Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/976488
MAY 2-8, 2018 UCW 29 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM & BRINGING YOU THE BEST IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS March Athlete of the Month (Baseball): Justin Ebert, Terry Sanford HS 6-8pm May 3 rd May 9 th PATRIOTS Conference Championship GAME Teams TBA 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 50 MONDAY Join Don Koonce & Trey Edge for the Baseball Game of the Week 1st Round Teams TBA NCHS Athletic Assn ALL on WCLN 105.7 FM Airtime 6:45 PM Tia Booker Jack Britt • Basketball • Senior Booker has a 3.92 grade point average. She is a member of the Total Image Club, volunteers at her church and is employed part-time. She has been accepted at North Carolina State University. Andrew Boyle Gray's Creek • Baseball • Junior While playing for the Bears' baseball team, Boyle has maintained a grade point average of 4.19. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop congratulates these amazing scholar athletes of the week and invites them to the Rocket Fizz Store at 1916 Skibo Rd. to receive a FREE gift recognizing their achievement! www.rocketfizz.com New superintendent ready to listen by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Dr. Marvin Con- nelly Jr., the new superintendent of Cumberland County Schools, hasn't had a lot of direct involve- ment in athletics during his long career in education, but he views the school athletic program as a vital part of the total education package. Connelly said most of his ties to athletics came during his stints as principal at both the middle school and high school levels. "I'm not an athletic kind of guy myself, but I love athletics,'' he said. "If you live in North Carolina, you have to love sports, especially basketball.'' Connelly served as principal at Raleigh's Athens Drive High School, and one of the prized possessions in his current office at the Wake County Schools is an autographed base- ball from one of Athens Drive's biggest profes- sional stars, Major League Baseball standout Josh Hamilton. Connelly said he has a passion about insuring that teams under his watch are successful, while still focusing on the fact that student-athletes are not just athletes who happen to be students. "Obviously, high school athletics are a crucial part of the total school program,'' he said. He said research and data show that the dropout rate is lower for students involved in athletics as well as extracurricular and cocur- ricular activities. "I think it's impor- tant for schools to have strong extracur- ricular and cocurricu- lar programs,''' he said. Connelly expects coaches and athletic directors to under- stand that the athletes are students first, and that athletics is as much about what happens off the field as it is on. "I think when you can build that char- acter in your players and character in your coaching staff, win- ning is important,'' he said, "but you've got to win on the field and off the field.'' Connelly said he plans to meet with various leader groups within the school system, including the school system's athletic directors and principals. "We would want to talk with them and see what the successes are, what the challenges are and how I may partner with them as a group to build upon the successes and overcome the chal- lenges,'' he said. He plans to try and spend some time in Fayetteville and Cumberland County between now and when he officially takes over from in- terim superintendent Tim Kinlaw in July. "I want to make sure I'm listening to folks and getting with as many stakeholder groups as I can during this first 100 days,'' he said. "I want to focus on listening, hearing their successes, hear- ing their concerns as we begin to do some work and develop our strategic plans.'' Connelly said he has a passion about insuring that teams under his watch are successful, while still focus- ing on the fact that student-athletes are not just ath- letes who happen to be students.