Page 6 - Dinuba Sentinel 12-20-18 E-edition

A6 | Thursday, December 20, 2018
Community Football
The Dinuba Sentinel
With over 15 years of experience coaching at both the pop warner and high school levels, Benham says he has seen the struggles of keeping quality football players on the freshman roster.
Part of it he attributes to the players not being able to make grades.
“The players don’t have that accountability at the youth football level,” said Benham.
He argued that introducing tackle football at the junior high level would instill that accountability because they would need to maintain a weekly grade point average of 2.0, as well as positive behavior and good attendance.
In addition, Benham also mentioned the culture it would create at the junior high, with school groups being able to raise revenue selling concessions, and the band being able to play during halftime.
The proposal has also received support from Dinuba High School football coach Kevin Scharton, former athletic director Jeff Schofield, coach Michael Wright, who serves as the high school’s wrestling coach and is an assistant for varsity football program, and WIS Athletic Director Rich Crecelius.
Though the item was informational only, much of the board seemed to be in favor of the proposal. The only concern now at the district level is finding a way to finance the new program. A cost analysis of the program calls for about an $85,000 investment on behalf of the district, $40,000 of which is startup cost.
The second phase of the program would be to take tackle football down to the elementary school level, beginning at the fourth grade. According to Benham and Tovar, all the districts represented in the Central Valley Athletic League currently offer tackle football beginning at the fourth grade level.
The board will be taking action on the matter at a later regularly scheduled board meeting.
Dinuba Unified School District Trustee Bev Keel-Worrell was sworn into her seventh term on the Dinuba Unified School Board on Dec. 13, making her the longest standing trustee on the board.
Ron Froese was named the Dinuba Unified School Board President at the Dec. 13 meeting. Here he takes his new seat next to Superintendent Dr. Joe Hernandez.
Alfalfa • Oat Hay • Horse Tack/Supply Farmers Hardware, Animal Feed & More
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
more than about football. “Athletics is an integral part of our American educational system and is one of the most powerful and transcendent activities that bridges the gap between students and members of their community,” reads the
proposal.
Tovar also reminded the
board of the correlation between student-athletic participation and student academic performance. In addition, because the high school went to a weekly grade check system the greater accountability has also translated to better students.
The proposal sites that student-athletes build character through good sportsmanship, loyalty through teamwork, self-discipline by learning to appreciate the benefits of hard work, wellness through developing a healthy lifestyle, and time management skills.
If it were approved, the first phase of the new athletic program would begin next year with Washington Intermediate School entering the Central Valley Athletic League, joining teams from Sanger, Reedley, Selma, Madera and Fresno.
There would be two teams, one for seventh grade and another eighth grade, allowing for up to 100 student-athletes. Competitive volleyball would be introduced at the sixth grade levels for girls, while boys currently playing volleyball in the sixth grade would transition
to competitive flag football. Because the new program would be on cusp of the relocation for Dinuba High School, part of the proposal would be to keep the costs down by coordinating with the expected change. Once the high school moves to its new location, the presumption is that Washington Intermediate School would transition to an
elementary school.
In keeping with the theme
for all elementary schools in the district, WIS would likely become soon become Washington Elementary School. That being said, the current high school would then become the new junior high. So the proposal suggests the first uniforms be ordered in the colors of green and white, which would be adopted by the new junior high in the most cost effective approach.
The proposal also suggests a mascot for the new junior high team, the Knights.
The new program would be run via the district’s after-school program and would be overseen by the coaching staff at Dinuba High School.
“Football is big in this town,” said board trustee Sandra Kizarian. “And I’ve seen first- hand the good it’s done in this community.”
Also speaking to the board on behalf of the proposal was DHS freshman football coach, and WIS teacher, Blake Benham.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Dr. Amu, M.D. Pediatrician
Candice Brantley F.N.P.-C
Magdalena Ruiz F.N.P.-C
M. Iqbal Choudhry, PA-C
Speaks: Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi
Continued from Page A1
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