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GRPS student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors honored at All Sports All Coaches Conference

Grand Rapids Public Schools
8/23/11 09:54am
culture Nonprofit Dispatches

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GRPS recently held an All Sports All Coaches Conference to formally share the district's new athletic direction and to recognize a number of student-athletes, athletic staff, and community partners.
GRPS student-athletes, community partners, coaches, and other athletic staff gathered at the All Sports All Coaches Conference.

GRPS student-athletes, community partners, coaches, and other athletic staff gathered at the All Sports All Coaches Conference. /GRPS Athletics

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On Thursday, August 4, 2011, GRPS held an All Sports All Coaches Conference at the Salvation Army’s Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center to formally share the district’s new athletic direction.

A number of guest speakers including O.K. Conference Commissioner Jim Haskins, Grand Rapids Community College Head Football Coach Tony Annese, and GVSU Movement Science Professor Dr. Rick Albrecht helped to showcase the event and highlight some of the changes that will be implemented into the GRPS Athletics program in the near future.

In addition to the informative presentation, an award ceremony was held to honor the exceptional accomplishments made by members of the athletic staff and a number of student-athletes from this past school year.

A group of student-athletes from GRPS High Schools were recognized for receiving All-Region and/or All-State honors in their sport including: Dillon Vance (Swimming) and Nico Mitchell-Garcia (Wrestling) from Creston High School, Jabria Hill (Track and Field) from Ottawa Hills High School, and LaDon Carnegie (Basketball), Deiona Rogers (Basketball), Joey Bentley, Derrick Bentley, Emily Grochowalski, Anthony Dubois (all Bowling), and Max Pewee (Track and Field) from Union High School.

The Exceptional Team award was given to a male and female team from both the middle and high school levels. Teams receiving this award have been recognized for having an outstanding GPA, showing good sportsmanship and competitiveness. The awards were given to the following teams; UPrep Competitive Cheer Team (Middle School Female Team), City Middle Baseball Team (Middle School Male Team), Ottawa Hills High School Competitive Cheer Team (High School Female Team), and Union High School Bowling Team (High School Male Team).

The Feeder Pattern Award, given to the family of schools that displayed the most exceptional collaboration in all sports throughout all grade levels of athletic participation, was presented to Creston High School.

Creston received a second award when the Creston Track and Field was awarded the Most Outstanding Program Award for the demonstration of true teamwork, dedication and development throughout their feeder pattern in the sport of Track and Field.

The Lifetime Athletic Service Award was presented to Ed Droski and Lloyd Kilgore. Both individuals have demonstrated a continued commitment and long-term service to the athletic department of Grand Rapids Public Schools.

For the middle school and high school athletic director who demonstrated the strongest athletic leadership and commitment toward providing a quality experience for student-athletes, the Athletic Director of the Year award was given to Bea Johnson (middle school) and Marcus Harris (high school).

The Coach of the Year award was presented to the coach(es) who have shown passion and dedication to the overall development of the student-athletes for both male and female sports at the middle and high school levels. The following coaches were recipients of the Coach of the Year award: Rose Enders (middle school female coach/Sherwood Park), Raymond Rusher (middle school male coach/City Middle), Bill Wolbrink (high school female coach/Union High School), and Dan Ebright (high school male coach/Creston High School).

In addition to the coaches, AD’s, and student-athletes who received awards, a number of organizations received the Community Partner Award for helping the district to further advance their efforts in finding best practices and providing quality experiences for GRPS student-athletes. The recipients of the Community Partner Award were Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, Sport Leadership Program at Grand Valley State University, Vanderweide Family Foundation, the Doug & Maria DeVos Foundation, Student Advancement Foundation, and GRPS Safety and Security.

Congratulations to all GRPS student-athletes and athletic staff who received awards.

Continue to check The Rapidian for more news from GRPS and the Athletics program.

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