Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 3-31-17

Local
Youth Day Speaker
Coaches Establish ‘Hitting Wall’ At High School
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Students interested in play- ing tennis will have an op- portunity to improve their game, thanks to their coaches. The students now have another avenue to hone their skills.
Coach David Slater
currently serves as the Boys’ Varsity Tennis Coach at Hillsborough High School. And, in his capacity as a coach, he conceived the idea of a method for the students to improve their skills.
He felt that a “hitting wall” would not only benefit his team, but other students in the future. He shared his idea with other coaches and teachers and it was decided that the students at Memo- rial Middle School would benefit as well.
Coach David Shaw said, “Coach (David) Slater solicited the donated materials, identified addi- tional materials that were needed to be purchased or borrowed, and coordinated the personnel who helped with the construction. We are extremely fortunate to have Coach Slater in our athletic program, and the hitting wall he brought to fruition will benefit many Hillsborough Varsity Tennis players into the future.”
The team consisted of the coaches, members of the U. S. Marine Corps, Ms. Mar- ian Manganello, Neal Mobley, other faculty mem- bers and students. They came together to construct and paint the Hitting Wall.
Coach Shaw further said, “This Hitting Wall is a great tool to help improve all of our plays (on) court skills such as
Standing at the wall they created from left to right: Corporal Donzel Watkins, Neal Mobley, and Coach David Slater.
Shown in this photograph are: PFC Hoyt, Major Richard H. Lee, Ms. Galina Blass, Ms. Aesha Bailey, both teachers at Memo- rial Middle School, and S/Sgt. John Stroman.
forehand, backhand, volleys and overheads.”
Students from Memorial Middle School can also prac- tice improving their games. Across the street from each other, Memorial and Hills- borough share some of the same recreational areas that include the baseball field, basketball court, and tennis courts.
Coach Mobley, who coaches the Girls Varsity Tennis Team, views this as “a perfect collaboration of our schools.” He is a Physics teacher in the Hillsborough High School IB Program. He served 6 years in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps and 9 years as a practicing attorney
before becoming an instruc- tor.
It seemed only natural for Coach Slater to invite the Marines to participate in this worthwhile project. He is a veteran of the organization.
Ms. Manganello teaches Math at Hillsborough and is a longtime sponsor of the school’s Robotics Club.
The Marine volunteers who participated in the con- struction of the wall in- cluded: Private First Class Hoyt, Staff Sgt. John Stroman, Major Richard H. Lee, Corporal Donzel Watkins, Major McNar- ney, First Sgt. Garrison, Lt. Col. Christopher Wat- son, among others.
Lowe’s in Brandon do- nated the plywood used in the construction of the wall.
Julian Ramon Jackson, second from right, was the youth day speaker last Sunday at Re-Birth Missionary Baptist Church. He is shown with, from left: the pastor of Re-Birth, Rev. Dr. Zachary S. Hudson; Julian’s mother, Julia E. Jackson, and his wife, Dana Jackson. (Photo by Julia Jackson)
Middleton High School Class Of 1969
The Middleton High School Class Of 1969 will be hosting a yard sale Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the corner of Osborne Avenue and 22nd St. The time is 7 a. m. – 2 p. m.
Refreshments will be avail- able.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017