RHMS takes time to celebrate athletic achievements
The first Sports Night at RHMS was enjoyed by all of the athletes who
attended to honor the accomplishments of the cross country, volleyball
and football teams. Here the eighth grade football team is seen giving a
final cheer.
By RHMS eighth grade student Jack Hibbett; Photo courtesy of Curtis Hughes
On December 1, Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) created a night that brought students, parents, and coaches together to celebrate their achievements outside of the classroom. Student athletes were recognized for their hard work and dedication to their teams in the RHMS first Sports Night. The RHMS base camp housed more than 200 people applauding these students’ accomplishments. The night was a big hit, and as seventh grade volleyball player Sarah Lombardi stated, “It felt cool, just to remember the memories.”
The night started out with a few words from the host, sixth grade teacher Stephen Schmitz. Everyone also thanked Tanner Schmitz and Jacob Janicki who worked on the slideshow that was shown throughout the night. Then, it went on to RHMS’s first sports team of the evening, cross country. Cross country was presented by Schmitz who was also a coach. Cross country had a very successful season. The highlights included placing second in the district meet, and a 5-1 record shone through.
Next, RHMS volleyball was represented. RHMS had two different grade levels, seventh and eighth, and they were both represented by coach Deanne Boland, an eigthth grade teacher. Seventh grade volleyball was full of success stories about how they had learned so much despite what little time they had together. 8th grade was also successful and even had an undefeated team. Players were shown that volleyball didn’t have to stop at the middle school level; the team attended some high school games to cheer on Rock Canyon High School.
Finally came the last celebration of the night … football. It started out with deventh grade flag football, presented by sixth grade coach Shane Wade. Coach Wade explained how flag football taught the students so much about football and teamwork. Plus, it helped prepare them for tackle football next year. Then came eighth grade tackle football. They had just won the district championship, so they were awarded with a golden football helmet to sign and a t-shirt for all of them to keep. An eighth grader on that football team, Will Durbin said, ”It’s cool because the golden football stands out in the trophy case instead of a boring trophy.¨
The RHMS Sports Night was a touchdown, and hopefully this is a new tradition that will bring students, parents, and coaches together one last time.
