Handball

Group Members:
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Camden Ostrander
Matthew Meagher
Zachary Sheaffer
Trevor Kline

Estimated Total Cost: $760

Project Description:
Our project, Handball intends to combat the obesity epidemic that is affecting
adolescents by increasing their activity through the sport of handball. Statistics from
the Center for Disease Control reveal that obesity in adolescents has quadrupled in the
last thirty two years. We have identified this as a problem that we can address in an
exciting and engaging way. In addition to fighting obesity, our project will help the
children develop the teamwork skills that are prized in the workforce today. Finally, we
will teach the students how to properly stretch before exercising, and we will teach them
about the international sport of handball.
Handball will be implemented at Westminster West Middle School, located on 60
Monroe Street. We believe that middle school students are a prime focus group because
their ages mark the beginning of the adolescent period. We intend to teach the children
good exercise habits to prevent the onset of obesity. We will begin our program in the
spring semester of 2015, with practices occurring every Friday at 4:00, weather
permitting.
The members of our group will lead the program at Westminster West Middle
School. Each member of our group has an extensive athletic background, as well as a
comprehensive understanding of handball. We will teach the students the rules of the
sport prior to beginning any gameplay. An emphasis will be placed on proper warm-up
methods, and each session will begin with a ten minute warm-up and conclude with a
five minute cool down. Injury prevention is of the utmost importance to our group, and
the techniques that we teach the children will be applicable to any athletic event they
pursue. Our group members will serve as the coaches and referees for the games, and
little contact will be tolerated.
We expect our project to improve the health of the students, and teach them the
merits of teamwork. We hope that their experiences playing handball will encourage
them to pursue other athletic endeavors. We believe that the program will educate the
students about the proper ways to warm-up and prevent injuries while active. The
students will also be informed about the history of handball and its prevalence in foreign
cultures. We also anticipate that their participation in physical activity will boost their
self-esteem. Studies have shown that just 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day not

only improves physical health, but also reduces stress and anxiety. We expect to engage
the students in what will be, at the very least, an exciting activity.
When: Spring Semester 2015
Personal Interest:
Trevor Kline: Trevor has spent countless hours working with the Key Club at his school
to remain active in his community. Some of his fondest memories were volunteering in
the community with his friend, most notably their Christmas Caroling in Messiah
Village, a nearby assisted living community. He also has spent an extensive amount of
time volunteering his services as a tennis coach to children. This inspired his interest
for this project so that he can once again assist the youth in athletic endeavors.
Matthew Meagher: Matt volunteered three times a week at Ballenger Creek Middle
School last fall in a Math class tutoring students and assisting the teacher. Matt was also
a three-sport athlete in high school and is currently on the McDaniel College wrestling
team so he is well acquainted with proper exercise practices.
Camden Ostrander: Camden established the Knights FC youth goalkeeping program in
Silver Spring, MD, helping underprivileged young soccer players learn the position of
goalkeeper. He also coached multiple youth soccer teams, and is currently a member of
the McDaniel Mens Soccer team.
Zachary Sheaffer: Zac spent a lot of timing serving the community in his hometown of
Hanover. He volunteered at Hanover Street Elementary School for two hours a day
throughout his senior year, where he mentored students and helped them academically
(he even taught two of them English). He also volunteered at the Hanover Area Council
of Churches, where he worked at the soup kitchen. Zac also mentored and taught
baseball skills to youth players every Sunday for about two hours throughout the fall and
winter of his senior year. His other service activities included reading to elementary
students, cleaning up local state parks, going to retirement homes, spending days with
underprivileged youth and teaching them about basketball, and much more. He is
currently a member of the McDaniel baseball team, and he is looking forward to
working with the students of West Middle School.