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Beyond the X’s and O’s: Wenatchee Football Makes a Play To Build Relationships at School

Beyond the X’s and O’s: Wenatchee Football Makes a Play To Build Relationships at School

Engineering Teacher and Teacher of the Week, Doug Merril is all smiles with Panther football player Lazaro Gutierrez

The Wenatchee Panthers Football team has a few new plays up their sleeve this season. Their playbook is packed with routes that focus on building relationships with each other, their peers and the staff at WHS. Not only that, the team is scoring points towards Panther PRIDE, a school-wide effort to create a positive learning environment.

At the start of the season Head Coach, Scott Devereaux led the team through a process to develop a team "covenant," a theme/code they decide they want to adhere to. After about three hours of emotional discussion, the team arrived at Brotherhood - Trust - Heart - Discipline. "The years our teams are most successful (both on the field and off) we have players that buy into that covenant," said Assistant Coach Brandon Harle. This year the senior leaders on the team bought in, in a big way. "I told the team this is what the Seahawks do, and this is what the Patriots do, and this is what Fortune 500 companies do. They stand for something. We're going to decide what we stand for and build from there," said Devereaux.

Each day the coaches and players remind each other of those words and what they look like in action. The older players model these behaviors for, the younger players. "The words in our covenant are all things that we need in life, not just sports and we're living those words every day," said team Co-Captain Junior Wide Receiver Riley Kunz.

The next step for the team was to introduce the idea of the "Teacher of the Week" when school started. "What we're focusing on doing is trying to take our covenant and use it to build connections with the staff, I mean everyone including the janitors," said Kunz. "We push for our guys to be great citizens of WHS and that being a WHS football player carries a deep history and responsibility. We want our guys to be seen as great students first as they are a reflection of our team and culture of the school," said Harle. Each week the team nominates two teachers that represent the team covenant in some way. "We wanted to have those staff members feel like what they do adds to the greater good of our team and of the culture of WHS." Each teacher of the week receives a classroom visit from team captains and an invite to the weekly Wednesday team dinner. Also, each staff member selected will be loaned a jersey to wear on game day and thanks to Wenatchee Athletic Director Jim Beeson and the Chelan County Officials Association, they also get to accompany the captains onto the field for the coin toss during home games.

"I'm so honored," said Math Teacher Diane Owen after learning she selected as teacher of the week. "It shows that sports and team building is more than just winning, it's about relationships, and that we benefit too from their recognition, so it goes both ways," she said. Sports Medicine Instructor and Panther Athletic Trainer Dale Blair was surprised and honored to be chosen as a teacher of the week as well. "Sports are more than wins and losses, and Xs and Os. It's about leadership, discipline, and work ethic. When the kids I'm teaching recognize me for those things, then I know that … what I'm doing well, it really packs some punch," said Blair.

The team is also trying to strengthen relationships with fellow Wenatchee students. "A couple of players went off to band practice this summer and supplied them with Gatorade and water. The band is out there a heck of a lot longer than we are, and they're working hard," added Co-Captain Sophomore Quarterback Camden Sirmon. The team hopes that this new approach to relationship building will break down barriers and create an integrated school team where everyone has a position to play, and no one sits on the sidelines. "The more unified you are as a school, the better you feel as a player, as a student," said Kunz.
 

Panther Football Team Captains; (from left to right) Nathan Blauman, Darius Carlson, Riley Kunz, Camden Sirmon, Jacob Christensen, Eamon Haugan, Jaden Christoferson.

  

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