Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Dane Weaver named Wyoming’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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High school Social Studies teacher Dane Weaver from Ten Sleep, Wyoming, has been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the year.

I enjoy sharing stories about exceptional teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Dane Weaver, a high school social studies teacher from Wyoming.

Dane teaches in Ten Sleep High School in the town of Ten Sleep. The school is part of Washakie County School District #2. The honoree has taught there for the past three years. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Dane serves his school as the advisor for the student council, as the Assistant Football Coach, and as a member of the building intervention team.

Prior to relocating to Ten Sleep, Dane taught in Jackson, Tennessee. There he taught social studies and served as a teacher coach. In that capacity, he assisted new and struggling teachers through teaching best practices in the classroom. For this work, Dane was recognized as the Teacher of the Year in Jackson Madison County in 2016.

The honored educator asserts that social studies is primarily about building critical thinking skills. “This has to be done through primary sources, digging through the content, looking at what people actually did. So my mode of education is a very active teacher.”

Dane had great models for this manner of teaching. As a youngster, Dane was raised in a household that valued education. His mother was the first woman to teach agriculture in the state of Tennessee. From her, Dane learned an appreciation for inspiring others through education.

Dane earned his Bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University, a private university located in Henderson, Tennessee. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Carson Newman College, a private liberal arts university located in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

To read more about Dane, see this link from the Wyoming State Department of Education.

Coronavirus claims life of Special Ed teacher and varsity baseball coach Ben Luderer

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Special Education teacher and varsity baseball coach Ben Luderer of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, succumbs to coronavirus.

Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of numerous beloved educators and coaches. One of these is Ben Luderer, a middle school special education teacher and baseball coach from Cliffside Park, New Jersey. Ben was only 30 years old, and healthy, when he contracted the coronavirus and then passed away on March 30, 2020.

Ben was a New Jersey native, having been born on September 29, 1989, in River Vale, New Jersey. As a high school student, Ben was a star baseball player at Don Bosco Preparatory High School, a private Catholic school located in Ramsey, New Jersey.  In 2008, his team logged a record of 33 games undefeated, a nearly impossible achievement, and earned the state championship. Local news outlets dubbed the team the Ironmen. “That team was invincible,” recalls Ben’s former coach, Greg Butler, in an interview with BuzzFeed News. “They felt they couldn’t be beaten, and they weren’t.”

As a result of his high school successes, Ben earned a baseball scholarship to Marist College in New York. There he hit .263 with two home runs and 35 RBI.

OnceBene graduated from college, he inaugurated his career as a special education teacher at School #6 in the Cliffside Park School District. He also began coaching varsity baseball. “I think he realized the power you have and the influence you have,” Butler commented. “I think he wanted to give back.”

“He touched so many lives,” remembers Ben’s wife, Brandy Luderer. “Whether it be a co-worker or an administrator or a player or a student, he always went out of his way to help people. He was a stand-up guy, a stand-up man,” she remarked.

To learn more about this chalkboard champion, see the online article published by BuzzFeed.

Educator and basketball coach Arnold Obey succumbs to Covid-19

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Educator Arnold Obey, center, coached boys varsity basketball at  Staten Island Academy for eight seasons. (Photo credit: Staten Island Advance)

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Arnold Obey, an accomplished teacher and principal from New York.

Arnold was born on March 5, 1947, in the Bronx, New York. He was the oldest of six children. As a young man, he was a star athlete on his school’s basketball team. He helped lead DeWitt Clinton High School to a 38-1 record, two public school city championship games, and one city title.

His  prowess was so impressive that he earned a basketball scholarship to Wagner College on Staten Island. During the years he attended Wagner, 1965 to 1968, the stellar athlete earned over 1,018 points cumulatively in his basketball games. He also participated in track and field, running the 100 and 200 yard dashes and a leg in the 4×400 yard relay. Also a long and triple jumper, Arnold established a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 44’ 11 ½.”. He held that record for over 30 years. In fact, he was inducted into Wagner’s Hall of Fame in 1991.

After college, Arnold served as an Assistant Basketball Coach at Wagner for three seasons. He also became the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach at Staten Island Boys Academy. There he guided his team for eight seasons, from 1977 to 1985.

After earning his college degree in 1968, Arnold inaugurated his career as an educator. He accepted a position as a history teacher in the Mariner’s Harbor neighborhood of Staten Island. Eventually he became the assistant principal at PS 16 in Tompkinsville. He also served as the principal of PS 31 in New Brighton, also on Staten Island. Arnold retired from the teaching professoin in 2002.

During his lengthy career in education, Arnold also established himself as an avid runner. He completed the NYC Marathon an astounding 38 times, even after suffering a stroke in 2012. His personal best time was 3 hours, 31 minutes.

Sadly, Arnold passed away from Covid-19 on March 22, 2020, while on vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with his family. He was 73 years old. You can read his obituary published by the New York Times on March 30, 2020.

Groton’s Andy Anderson: Varsity Rowing Coach and Spanish teacher

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Varsity Rowing Coach and Spanish teacher Andy Anderson of Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts.

Many excellent educators have earned accolades in fields outside of the classroom. One of these is Andy Anderson, a teacher from New York who has been inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame.

Andy was born on February 19, 1954, in Syracruse, New York. As a young man, he fell in love with the sport of rowing when he attended Mount Hermon School. Once he graduated, he enrolled at Trinity College of the United States, where he continued to develop his skills as a rower.

Since 1980, Andy has taught Spanish at the Groton School. Groton is a private boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. There Andy has also directed financial aid, headed the Disciplinary Committee, and participated in other administrative duties. But where Andy really shines is as the varsity coach for both the boys’ and girls’ rowing teams. He coached the girls team for 23 years. During that time, the Groton girls won the Henley Women’s Regatta three times and also earned first place finishes in the National and New England championships. He also coached the US Lightweight Women’s National team for 11 years. During that time, the women garnered three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the World Rowing Championships. 

In addition to his success as a rowing coach, Andy writes a column for the publication Rowing News. He has also published a best-selling book about rowing entitled the Compleat Dr. Rowing.

To read more about Andy, see this link at Groton.

 

Football Coach and Hall of Fame Inductee David Gentry of North Carolina

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Football Coach and Hall of Fame Inductee David Gentry of Murphy High School in Murphy, North Carolina, has coached young players for 49 years.

I always enjoy sharing stories about outstanding football coaches. Here is one of the best coaches in the country: David Gentry of Murphy High School in Murphy, North Carolina.

David was born on May 6, 1946, in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. As a young man, he attended Edneyville High School in Edneyville, in his home state. There he was a four-sport athlete, playing running back and outside linebacker for the Edneyville Yellowjackets. He earned his college degree at Elon University, a private liberal arts college located in Elon, North Carolina.

David inaugurated his career as a football coach in 1971. In the 49 years that followed, he led his teams to capture eight state championships. His fellow coaches admire David’s accomplishments with the Murphy High Bulldogs. The stellar coach holds the state record for most wins at one school.  “He does it the old-fashioned way, and I admire that,” remarked Josh Brooks, coach at Franklin.  “I can’t wrap my mind around his numbers, and when you have won as much as he has at the level he has played against for that long, it’s really unbelievable,” Josh continued. At age 77, David is in his 36th year as a coach for the Bulldogs.

For his outstanding work on the field, David has been inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. He has also garnered honors from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the Western North Carolina Hall of Fame. In addition, he was named the  National Federation of State High School Association’s National Coach of the Year in 2013.

To learn more about David Gentry, click on this link to USA’s Citizen Times.