DGN’s newest P.E. class isn’t just promoting physical health – it’s giving students the opportunity to pursue a career and earn money. The Sports Officiating class aims to provide students with a knowledge of various sports and their rules in order to prepare students to become certified officials at the park district or IHSA level.

The Sports Officiating course was proposed at the District 99 Board of Education meeting Dec. 2, 2019, by the P.E. Department Chairs of DGN and DGS, Courtney White and Scott Lange.

After its approval by the Board that year, the class was introduced to DGN and DGS curriculum during the 2020-21 school year.

The students taking Sports Officiating who are interested in a job are recommended as candidates for officiating positions at the Park District.

“Kids are having a direct link to somewhere where they can actually put these skills to use,” White said.

Taught by P.E. teacher Tonya Giannone, the semester-long class currently only has enough enrollment for one section during the 2021-22 school year.

“Right now, we’ve only had enough [students] in the spring semester, which is soccer and basketball,” Giannone said, “If we have enough students to enroll in a fall semester, [we would teach] football, baseball and softball.”

White, who officiates part-time himself, hopes that more students will take advantage of the opportunity this class provides for students to obtain a consistent form of income.

“Being a referee is actually super easy because it’s 100% flexible,” White said. “You can get as much work or as little work as you want.”

The structure of the class is similar to most other DGN P.E. classes in which students are regularly participating in physical activity through sports, namely soccer and basketball. Its distinctive element is the hands-on instruction it provides simulating a real officiating experience.

“At the beginning of the week we learn how fouls work or how out-of-bounds plays work, then from Wednesday to Friday, some people will play while some officiate and run the clock,” junior P.E. leader Suzette Alvarez said.

Even for students who have had prior experience playing sports taught in the class, the structure of Sports Officiating aims to challenge them to learn the ins and outs of all aspects of the game.

“The unique or interesting part [of the class] that a lot of students are experiencing is that [officiating] is a lot different than just playing, it’s understanding the game at a different level,” Giannone said.

Junior Tim Wise is currently enrolled in the class and plans to use the skills he is learning to officiate at the Park District beginning this summer, as well as become an IHSA official when he is 18 years old.

“Most of us weren’t that confident in our calls yet, so it made it a bit nerve-racking to be a referee,” Wise said, noting the time it takes to be comfortable officiating after starting the class. “[Many of us students] have progressed a lot and are starting to be confident and strict with our calls.”

Senior Kyla Wilkerson, a member of the varsity basketball team at DGN, took the class second semester of the 2020-21 school year because of her interest in the sport and sees this class as an avenue for students to learn lifelong, applicable career skills and encourages other students to enroll.

“It’s fun, you get to learn how to officiate sports and you can make money off of it,” Wilkerson said. “It’s a win-win situation.”

This story was originally published on DGN Omega on January 27, 2022.