Page 9 - Priorities #9 1999-March

League). Second, school philosophy encourages all students - even athletes — to participate in a broad range of school activities.
Like a judo master who turns the strength of the enemy to his advantage, Coach Stogner puts a slightly different twist on the situation. A small team gives each player more focus, more personal attention and more opportunity to play. Strong athletes at the Priory make the local paper and senior athletes get their share of calls from college recruiters, he pointed out.
Students’ limited time and attention for an individual activity is an issue at all small schools, he added. Priory faculty and coaches support the school’s commitment to a broad range of experiences for students. The adults involved try to work with the inevitable conflicts as best they can, he said. That need to balance commitments has led Priory
coaches to limit students to one sport each
season, even if it means some sports are
dropped for lack of players.
“We want good athletes and we can offer excellent support...but if a student only cares about sports, nothing else, then I’m not sure this would be the place for him or her.
We offer a complete package at
this school...” he stressed.
Mark lives on the campus with his
wife,
Natasha, and two-year-old son,
Christian (soon to be joined by a baby sister). He has worked with both Marin Academy and Menlo School athletics and was recognized last year by the American Baseball Coaches Association for his 100th win in his sixth year as varsity coach.
This year, he teaches PE and coaches Boys Varsity Basketball, High School Girls Softball, Cross Country, Eighth Grade Boys Basketball, and Middle School soccer and flag football teams. Also, he is pursuing a Master’sdegreeinPrivate SchoolAdministrationat University of San Francisco. On those rare occasions when he has free time, Mark likes to run, bike, golf, and play basketball and softball - easily accessible activities from his Priory residence.
He replaces Coach Bill August, who had wanted to find a more rural, small-town environment for his family and an opportunity to return to a first love, coaching football. Last fall he had the opportunity to realize both dreams by relocating in Oregon.
Athletic Director Mark Stogner knows small schools well, and he sees competitive advantages at Woodside Priory.
One key is the headmaster’s commitment to building a coaching staff of on-campus, experienced athletes, he said. These coaches are an integral part of the school and they give an extraordinary amount of their time to the program, he commented.
“Looking at the schools we compete against, we have more on-campus coaches and more who have been part of college programs and professional athletics. They know what it’s all about. Someone who just walks on a campus to coach one sport can’t match that,” he said.
Mark coaches six sports, Middle School Athletics Director Doug Sargent coaches three; Kim Mason, PhysicalEducationDivisionHead,coachesfour. Jim Durgin, Brian Ogden and Todd Turner, all dormitory resident supervisors, coach six. “Coachin’ Joe” Montero, long the Priory soccer coach, is now also a member of the math faculty.
Two outstanding Priory coaches who aren’t on the faculty, tennis coach Celso Onofre and volleyball coach Delna Lancaster, bring collegiate and professional level experience and have developed a special place in the Priory community as a result of many seasons of coaching here.
A focus on training younger athletes is an advantage that will pay off in the long run, Coach Stogner believes.
“Formerly, this school wasn’t able to do much teaching (of sports skills). Now we are teaching through the coaching staff and also the PE program. I am banking that these younger students will stay and that’s how we will build our team strength,” he said.
The newly created position of Middle School Athletics Director assures that someone will pay serious attention to these students’ training.
The record shows that students value competitive sports experience. Looking at the fall-winter teams, more than 90 percent of the middle school students and about 50 percent of the high school students (whose time is more limited) are participating this year.
Two persistent problems inherent to Woodside Priory haven’t changed. First, WPS is the smallest school in its league (the Private Schools Athletics
New Athletic Director
Coaching and Commitment Are Priory’s Strengths
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