INTRODUCTION
It is widely known that sport is essential for physical, cognitive, mental and social development. Sport is a fun way to learn values and lessons that last a lifetime.
The sporting philosophy of our institution is to feel sport as a tool and not an end in itself. Although results matter, we believe that this is not the fundamental thing. We believe in the participation of all our pupils, beyond the technique required for each discipline. We promote socialising and participatory sport, especially focusing on teamwork and the quest for collaborative solutions, since each one plays an important role in them.
UHS participates together with the different partner schools in all the activities organised by the Student Sports League (L.I.D.E.). It also invites various schools -and is invited- to activities with other schools, which are outside that League. The purpose is to strengthen and highlight the spirit of camaraderie in our pupils, favouring greater knowledge of their environment, while extending ties with other institutions.
Our School has an extended sport diversity throughout the year and is specific to pupils’ levels and years. We offer swimming from Kinder 5 to first grade, tennis (following the pedagogical guidelines of Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten), handball, basketball and volleyball.
As part of vector sports, we have athletics, rugby, football and hockey: all of them transversal activities throughout schooling. We work from 2nd grade onwards emphasising and enhancing pupils’ motor skills, starting the activities in a very playful way.
It must be noted that in school rugby we work with adapted regulations, emphasising teamwork, inclusion (as it is a mostly manual sport, everyone can play it), overcoming fears of contact. Although we cannot ignore the fact that it is a contact sport, we create a safe framework for a healthy practise. It teaches enduring values, good habits of camaraderie, autonomy and decision-making, among others.
Also, our institution has the “Life in Nature” Project from Kinder 5 to third year, inclusive. Pupils go camping to Pilar, Chascomús, Tandil, Ostende -for sport exchange trips- and Mendoza, for a study trip.
The trips, tours, and camps entail -beyond recreation and fun- the building of skills, aptitudes and attitudes that make for the comprehensive education of pupils: autonomy, effort, personal organisation, time management, solidarity, responsibility, contact with nature, camaraderie, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving and settlement of unforeseen situations; for this reason, it is a fundamental link in the education process of children.