Sports Servants has long seen that schools are an incredible foundation in which to root organized sports because of their community emphasis and pre-existing structure. However, it’s been difficult at times to convince administrators of these priorities because of the need to focus on academics and behavior. Fortunately, what Jesus Ek helped us start in San Narciso RC School and over the years with summer camp has garnered the attention of many of his colleagues and many surrounding schools and villages. One of which is San Victor RC School, just a few miles down the road from San Narciso.

Mr. Benito Pantin, the principal of San Victor, had heard about the programs, but he had also seen the growth of his students who had attended summer camp. In 2009 he brought several kids to camp and watched our programs from the sidelines. Mr. Pantin quickly confirmed that this program was not only good, but also beneficial to the children. The love, values, and structure infused into the programs were unlike anything they had seen. Without hesitation Mr. Pantin assigned three of his teachers to attend our coaching training in August and formally agreed to begin a Sports Servants program at his school. He even came to get trained as well.

With the training under their belt and the guidance of our Belizean Coordinator Jesus Ek, San Victor started the school program in October of 2009. He believes the program can better academic performance, create healthier children, improve discipline, and create an avenue for children to receive spiritual direction by experiencing the values and life skills as opposed to just hearing about them. An advantage to Belizean schools is the inclusion of church and state within the public system. So San Victor can emphasize spiritual growth as a component of their life skills curriculum.