With three hundred dollars a person can buy a Samsung Chromebook, a prom dress, or a whole lot of pizza. However, many Scituate High School students are spending money to play a sport. Each athlete has to pay three hundred dollars per sports season, and students participating in clubs must pay one hundred dollars per year.

The Scituate Public School website states, “A $300.00 activity fee per sport with a family cap of $900.00 is due from each student-athlete.” Nevertheless, few student athletes seem to know where their money is going.

According to principal Wargo, most schools decide on the athletic fee based on the cost needed to run the program. The fees go toward coaches’ salaries, game officials, and bus drivers. If it is necessary, the money may also go toward uniforms and equipment for student athletes.

Wargo also explained that all of the money students pay to play a sport is divided based on need. For example, sports like hockey require more funding than others because there is a cost for rink time. Should students pay a universal fee? Or should they pay based on how much their sport requires? Many students do not believe it is fair to pay for other sports, but whether or not it’s fair to charge someone because of the sport they play is unclear.

Many student athletes stated that they disagree with paying for the sports because they were unaware where their money was going. Senior Samantha Dwyer, who plays on the Scituate softball team, said, “I don’t want to pay for a sport I’m not playing.”  But that’s exactly what some students are doing because the fees go to multiple sports, not just the specific sport a student plays.

“Some sports get more money than others do and I think it’s unfair,” said sophomore Christina Pelletier, who is a member of SHS cheerleading team.     As a public school, SHS needs an athletic fee to balance the cost of sports. Many high school students enjoy the school athletics, whether it’s playing a sport or attending a match. Principle Wargo said, “[Sports are] invaluable; what you learn from being a member of a team is tremendous.” He went on to say that sports are important in building school pride. The athletic fee allows sports to be a part of students’ lives.