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Cottonwood Heights Journal

Skyline High School Swim Team 2014-2015

Jun 05, 2015 06:43PM ● By City Journals Staff

Skyline High School’s Men’s and Women’s swim teams with Councilmember Sam Granato. Photo courtesy of George Karahalios

By President of the Skyline Boosters, Wendy White

Not Just Great In The Water!

The men’s and women’s swim teams at Skyline High School both won their respective state championships this year, with the men’s team setting two new state records.  Graduating seniors end their high school swimming career with the men winning 3 of 4 state championships and the women winning 4 of 4.  Coach Joe Pereira, who was named Boys’ Coach of the Year again this year, won his 15th and 16th state titles, making him the winningest high school coach in the state.

Between team tryouts in early October and the state finals in February, these kids swam four hours a day during the week and two hours on Saturday mornings.  That’s nearly 400 hours per swimmer and more than 30,000 hours in the pool in 18 weeks!  And these kids don’t just swim!  

Of the 77 members of the Skyline Swim Team,  76 are enrolled in Honors courses;  64 in Advanced Placement courses; and  11 in International Baccalaureate courses; with a combined GPA of 3.61.  

Many of the swimmers are also involved in extracurricular activities on campus, including: State Math Team, State Debate Team, French club, Technology Students Association, Theater, Dance Company, Philharmonic Orchestra, Concert and Pep Bands, Wind and Jazz Ensembles, Soccer Team, Cross Country Team, and Student-body Office.  

Many received academic, citizenship and leadership honors, to include Academic All-Region, Academic All-State and Sterling Scholar. 

As a team, they performed 140 hours of community-service, directly impacting Special Olympics, Primary Children’s Hospital, the Animal Shelter, and the Road Home.  

Individual swimmers performed additional public service, impacting United Way, Operation Smile, Utah Food Bank, Division of Wildlife Resources, Red Cross, and the public library system. Some served with the National Honor Society, National Charity League, Skyline’s Community of Caring, and Holladay City’s Youth Community Council. International programs included service in India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama, and Thailand.
Skyline High School’s Men’s and Women’s swim teams, both 2015 State Champions, were recognized in a resolution being presented by the Salt Lake County Council. (Center, from left to right: Coach Joe Perierra, Mayor Becker, Councilman Caputo) [photo credit: George Karahalios]

 Off campus, these kids are involved with the Boy Scouts of America, Children of the American Revolution, Daughters of Minos Cretan, Gay-Straight Alliance, GOYA dancers, Young Artists Chamber Players, and competitive martial arts, rowing, and Junior Olympic swimming and water polo.

Fifteen seniors graduate this year and are going on to college, most with academic scholarships.  Of those who have committed, five will attend the University of Utah; four will attend Utah State University; one will attend Brigham Young University; one will attend Colorado University at Boulder; one will attend Colorado State University; and one will attend University of Puget Sound.