Bringing Cricket to DCIS

Lukas Lopez-Jensen
Passages 2
Burns
February 14th, 2018

I. Introduction
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At the end of my sophomore year, my AP World History class celebrated the course’s
completion by watching the bollywood movie Lagaan. The plot of the movie was
essentially that in 1893, an Indian village undergoing a drought had an unfairly high tax
(lagaan) imposed on it, and the overseeing British government challenged the villagers to
a game of cricket to attempt to repeal the tax. My class and I, after watching the movie,
were lead by Mr. Munoz onto DCIS’s field for a game of cricket to finish the year, and
the subsequent game was unforgettably fun. When the time came for me to complete an
activity passage, it seemed only natural to try and replicate that enjoyment and interest in
an international sport for my community. Over the course of this passage, I intend to start
a coed, high school cricket club that meets weekly to learn the rules and history of
cricket, and to eventually play a game of cricket either against another school or against
each other, if we’re unable to find an opponent. This will require me to prepare lessons to
educate my peers about cricket; buy cricket equipment not already owned by the school;
officialize a cricket team for DCIS; and potentially organize a game against another team.
After each club meeting, I will annotate my progress towards creating a full team and
organizing a game, as one of many sources of documentation for this passage. If the
support and resources I receive over the course of this passage prove to be sustainable, I
intend to continue this endeavor into my senior year.
II. GPS Domains
Through this passage, I will investigate the world by learning and teaching about a sport
played on every continent inhabited by humans. The lessons I create will incorporate my
learning about this foreign subject into a pedagogical form, and I will relay my newfound
knowledge onto others. This presentation of information, both on the history of the sport
and how it’s played, will allow me to communicate ideas to club members in a clear and
understandable way. Additionally, I intend to advertise my club through Wednesday
Voices and the All School Meeting, communicating the ideas of when and where the club
will meet. I will recognize perspectives by understanding and teaching different playing
styles of cricket, as well as adapting the scheduling of my club meetings to fit the
availability of most members. Finally, I will take action by creating what I hope to be a
lasting club at DCIS, teaching people the history and rules of a new sport, officializing
the resulting team, and ideally organizing a game against another school.
III. Form
The form of my passage will be the existence of the club itself, as well as the resulting
events of any games we play with each other and/or other schools. Additionally, my
presentations for club meetings and reflections on the progression of my passage will be
created as more tangible forms for the passage.

IV. Learning Objectives

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Objective Activity

To improve my leadership skills Starting a new club/team, in which I will be

responsible for all lesson plans, activities,
team building, etc while managing a group of
(at least) 10 people.

To become a better cricket player Practicing cricket while playing with the new
team.

To become a better cricket coach/teacher Creating lessons where I instruct people on

the origins of cricket and how to play it well.

To learn how to officially organize a cricket Doing all the necessary paperwork and
team organization surrounding the creation of a
high school sports team, including recognition
across schools and accountability forms for
players. (If the DPS cricket presence isn’t
significant, this process will only have to go
as far as becoming a club recognized by
DCIS.)

To exit my comfort zone and actually play Joining my first sports team.
team sports

To create a new, lasting part of the DCIS Founding a cricket club I hope to continue
community leading my senior year and eventually appoint
a successor to lead the club in future
generations.

V. Timeline
Estimated Date Description of Activity Documentation
2/15 Committee Meeting Signatures
Week of 2/19 Research Cricket/Finish Club Presentation Presentation
2/21 Wednesday Voices Announcement Begins Announcement
3/2 All School Meeting Announcement Begins Announcement
2/24 and 2/25 Buy Cricket Equipment (Ball, Bat, maybe Wickets) Equipment
3/3 and 3/4 Prepare Notes for First Club Meeting Presentation
3/7 Hold First Club Meeting for Prospective Players Attendance
3/7 Wednesday Voices Announcement Ends N/A
3/8 Reflect on First Club Meeting Reflection
3/10 and Prepare Notes for Second Club Meeting Presentation
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3/11

3/14 Hold Second Club Meeting Attendance

3/15 Reflect on Second Club Meeting Reflection
3/16 All School Meeting Announcement Ends N/A
3/17 and 3/18 Prepare Notes for Third Club Meeting Presentation
3/21 Hold Third Club Meeting, Enforce Commitment Commitment Forms
Spring Break Encourage Members to Keep Training/Learning N/A
4/4 Hold Fourth Club Meeting, Begin Training Attendance
4/5 Reflect on Fourth Club Meeting Reflection
4/11 Hold Fifth Club Meeting, Continue Training Attendance
4/12 Reflect on Fifth Club Meeting Reflection
4/18 Hold Sixth Club Meeting, Continue Training Attendance
4/19 Reflect on Sixth Club Meeting Reflection
4/25 Hold Seventh Club Meeting, Continue Training Attendance
4/26 Reflect on Seventh Club Meeting Reflection
5/2 Hold Eighth Club Meeting, Continue Training Attendance
5/3 Reflect on Eighth Club Meeting Reflection
5/? Organize Cricket Game/Skirmish Game/Skirmish
5/?+1 Reflect on Cricket Game/Skirmish Reflection

VI. Preparations
To complete this passage, I will need:
1. Cricket equipment such as wickets, bails, bats, a ball, and possibly uniforms/protective
gear. Some of this can be provided by DCIS.
2. A computer/internet connection to plan and present my lessons.
3. A binder, paper, and pencil with which to record my progress and reflections.
4. Advertisement through the Wednesday Voices and All School Meeting.
5. A space to hold club meetings and a teacher sponsor to supervise them (ideally Munoz,
Crossley, or Tallmadge).
6. Information on the proper process of starting a high school sports team as well as the
necessary documentation.
7. The help of my passages committee members, who will (ideally) be:
A. Crossley
B. Tallmadge
C. Daniel McCorquodale
D. Manuel Macias
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VII. Anticipated Challenges and Personal Growth

The greatest challenges I anticipate with this passage are in gaining public interest and
officializing the team. The first, more important challenge will be to get 10 high school
students to express interest in and commit to a sport they may have never heard of (unless
they’ve completed AP World History). Without a full team, my passage will be
immensely hindered, and later actions in this proposal will be very difficult to complete.
This is why I will be relying heavily on my 3 week advertising campaign to recruit club
members. The second challenge will be to make DCIS cricket officially recognized,
because at the writing of this proposal, I don’t know how to create a high school sports
team recognized by the district. If the cricket team does not become recognized across
schools, this will not be as serious as the first challenge to overcome: DCIS cricket
players can still learn the sport and compete with each other within the school. However,
I hope to conquer this challenge and expand the reach of the cricket team with the help of
my committee, some of which I know to have involvement with high school sports.
Finally, I will also be stepping outside of my comfort zone by playing high school team
sports, which I have (ironically) never officially done before. I hope to overcome this by
playing a sport I am becoming comfortable with in a familiar setting, and by immersing
myself in the challenge. The first step of my passage after my committee meeting will be
to find and buy basic cricket equipment, which may be a challenge to fund.