There’s one Nysmith family known for getting its kicks on the soccer field. The Stansbury team—7th grader Jake, 5th grader Maddie and 2nd grader Meredith—scores more than its share of goals while also earning high marks in the classroom. According to soccer mom/chauffeur Jennifer, part of her children’s sporting success is a logical extension of the life lessons and interpersonal skills they learned from their teachers at Nysmith.

“All of the Nysmith teachers—and with three kids I’ve had occasion to get to know a lot of them—are extremely nurturing,” explained Jennifer. “They help instill confidence in all the kids and teach them to speak up and not be afraid to engage in conversation in any circumstance. Each of mine is a good listener in class and that translates to being an attentive player that the coach wants and a well-liked teammate as well.”

All three of the young Stansbury’s recently spent an entire week improving their soccer skills at a FC Barcelona training camp in Spain. The once-in-a-lifetime experience was impossible to pass up, but there were those who wondered if and how missing close to 10 class days might put them far behind in their schoolwork. Not to worry, according to Jake, who gave major kudos to all his teachers for working with him to make sure he stayed on top of everything. As he said, “I think it’s remarkable that every single one of my and my sister’s teachers was so understanding in making sure we didn’t miss anything. I can’t imagine getting that sort of support in public school!”