Granville board of education, Monday, Jan. 9 7 p.m.

By Matthew Rice

 

The Granville Board of Education received good news regarding the off the field performance of Golden Horde athletes from the fall sports season Monday night.

High school principal James Donnelly announced five of the eight sports teams qualified as Scholar-Athlete Teams.

Leading the pack with the highest average was the field hockey team with an average of 95.394.

Girls soccer achieved a 94.446; golf a 93.130 and football a 91.826.

The final scholar athlete team was varsity volleyball with a 90.996 average.

Donnelly said having so many teams qualify for the achievement showed good things were happening academically at Granville.

“We’re very proud of all of them,” he said.

To qualify for student athlete status teams must have a certain number of members with an average of 90 percent or better, the numbers vary by the size of the team with football needing 12 members, golf seven and field hockey 12.

Coaches for the spring sports season were approved Monday night as a slate of new and returning coaches for baseball, softball, tennis and track.

Returning to the tennis court as head coach for the fifth time this spring will be Terry Wheeler; Jay Condon and Jack Best return as track head coach and assistant with Tom Scott and Lance Jordan as modified coaches.

Assistant Principal Dan Poucher returns to the baseball diamond for his second season in his most recent stint as head coach, assisted by Matt Mondella; junior varsity coaches Chris Ettori and Shawn Parker were names as co-coaches.

English teacher and former baseball head coach Marc Lambert will take the helm of the softball team with Aris Allen and Leanne Bernard as junior varsity and modified squad coaches.

The district continues to seek a varsity assistant coach Superintendent Mark Bessen said.

Pointing out the spring season was approaching fast, new board member Suzanne McEachron asked why the appointments had not been made earlier in the school year. Bessen said coaches are sent letters at the end of the season alerting them they will be returning to various coaching positions, but the appointments are not made until after an end-of-season review has been completed.

In other news, spring sports sign ups will be Jan. 18 and 19; the time and date of the springs sports Player, Parent, Coach meeting has not been announced.

The board approved a new club spearheaded by Lance Jordan the hiking club received a unanimous positive vote from the board as a good way to get students out doing something physically active. The purpose of the club is to expose students to hiking, backpacking and camping as a way to enjoy the outdoors as a fitness activity. The club advisors receive no stipend.