New Bedford Public Schools expands middle school athletics

Six new teams added at Keith, Normandin and Roosevelt Middle Schools.

New Bedford Public Schools along with Play Ball Foundation continues to expand athletic offerings at its three middle schools with pla­ns for additional team sports in the coming school year. Keith, Normandin and Roosevelt Middle Schools saw increased capacity in their athletic programs this past school year.

Thomas Tarpey, NBPS Director of Athletics, stated, “We have expanded our middle school athletic program adding more teams from each school, which resulted in more students having the opportunity to play Flag Football and Volleyball. Each of our three middle schools added a team to both sports, which has resulted in two Flag Football teams and two Volleyball Teams from each middle school.”

The expansion of Flag Football and Volleyball complements the existing team sports offered at the middle school level, including Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Basketball and Wrestling.

The addition of Cross Country at all three Middle Schools is planned for the new school year. New Bedford Public Schools will also be offering Team Basketball at the Elementary School level.

The Play Ball Foundation creates opportunities for middle school students to have sports experiences in middle school that are key to increasing school engagement for kids in a vital period of development. Play Ball supports its partner districts and provides funds to ensure the leagues run well.