Students level the playing fields at California high school

By ASHKAN MOTAMEDI / Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism
Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Danielle Ellis and her softball teammate Sydney Prenatt were sitting in the senior government class in Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, California, when a lightbulb went off. The teacher was talking about civil rights, particularly Title IX guarantees of gender equality. The pair realized it was not OK that boys played on a fancy diamond while their team played in a nearby public with no amenities. So they set out to change things, eventually convincing the school board to build a new softball field for girls and earning hero status from those who will benefit from their determination.