ARIS Athletic Team Categories
The name ARIS Athletics will have three different Teams categories across the entire school. They will include

ARIS Varsity Teams: Our High School team will consist of only deserving secondary students in Years 9 to 13 who have met all the requirements and expectations of the ARIS Athletic program.
ARIS Middle School Teams: Our Middle School team will consist of only deserving secondary students in Years 7 to 9 who have met all the requirements and expectations of the ARIS Athletic program.
ARIS Primary Teams: Our Primary School team will consist of only deserving primary students in Years 5 to 6 who have met all the requirements and expectations of the ARIS Athletic program.

ARIS Team Numbers
The respective team categories will have a minimum and maximum number of spots available for student-athletes to be selected for.

ARIS Varsity Football: Maximum number of 15 and Minimum Number of 12
ARIS Varsity Basketball: Maximum number of 12 and Minimum Number of 10
ARIS Varsity Volleyball: Maximum number of 10 and Minimum Number of 8
ARIS Middle School Football: Maximum number of 20 and Minimum Number of 12
ARIS Middle School Basketball: Maximum number of 20 and Minimum Number of 12
ARIS Middle School Volleyball: Maximum number of 20 and Minimum Number of 8
ARIS Primary Football: Maximum number of 20 and Minimum Number of 12
ARIS Primary Basketball: Maximum number of 20 and Minimum Number of 12

Number of Season Games

Each season each of our teams, based on their category, will play a maximum number of games.
ARIS Varsity Teams: Maximum 20 games, Minimum 10 games
ARIS Middle School Teams: Maximum 10 games, Minimum 5 games
ARIS Primary School Teams: Maximum 5 games, Minimum 3 games.

Student-Athlete Requirements

ARIS Athletic program will only accept students into the Athletic Teams when they meet the minimum ARIS Athletics requirements and are ready and willing to work towards meeting all expectations of the program.

Requirements Needed To Become An ARIS Student-Athlete:

• Students must meet the minimum skill level required for the sport by attending the tryouts.
• Students must have a minimum average grade point of 4 across all subjects.
• Students must receive academic approval from the Head of School to confirm their ability and potential to maintain and improve their academic performance over the course of their participation in the athletic program.
• Students must receive character/behavioural approval from a minimum of three heads of department in the secondary school for secondary students or primary school for primary students.
• Some of the key behaviours to be approved include but are not limited to Self Management, Caring, Principled, Risk Taker, and Acts of Service
• Students must pass a physical examination by the school’s physician.
• Student-Athlete Eligibility
• All selected student-athletes will be given a probationary period of 2 weeks, after which their place on the team will be confirmed.

ARIS Athletic program will require active ARIS Student-Athletes to maintain bi-weekly eligibility on their various teams. This means that student-athletes must receive approval in academics, sports, and character from the respective department heads and coaches at either the secondary school or the primary school at the end of every 2 weeks to confirm that they are of good academic, sports and character standing to continue on the team. Department heads will be sent an eligibility sheet to complete and submit at the beginning of the second week of each month.

Student-athletes with a minimum of three concerns in any of the areas, either academic, sports, or character, will be placed on mandatory detention during team practice sessions the following week. Student-Athletes who are not eligible two or more times will be suspended from the team indefinitely until they can maintain eligibility for a month, after which they will be called back to the team.

ARIS Athletic Seasons

ARIS currently has three main seasons within each category. The athletic calendar will begin in Semester 1 August and end in Semester 2 May.
Season 1(August - November)
HS Volleyball Boys & Girls, MS Football Boys & Girls, Primary Basketball.
Season 2 (November - February):
HS Basketball Boys & Girls, MS Volleyball Boys & Girls, Primary Football
Season 3 (March - May):
HS Football Boys & Girls, MS Basketball Boys & Girls, Primary (Football & Basketball)
Athletic Affiliations
ARIS Athletic MS & HS teams currently compete in two affiliate school sports associations together with regular games with other schools and local club teams of Ghana throughout each academic year.

ARIS Athletics, as of 2023/24, will be involved in tournaments with these groups:
Association of International Certification of Schools (ASICS)
West African International Schools Activities and Leagues (WAISAL) *

Student-Athlete Support

Great responsibility requires excellent character, and ARIS will do everything possible to support our student-athletes to thrive in academics, sports, and leadership. Student-Athletes will be guided and mentored on a group and individual bases. Below are some of the activities that will support student-athletes.
Group Activities
Team Meetings
Year Level Meetings
General Student-Athlete Meetings
Field Trips
Team Camps
Individual Activities
Catch-up Meetings
Counselling & Guidance
Health & Fitness
Student-Athletes will be supported with guides and knowledge of healthy living habits that will boost their performance in the classroom, on the sports field, and their engagement within the ARIS community. Health habits and tips that will be focused on within the athletic program will include and not be limited to diet, sleep, fasting, substance abuse, mindfulness, strength and conditioning.

ARIS Athletics Behavior Guidelines

These guidelines are expectations on how ARIS student-athletes, coaches, fans, parents and staff conduct themselves at all times in and out of season.

Student-Athletes

ARIS Athletic Awards & Honours

At the end of the academic year, ARIS Athletic will organise an awards and honours night to celebrate student-athletes, coaches, and staff who have contributed greatly to the growth and spirit of ARIS through the athletic program. The awards will be given across all male and female team categories, with nominees and selected winners. Honours will be given to selected athletes, coaches, and staff based on merit and performance throughout their academic year.

Selection Process
Student-athletes will be selected as nominees or winners based on their level of work ethic, performance, and impact on the team under the category they have been nominated for. After consultation with the Athletic Coordinator, Coaches, Head of School, Teams, and Heads of Department, Student-athletes will first be nominated.

Awards & Honors Categories will be in both male and female categories for all the respective teams and include but are not limited to:

• Most Improved Student-Athlete: One that has shown great progress in sports skills, character, and performance over the course of the season.
• Inspirational Student-Athlete: One whose actions on and off the field has positively influenced the team and their community.
• Most Valuable Student-Athlete: One whose contributions on and off the field has positively impacted their team and the entire athletic program.
• All-Academic Student-Athlete Team: A selection of top academic performing student-athletes on the respective teams.
• Middle School Team of the Year: The middle school team that has most exemplified the values of ARIS on and off the field of play at the end of the academic year.
• High School Team of the Year: The high school team that has most exemplified the values of ARIS on and off the field of play at the end of the academic year.
• Student-Athlete of the Year: The student-athlete that has achieved remarkable success and contributed greatly to their teams and the entire school community at the end of the school year.
• Coaches Honours Award: Awarded to all active coaches during the academic year.
• Coach of the Year: Awarded to the coach whose team exemplified togetherness, community, and excellence with the majority of their players.
• Sports-Specific Awards: These are awards that pertain to a particular sport.The categories include Goal of the Year (Football), Shot of the Year ( Basketball), and Play of the Year ( Volleyball).
• These winners of the sports specific award will be determined by a general public vote via social media and within the school community.