Posts tagged: Armstrong School District

BUFFONE: West Shamokin Jr. High Excited About Class Change

#22 Nick Hawkins is one of many West Shamokin players excited about the class change.

There was certainly a lot of football buzz in the Rural Valley this week when it was learned that West Shamokin Jr.-Sr. High School would be dropping down to Class A after the Armstrong School District voted to dissolve the sports co-op between West Shamokin and Elderton that currently puts the Wolves enrollment into the Class AA range. While the current West Shamokin Varsity team is excited about the move, players in the lower ranks are also feeling energized.  The West Shamokin Jr. High team (5-2-1) is having a very solid year and the players moving onto the next level in 2012 hope to build on their recent momentum in their new class. 8th grade cornerback Nick Hawkins has been playing football for three years and is convinced that West Shamokin can be a formidable competitor in their new Single-A classification. Hawkins added that there is an overwhelming amount of approval from the Jr. High ranks about the Wolves new classification.  Under the ASD’s vote, students from Elderton wishing to play football will now do so at Ford City rather than West Shamokin, meaning the lone Elderton student who plays for the Jr. High team will be changing squads next year. Hawkins admitted that despite losing a teammate, the move is fair so that the rest of the team can benefit from the class change. The Jr. High Wolves finished their season Wednesday night with an 18-0 shutout over Deer Lakes.

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categories BUFFONE - Sports Zone | October 28, 2011 | comments Comments Off

BUFFONE: Shannock Program Loses Gym

For the past couple decades, the only operational and regulation size gym available to the Shannock Valley Youth Basketball Program was the one residing in the former Shannock Valley High School…until now. The Armstrong School District has allegedly decided to stop heating the building as well as ceasing other utilities. The former high school is currently acting as the district’s maintenance building. The alleged decision will now force the eight youth teams that Shannock Valley Elementary has (boys/girl grades 3-6) to play all away games and potentially practice in the elementary gym that is much smaller than a regulation court. As a youth coach and sports enthusiast, this alleged decision by the ASD irks me to a level beyond explanation. With the current school board, I have heard strong backing of the ideal of renovations and preserving small communities. Well now I see that the current board does in fact care about small communities, as long as it’s their own small communities. I understand the costs of electricity and heating in the winter, however, I’ve heard an awful lot about gym renovations for the past year and not a speck of attention given to this situation. The parents of Shannock Valley Elementary have politely stood by during these renovation talks while their own children’s school hasn’t had a legitimate renovation since the early 1970’s. In a time where it’s being stressed that young children need after-school activities to keep them out of trouble and fight obesity, the powers at be tell the kids and their already busy parents that they won’t have a home gym this year and having a set practice schedule will not be an option. With numbers already dwindling in the youth basketball program, this could be the fatal blow that may keep young athletes from playing a sport they love. Once again, another decision has been made without thinking about the children.

 

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categories BUFFONE - Sports Zone | September 16, 2011 | comments Comments (32)