Alternative school team bumps up girls' confidence

Taisha Roberts, 17, chucks the volleyball into the air and eyes it as it barrels over the net and pounds the wall.

"That was in. It hit the line," she says with a laugh.

Tazzie, as her friends call her, is more of a basketball player. She played on Central's team as a freshman and sophomore, before her grades began to slip. She now attends the Alternative Education Center.

Students who attend the center are not eligible to play on Central's teams because the center is considered an entity in itself, not an extension of the high school.

Until last month, the alternative school did not have any athletic teams. But now Roberts has something to occupy her time after school -- intramural volleyball practice for the Lady Guards.

The team was started by Becky Kelley, a volunteer for the Juvenile Office who studied teen truancy and realized "something had to be done to keep these girls in school."

About 10 girls showed up for the first practice, and have gotten to work on the basics. Most had never played volleyball before, and are admittedly rough around the edges.

"I pray that we get better," Roberts said. "When summer comes, I hope we win. I know we'll win."

The team has a goal of playing in the Osage Community Centre's summer league.

Until then, they plan on playing anybody they can find: a team of police officers, possibly a team of juvenile officers, maybe some National Guard servicemen.

Multiple businesses and organizations -- including New Vision Counseling, Wal-Mart, the National Guard, the Osage Centre and Howard's Athletic Goods -- have stepped in to provide balls, kneepads, uniforms and bandages.

Kelley, a criminal justice student at Southeast Missouri State University, wants the girls to learn more than the sport.

She's distributed Life Books, with team rules and dos and don'ts.

The first page lists the definition of respect.

Every practice starts with a pep talk and discussion. Members are encouraged to write in a diary Kelley gave them.

"She wants us to know that if one fails, we all fail; if one succeeds, we all succeed," said Nikki Ware, Kelley's 17-year-old daughter. Kelley's other children, Nathan Kelley, 10, and Aleisha Kelley, 11, serve as ball-runners for the team.

Girls shout encouragements or reminders to each other: "bend them knees," "let's go, ladies" or "hit it, baby" are common.

Monday was Starshia Cendroski's first practice. The 15-year-old dropped out of school last year. She enrolled in the alternative school this semester, and heard about the volleyball team through a friend.

"Yeah, I'll be back," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123