Starting next school year, middle school pupils in Mars Area who want to play basketball or volleyball will have to try out for the team. Those who play soccer will follow suit the following year.

Currently, any pupil who wants to play a sport in middle school is accepted onto the team. The teams are large, and some of the youngsters don't take their sport seriously, said Superintendent William Pettigrew.

"If they have to try out for the team, they take it more seriously," he said.

The school board has approved these changes to the middle school athletic program recommended by Scott Heinauer, athletic director:

• 12 to 15 pupils on the seventh-grade boys' basketball team and 12 to 15 on the eighth-grade boys' basketball team, starting in 2008-09. The school currently has four boys' basketball teams.

• 18 pupils on the seventh-grade girls' volleyball team and 18 students on the eighth-grade girls' volleyball team, starting in 2008-09.

• 18 players on a seventh- and eighth-grade boys' soccer team, beginning in 2009-10.

• 18 players on a seventh- and eighth-grade girls' soccer team, beginning in 2009-10.

Mr. Heinauer also asked for the creation of one co-ed seventh- and eighth-grade cross-country team, consisting of at least six boys and six girls.

The changes were approved April 15 by a 6-2 vote with Christian Ola and Marjorie Vincent dissenting and Gordon Marburger absent.

"I am concerned about eliminating too many teams and too many players," Mrs. Vincent said. "We're cutting just a little too deep."

Dr. Pettigrew was asked by board members to explore adding more after-school sports programs.

"In seventh- and eighth-grades, it possibly eliminates 45 students [from teams] without a potential plan in place [for them]," Mr. Ola said.

In other business, the school board approved a strategic plan that has been under revision for two years. The plan is the blueprint for the direction of the school district and is required by state law to be revised every five years, Dr. Pettigrew said.

Ian Magness, principal of the Mars Area Centennial School, announced that the school received a $9,600 grant from Highmark to integrate Dance Dance Revolution into gym classes.

The grant will be used to buy the video game system, 24 additional interactive stepping pads, 30 heart rate monitors, an LCD projector, media cart and two books on integrating the game into physical education classes.

"That, combined with the climbing wall, I think, we're moving our curriculum into the 21st century," Mr. Magness said.

Dr. Pettigrew reported that the April 9 test of the district's emergency notification system, which is designed to call parents quickly during an emergency in the schools, had a few glitches, but they weren't caused by the system.

He said the district received about 900 calls from parents who didn't realize that the phone calls they received were a test.

"But the message said, 'This is not an emergency,' " said board member J. Dayle Ferguson.

"They were in a panic, and they just didn't listen to the message," Dr. Pettigrew said.

The district publicized the test in newspapers, on cable TV and on the district's Web site and sent letters home to all parents.