Objective: Conduct research on a relevant social issue and produce a series of stories on people who are affected by that issue. 

Insight: Difference in funding of public and private high school athletic programs affect more than just the school.

Strategy: Share personal experiences within public and private athletic programs to understand the impact it could have on a community.

Katie Gruys grew up in Maple Lake, Minnesota and went to Annadale High School participating in basketball and track and field. As a freshman at the University of Oregon, Katie did not know where her athletic career was headed. One day, the women’s basketball coach, Kelly Graves, witnessed her shooting in the Student Recreation center. He was intrigued with her natural ability on the court and proceeded to asked her to take a chance and try out for his team. She was then awarded a spot on the University of Oregon’s Women’s Basketball Team and played all 4 years. Her love for the game lead to her to earning a graduate assistant position at Clemson University’s Women’s Basketball Team. She now owns her own private coaching program, Kid Grit, and is the assistant women’s basketball coach at Willamette University. This audio story is her high school athletic career when she attended a public high school and what it is like to coach and play for a private school: