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Letter Jackets/Patches

Determining Lettering Criteria For Your School

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lettering criteria

As a coach, sponsor, administrator or principal – you are often tasked with determining what criteria qualifies a student for lettering in a sport or program. There are many considerations for this determination, and we’re here to help.

There are three things you look to accomplish by offering letter jackets to your students:

  1. Reward & recognize students for their achievements and contributions to the school.
  2. Encourage students who are not yet participating in a program to join.
  3. Incentivize current program participants to excel & meet goals.

Understanding the purpose of letter jackets, how do you decide what qualifies a student to letter? Does everyone in the program receive a jacket?

Lettering criteria is important to a school and its programs. Lettering requirements need to be an accomplishment that is earned and that a student feels proud to have achieved. Making the jacket too obtainable can demean the hard work of high-achieving students and discourage participants from striving toward growth.

Simply put, lettering criteria sets the bar for student expectations and performance. Create standards for your students with your recognition policies.

So, what are you trying to accomplish in your program? This is how you determine your lettering qualifications.

  • Participation? Set lettering criteria for all Juniors in the program.
  • Academic excellence? Make a grade point average requirement part of lettering.
  • Performance? Choose qualifiers and benchmarks for performance you’d like to see in your students.
  • Commitment? Choose a number of years of participation as a requirement for lettering.
  • Well-roundedness? Set goals for cross-program participation.

The bottom line is that the criteria for lettering in your program is dependent upon the goals you would like to achieve. Setting a criterion for lettering is important to assign value and even the playing field for hard working and high achieving students.

Shape your student body by setting a standard of excellence in the areas you want to see your school succeed and excel.

Lettering In Real Life

Here are some examples of what other schools are implementing in their programs.

Academics

  • GPA of 3.5 or ACT Scores of 26 or higher.
  • 1 honors class, 1 AP class and a minimum GPA of 3.5
  • National Merit Scholars
  • Literary Rally participation

Sports

  • Number of quarters, innings, or minutes played
  • # of points earned at an event
  • Length of time on the team
  • # of sports programs participated in

Theater

  • Presentation in 3-5 productions
  • Participation in the theater program for at least 2 years

Band

  • Participation in both marching and concert band.
  • Representing the school in a state or district honor band.
  • Becoming 1st chair of a band section.

Other Clubs

  • Number of service hours performed.
  • Participation in the activity at a competitive level.
  • Holding an office in the club or program.

Do you play a role in your school or program’s lettering process? The Recognition Company would love to help you navigate the qualifications for your students. Whether lettering is new to your program or you’d like to re-evaluate your goals in an existing one, let’s brainstorm together.

(866) 924-2778
orders@therecognitionco.com

What Can Letter Jackets Do For Your School?

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The tradition of letterman jackets began on the Harvard baseball team in the nineteenth century as students that performed exceptionally well were recognized by wearing a uniform with an “H” embroidered on the back. Styles and times have changed. What was once a thick, knitted pullover has now transitioned to a wool button-down jacket with patches and other customization. But the value held in the concept of lettering transcends fashion trends and university sports programs. 

Bestowing a tangible symbol of recognition on Harvard baseball players who performed with excellence was motivating, and the same is true today. 

Beyond Baseball

Acknowledging success and good performance in high school students is an encouraging and effective practice. At The Recognition Company, we want to help schools and businesses create environments that breed acknowledgment of hard work and accomplishment. For this type of culture to be manifested, gestures of acknowledgement must extend beyond stereotypical sports recognition. 

Letter jackets are commonly awarded within major sports programs at a school- such as football, baseball or basketball. It is common for a student to become eligible for a jacket once reaching a varsity status in their sport of choice. However, students of different interests and talents excel in a large variety of competitive avenues. 

letter jacket program

In recent years, the state of New Jersey took a large step by instituting a law making any group that competes against another school eligible for letters. 

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who co-sponsored the bill, said in a news release, “Varsity letters signify sacrifice and accomplishment. They should not be limited to athletes in traditional sports. Awarding a varsity letter to everyone who distinguishes themselves and their high school in interscholastic competitions is only fair… It is time to include other competitive activities that require the same level of commitment, dedication, teamwork, and school pride.” 

What Can Letter Jackets Do For Your Program? 

We have to agree that hard work should be acknowledged for all students. Such encouragement develops character and an environment of motivation. that could lead to a shift in overall culture in your school.

letter jacket program

This is important for the leadership of a school to consider. Whether you are an athletic director, principal, club sponsor or dedicated teacher- small gestures like these can have a large impact on your student body.

Diversifying acknowledgement builds up a new group of students, but also creates unity by communicating to students of different interests and social groups that talent and excellent work are valuable in a variety of fields. Not just a selected few. 

A student body’s perspective and atmosphere can be driven from the top. If you are a leader at a school, consider implementing new processes for rewarding students across the board as a mechanism for increasing the school’s overall health. 

“A varsity letter is a source of pride, earned through tireless effort, fierce determination, and unwavering commitment. By opening the opportunity for a letter to more students, schools are strengthened and student outcomes are enhanced. Extracurricular activities are an integral part of education. The benefits of competing with schoolmates against peers from other schools – on the playing field or in the auditorium – cannot be overstated.” -Assemblyman Parker Space of New Jersey

The Recognition Co makes it seamless to institute the letterman jacket process at your school. We provide the catalogs, take the orders, and keep all order records for your students to make it as easy as possible on your school staff. You can browse letter jacket styles and ask for more information at therecognitionco.com, (866) 924-2778 or orders@therecognitionco.com