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EHS in need of an A.D., ASAP!

At Tuesday’s Randolph County Board of Education meeting, we all learned that Elkins High School is still without an athletic director — just weeks away from the start of football practice.

During the public comment session of the BOE meeting, concerned parent Lisa Severino asked the board to look into the need for a new athletic director at Elkins High.

Severino, who has worked on the EHS Baseball Facility Improvement Project since 2013, said the position is critical for all student athletes as well as the school and community. She said it was her understanding that the position has been posted three times, but it’s not been filled.

“It’s a huge job, and I’d like you to take a look at it again for the job and the salary,” she said.

Severino said former EHS Athletic Director Adam Roth did an excellent job, but he resigned after the board cut supplements for the county’s high school athletic directors from $9,000 to $6,000 this spring.

To stress how important sports are to young students, Severino pointed out that 204 of the 789 students at EHS in the last school year were athletes — which works out to 26 percent of the student body.

Each school’s athletic director makes out the schedules for the teams. In the fall, as Severino told the BOE, the football team will play 10 games, the golf team will have nine matches, the boys and girls soccer squads will play 18 games each, and the volleyball team will play 16 matches.

In addition, both the boys and girls cross country teams will take part in nine meets each.

That’s a lot of scheduling still to be done!

Of course, the winter and spring sports seasons will require much more scheduling, as the school’s boys and girls basketball, wrestling and boys and girls swimming teams compete in the winter, while the softball, baseball, girls and boys tennis and boys and girls track squads all play in the spring.

Severino stressed that the sports programs help students excel at academics, as well.

She said the Elkins High School Class of 2017’s three valedictorians and salutatorian were all student athletes.

She noted 21 students were in the top 10 percent of the class, with 18 being student athletes. Eleven of those students played multiple sports.

Severino also reminded the BOE members that sports can provide a way for students to continue their education at the next level.

She said 11 EHS student athletes received athletic scholarships to colleges this year, including three for baseball, two for football and two for girls soccer, and one each for cheerleading, boys basketball, girls cross-country/track and softball.

We agree that it is an absolute imperative for EHS to have a new athletic director as soon as possible, and we hope someone within the school system will step forward and be a hero for our community.

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