Lund played tennis and lacrosse, while Sorenson was quarterback of the football team that made the school’s first state tournament appearance last fall, and also played hockey and baseball.

“I think he (King) connects with us because he’s a down to earth guy and he really wants us to improve, not only as captains of our athletic teams, but using these qualities in life and becoming better people,” Sorenson said.

The initiative’s value extends beyond athletics; it also falls in line with key parts of the district’s mission which strives to “prepare all students to contribute to society; offer high quality opportunities for lifelong learning; provide multiple pathways to excellence; and challenge all learners to meet high standards.”

“We’re learning really basic life skills such as listening, communication, patience, and opening yourself up and finding vulnerabilities,” Lund said. “Whether it’s with starting a family, building a career, or continuing with athletics later in life, all of these skills we are learning are really important with anything you do.”

High School Principal Scott Meyers commends Ewald for starting this initiative.

“Athletic directors like Andy already have a full plate to ensure that our athletic programs run smoothly,” Meyers said. “I really applaud him for finding the time

and resources to undertake an initiative like this that positively impacts our athletic teams and gives students an opportunity to learn critical life skills.”

“It’s easy to say I want to see all of our programs win state championships. The competitive aspect is part of it, but I think what’s more important is our student athletes are developing as young men and women,” Ewald said.

“I think a lot of schools would like to do something like this, but just haven’t been able to figure out the logistics of it,” King said. “What we are doing here shows that it can be done, that it is being done, and that St. Louis Park is really on the cutting edge of forward thinking as it relates to leadership.”

Sara Thompson is the director of communications and community relations, St. Louis Park Public Schools.