Isabel Garcia
Season well spent! With the NCAL season closing Advisor Tia D'Saro hands out a recognition awards to student Kassandra Yanez, 12, to celebrate the growth she's accomplished throughout the season.
After several years of disruption due to COVID-19, North County Academic League is making a comeback under the leadership of longtime advisor Tia D’Saro. For the first time in the club’s history, a newly elected group of officers is leading the team, focusing on rebuilding and preparing for competitions starting in January 2024. NCAL practices were held during lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays as they geared up for the season.
D’Saro, a graduate alumnus, has been advising since 2016 and introduced officers this year, providing more structure to a previously informal leadership approach. Along with this new leadership, the club has also launched its first-ever JV team, creating more opportunities for students of all experience levels to get involved.
“We almost won a couple of games, which they don’t feel is an accomplishment, but I do because that gap was a real thing,” D’Saro said.
The season started with uncertainty. With a rocky start and the growing pains of a new leadership structure, every challenge became a lesson. The team faced a significant deficit, as other schools had a head start, running their programs during the years when NCAL was unable to recruit members. Members leaned on each other, learned to adapt, and slowly gained confidence in their roles. Despite this gap, the team almost won a couple of games, which represented the hard-earned progress they’d made in such a short amount of time. The JV team also found their rhythm, stepping into competitions with courage and curiosity. Despite their efforts, the team didn’t come away with any wins, but the experience was rich in growth.
“My role has allowed me to contribute my time and efforts in growing the club, playing against other schools and fundraising. Contributing my efforts, I have grown the club significantly, not only making the team bigger but making it a family,” Club member, Noel Sanchez, 12, said.
As the season came to a close, the team got together for one last meeting to commemorate not only the leaving senior student officers but the team as a whole. JV and Varsity side by side, laughing and planning next year’s game plan.
“I felt accomplished, I maintained my dedication to a club which didn’t have many victories but kept a morale that most people wouldn’t have. We weren’t the underdogs, but we were laughing regardless of how many times we lost, and it made me proud to be a part of a cheerful group of people,” Social Media Manager, Emilio Aguilar, 12, said.