MOOSEHEART, IL - If you’re looking for one of the Mooseheart High School girls after school this winter, basketball practice might be a good place to start searching.

This year’s roster shows fully 32 girls -- of a female student population of 54! -- making the girls' basketball team the female equivalent to the Mooseheart football team - which annually has a majority of the school’s boys on its roster.

“I think having a year under my belt, and having a good relationship with the girls . . . it kind of brought in a lot of our good, talented players,” Mooseheart coach Bryan Miller said.

There is talent on the squad as well, especially in a returning trio of senior Ruthfee Kollie and juniors Basheeba Mays and Krystal Ellsworth.

“Our freshmen through our seniors are itching to get after it again,” Miller said.

A year ago, Mooseheart went 10-11 in Miller's first season as head coach. The Ramblers lost their opening round playoff game to Aurora Central Catholic. Those strong returning players and a solid incoming class give Miller hope for better things this winter.

``Having a whole season under your belt helps,” Miller said. “Here at Mooseheart, you get to see the students outside of basketball as well through our summer programs and other programs.” Miller is the Coordinator of Recreation at Mooseheart.

The freshman class carries much hope as well as larger numerical size. Fully 14 freshmen are on the preseason roster -- two-thirds of the high school’s freshman class.

Two of those freshmen, Katie Stryker and Santana Sanchez, are likely to play on the varsity squad this winter. Stryker, in particular, has shown talent as a scoring point guard.

“We’ll take our lumps early playing freshmen,” Miller said. “But I think, in the end, it’ll benefit the team and the program.”

Another returnee is Shayla Day, the team’s assistant coach, back for her second year with the program. Day was uncertain if she would return until the start of winter practice. A former player at the University of Mississippi, Day adds much to the coaching staff.

“She brings Division I playing experience and high school championship experience,” Miller said. “Having a female on the coaching staff helps too. It helps them that they can talk to her about how the game of basketball can change their lives.”

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.