Sixth graders Vitaly Hamza and Bryan Pham challenge for the ball during a Math/Soccer Club game at Explorer. Sixth grader Parker Bresler, eighth grader Gustavo Santos and seventh grader Eduardo Banuelos are also pictured.

Explorer’s Jose Ramos knows that if he isn’t passing math, he doesn’t get to play soccer.

Ramos, a seventh grader, is in the Math/Soccer Club at Explorer Middle School. The club rewards students for working hard in math class with permission to play soccer.

Students may earn a pass from their math teachers to play soccer after school twice a week as long as they’re turning in all of their homework and scoring well on tests.

“We were trying to find ways to motivate kids to do math, and soccer seemed to be something that made sense,” said school counselor Sally Cassidy. 

“We have kids from all over the world at our school, and because soccer is the world’s sport, we felt that it would be a win-win situation.”

Soccer is not offered in middle school in the Mukilteo School District, so without the club, many students at Explorer wouldn’t get to play.

“[Soccer] is provided in the community as Select, but most of our kids can’t afford that, so we had an idea to tie it all together;  the club would be their incentive to do well in math, and the kids would get their soccer program,” Cassidy said.

The club is a success.  Since the club’s start in 2006, Explorer has increased its math scores on Washington state assessments like the WASL.

“I’m already in honors math,” Ramos said.  “Before I joined the club I was just in regular math.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday, about 25 students with a pass for Math/Soccer Club play soccer on the school’s field from 3-4:15 p.m. 

Those days, the students pick teams and play one or two games with club adviser and game referee Kris Manning coaching from the sidelines.

They learn the fundamentals of the game, but don’t focus on soccer drills.  Instead, students learn the value of teamwork, respect and friendship.

“I used to coach Select soccer, and when I came out I thought it was going to be about developing their skills,” Manning said.

“But as the program continued, I realized it was really about providing them the opportunity to play and be kids.”

Seventh grader Ramon Ozuna joined the club because he wanted to learn how to play soccer.  He and his family emigrated from Puerto Rico last year.

“This is my first time playing soccer,” he said.  “We don’t play soccer in Puerto Rico, so I joined because I couldn’t find a baseball team, and I wanted to learn something new, too.”

Since joining the club, Ozuna has signed up for baseball, but continues to go to Math/Soccer Club because of his new friends and new love for soccer.

Twice a year, students in the club play against students in Voyager Middle School’s soccer club.  The games are scheduled to be held at Mariner High School.

“It’s the highlight of their year,” Manning said of the games.  “They get to step out on a real turf field and play with a ref, with their parents watching and everything.”

Sixth grader Cristal Gaitan usually plays goalie in the club.  She likes that she can challenge herself by blocking balls from students with differing skill levels.

“I never miss my homework, so I can come play soccer,” she said.  “It’s fun.”

Thanks to a grant from the South Everett-Mukilteo Rotary Club and donations from the community, the club has soccer shoes, pinnies and nets for the students to use.

“We still have kids playing in jeans and tennis shoes,” Manning said. “It’s really not about what they wear; they just have such a great time.”

Not only does the club help students focus on math, it helps build community at Explorer, Manning said.  Students from countries like Russia, Ukraine and Mexico play together on the field.

“This community needs soccer,” she said.  “Kids need something positive and structured to do after school when their parents are out working. 

“And when I see the smiles on their faces, I know how much it means to them.”