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Originally founded in the 1920s to regulate
athletic competition, the WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION (WHSAA)
has become much more than a regulatory agency. The WHSAA has survived
on the premise of providing service to all member schools while promoting,
coordinating, and controlling interscholastic activities in Wyoming.
The purpose of the WHSAA is to insure that
interscholastic activities in Wyoming are administered in a manner that
is safe and fair to all. The Association is matched in every state and
Canadian province by their own particular associations, all belonging
to the National Federation of State High School Associations, which provide
a means for State High School Associations to coordinate, to enhance,
and to protect their interscholastic programs.
The WHSAA is a private nonprofit association that is funded by membership
dues and the gate receipts from the various culminating events in each
activity. Membership is voluntary.

The mission of the WHSAA, both as a service
and regulatory organization, is to coordinate the efforts of the member
schools toward the ultimate objectives of interscholastic activities.
Unification through the WHSAA provides the means for member schools to
cooperate in protecting and enhancing their interscholastic programs to
more effectively serve students.
The WHSAA recognizes that the academic program must have top priority
in the educational process. While promoting the importance of the activities
program, the Association recognizes that activities should not overshadow
the emphasis placed on classroom work, but that the two should go hand-in-hand.

Any public or private high school accredited
by the Wyoming State Department of Education or which meets requirements
designated by the WHSAA Board of Directors may become member schools of
the WHSAA, which is guided by a Board of Directors and managed by a commissioner.
Elected by the vote of member schools for a three year term, the Board
members represent each classification and each of four geographic administrative
regions. In addition, two members elected by the Wyoming School Boards
Association and a staff person from the Wyoming State Department of Education
are voting members.
Rules pertaining to academic standards, transfer, awards, season limitations,
as well as other policies which govern Association activities, are adopted
by the Board of Directors, and are part of the By-Laws. Amendments to
the Constitution are voted on by each member school.

The WHSAA fosters leadership for students
through activities in fine arts, vocation education, and athletics. The
activity programs of the WHSAA are available to all Wyoming high school
students belonging to a member high school or affiliate member school.
The programs include art, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, drama,
football, golf, gymnastics, indoor track, journalism, music, skiing, soccer,
speech and debate, student council, swimming, tennis, track & field,
volleyball, and wrestling. In addition the WHSAA acts as the coordinating
agency for the vocational activities DECA, FBLA, FFA,
FCCLA, SkillsUSA, and WHAM.
The WHSAA sponsors culminating events leading to the determination of
team and/or individual champions in these activities and provides
trophies, medals, and certificates for the teams in these events.

The WHSAA believes that interscholastic
activities programs are essential to the education of youth, and therefore,
are an integral part of the school curriculum. By promoting activities,
the Association establishes its belief that Wyoming youth gain immeasurable
values from these programs and reaffirms its conviction that excellence
in education can be achieved through activities.
The values of high school activities and their impact upon the lives of
Americans are immeasurable. The experiences and lifelong lessons
provided by participation have earned interscholastic activities an integral
role in the educational process. Not only do interscholastic activities
benefit and directly influence participants, but they also instill pride
and unifying spirit among students, fans, schools, and communities throughout
the nation.
The inherent values of activity programs are both realistic and vivid.
Participation provides the opportunity to build strong minds and bodies,
fosters a cooperative spirit and sportsmanship, creates poise and confidence
and teaches discipline and the self-satisfaction of accomplishing goals.

Over the past years, the WHSAA has experienced
an ever increasing demand from schools, students, and communities to provide
them with the necessary services to meet the needs of growing activities
programs and the information required to manage them effectively.
In addition to coordinating all culminating
events, the Association serves as a clearing house for all activities,
rules information, records, and Association information. Acting as the
representative for high school activities, the WHSAA also works with other
education-related agencies to ensure the place of co-curricular activities
in the education spectrum.
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