With the prep sports season fast approaching, long-time Montezuma High-School employee Stacey Hall will be taking over as coordinator of Activities and Athletics.
Entering her 29th year as an Re-1 district employee, Hall will be responsible for scheduling extracurricular events, coordinating transportation to and from extracurricular activities and making sure coaches and sponsors have all the tools necessary to make their programs successful.
In addition to her day-to-day administrative duties, Hall will be responsible for coordinating with the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) to ensure that all MCHS organizations and teams comply with state regulations.
Although work promises to be intense, Hall has no qualms about transitioning into her new position. In fact, after spending the last 19 years working in the MCHS activities office, Hall doubts that her previous job responsibilities will change significantly.
“Athletics have always been my life,” said Hall. “My dad coached here (at MCHS) for years and that’s what I knew growing up. My kids were all involved with athletics. Now I have five grandkids that are the light of my life. I want this program to be here when they get to this point.”
In terms of improvements that Hall hopes to make to the activities department, increasing student participation in extracurricular activities tops the list.
“We have a small number of kids involved in extracurricular activities and I would love to see those numbers grow,” said Hall. “We need to get more kids out for activities and we need to get more kids involved. Extracurricular activities help kids become better at multi-tasking and managing their time.”
As she has throughout her time at MCHS, Hall is careful to stress the importance of balancing academic responsibilities with extracurricular engagements.
“At the end of the day, academics come first and extracurriculars come second. That said, it is absolutely possible to balance the two. Especially with the new schedule, it is possible for kids to get up in the morning and take care of their homework,” she said.
Ultimately, Hall’s goal as Coordinator of Athletics and Activities is to see students become involved.
“I challenge all kids to put down the iPads and video games. Put that time to use in athletics and activities,” she said.
With the year fast approaching, the MCHS activities office appears to be in good hands. No doubt this will be an exciting and productive year with Hall at the helm.