According to a school-wide video presentation during PRIME today, the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League is requiring the Associated Student Body to draft a plan to promote sportsmanship among students, which the league will then approve.

Additionally, if any poor sportsmanship occurs at future games this year, SCVAL will consider putting more punishments in place.

The presentation included introductions from varsity field-hockey player and senior Kellyn Scheel and varsity football player and senior Vainga Mahe, followed by clips of other student-athletes describing the importance of sportsmanship at school. There was also a pre-recorded slideshow defining sportsmanship and giving examples of sportsmanlike/unsportsmanlike behavior.

At the end of this presentation, Kline announced the official sanctions affecting Paly students attending sporting events for the 2022-23 school year.

The restrictions came to be after Paly students stormed the Gunn bleachers at the Sept. 9 Paly-Gunn Varsity football game.

Kline also emphasized a need for better sportsmanship at the upcoming homecoming game against Homestead on Friday.

“As a fan, your role is to support your team throughout the entire context,” Kline said. “And you need to only manage your own behavior.”

Senior Andy Robinson said he did not find the slideshow part of the presentation particularly helpful.

“It repeated sentiments that I feel are pretty obvious,” Robinson said. “Paly students should understand the consequences of the storming of the Gunn stands.”

However, he said that there wasn’t a much better alternative than the slideshow.

“What else are they gonna do?” Robinson said. “It’ll have an impact, but people … already made up their minds [about sportsmanship and sanctions] the first week after it happened.”

Junior Gerardo Becerra suggested some potential changes for future communications.

“Maybe just not show the video, just have the principal tell us what to do,” Becerra said.

Sophomore Juliana Healy was more optimistic about the impact of this presentation, saying that some people needed to hear the message about sportsmanship repeated.

“Stricter enforcements that they’re putting in place will definitely help people to stay in check, and force us to not do something like that [behavior at Paly-Gunn game] again,” Healy said.