April 29, 2025
A group of Prince George High School students recently stepped beyond the classroom and into the heart of professional sports operations during an educational visit to Richmond just after spring break.
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, a delegation of over three dozen Prince George High School Sports & Entertainment Management students made the trek to Richmond and The Diamond, a fixture of the city, with their instructor, Mr. Travis Carr, for an exploratory look at baseball and sports team operations with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants.
The visit was part of the team's annual Education Day event, in which the team and its front-office representatives invited schools to attend a morning-side Flying Squirrels game while also seeing many of the concepts they have learned about in their classroom in Prince George within their Career and Technical Education marketing cluster focused on sports management. During their visit to The Diamond, a regular field trip for Prince George Royals for the last several years, students were able to get a first-hand understanding of the important role of stadium seating, concessions operations, successful promotions execution, the value proposition of luxury seating, and in-game entertainment and fan engagement within and beyond the stadium. For Mr. Carr, visits to sports organizations in the Richmond region aren't just field trips; they're essential in growing the next generation of sports managers and front-office leaders for potentially some of the most prominent organizations in the world.
"Taking these trips is a motivating experience for my students, giving them the chance to venture out of the classroom and see the sports industry for themselves," Mr. Carr explained. "I can teach them all I can inside four walls in my classroom, but the experience of being inside the stadium and listening to people within the industry is invaluable."
In addition to their yearly visits to the Richmond Flying Squirrels, students from the Sports & Entertainment Management CTE program have also traveled just over two hours north to visit the Washington Commanders, engaging in an insightful networking opportunity with one of the most recognizable teams in all of sports, a brand worth an estimated $6.3 billion as of last year, according to Forbes. These visits have paid dividends for the program's goals of preparing students for the demanding work of sports management and events coordination, with several students completing the program and eventually transitioning into roles in the sports world.
In recent years, Prince George High School Class of 2024 grad Robert May is now attending Southeastern University in Florida, majoring in Sports Management. Additionally, Royals Class of 2016 graduate Lisa Cleveland is now a member of the Squirrels organization. Even as they take their first steps departing high school with their diploma to make their marks on the world, Mr. Carr keeps in touch with past graduates to see how they're doing as they begin their own sports careers.
"I am beginning to see the work of my inaugural Sport Management students pay dividends to their own success," Mr. Carr shared. "They are currently in college making names for themself, some working the football sidelines at Liberty University to others majoring in Sports Management. We still keep in touch with each other, as they laid the foundation with me for this program."
Oftentimes, these visits and other exploratory experiences inspire the students in their content-creation efforts back at Prince George High School. Over the years, the students within the high school's CTE program have launched dedicated Facebook and Instagram accounts highlighting the school's varsity sports and student-athletes, organized and hosted the "Royal Games," a fun, school spirit-building event featuring competitive games for students and teachers, and developed the high school's first-ever media day experience, which saw students leading a high-energy photo shoot with multiple teams to use to market the upcoming winter sports season on social media. As the program continues to grow, drawing in more students who see the Sports & Entertainment Management program as both a means to showcase their creativity and to prepare themselves for a rewarding career in sports, social media management, and more, Mr. Carr takes pride in being able to offer experiences for students at the high school.
"In a time where you see many high school kids struggling to take an interest in things, it's great to create a buzz of excitement and motivation with potential avenues," Mr. Carr shared. "We are building on this program every year and making it better than how we left it. My goal is to open doors for kids who may not realize the opportunities out there."
To that end, as the 2024-25 School Year approaches its sunset in only a few weeks, Mr. Carr already has aspirations for the upcoming year of the program, further building on the foundation of the innovative CTE pathway at the high school.
"My goal with this program is to build upon our successes and improve where we left off each school year. I want to prepare my students for those going off to college to major in Sports Management with those skills in their bag," Mr. Carr said. "Right now, we are currently working on a 'PG Alumni Series' to give our fans and community an update on the journey some of our major athletes took and what life looks like for them now. It will also give my students a history lesson on some of the best athletes who walked the halls of Prince George High School. I also foresee some major breakthroughs coming in our game coverage, which I think our fans will love, along with continuing to build on our highly successful Media Days. We're just getting started!"
To follow along with the Sports Management program and keep up with Prince George High School varsity athletics, visit their Facebook page by searching "PG Royals Sports Management" or Instagram page at "pghs_sportsmanagement."