Caledonia Argus

School board considers starting CHS softball program

Posted: 5/6/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

A proposal to start a softball program at Caledonia High School was discussed by school board members at a meeting on May 5. Currently, girls at CHS wishing to play softball join the Spring Grove/Caledonia team, which is based in Spring Grove.

Local softball enthusiast Arnold Ideker presented the plan to the board, noting that Spring Grove runs an excellent softball program, but that the number of Caledonia athletes playing softball at present has made a CHS-based program an appealing possibility. If the board were to approve such a measure, he said, the team could begin competing in the Three Rivers Conference in Spring 2005.

ìItís a sport thatís very popular in Caledonia,î Ideker said. ìThe thing that held it back was that not very many girls were interested in windmill pitching, but we have a couple of girls working on it now and doing very well. We have the facilities, and now itís just a matter of will.î

Ideker added that at present CHS softball players must drive to Spring Grove after school for practices and games, and this is a liability to the district. By having a Caledonia program, this liability would vanish.

Expenses of the program were a concern among board members. To participate in the Spring Grove program, Caledonia High School is charged $1000 annually. Caledonia Athletic Director Ken VanDenBoom estimated that for CHS to start a program of its own it would require between $10,000 to $15,000 for things like uniforms, equipment, and coaches.

How the Spring Grove program would fare without Caledonia athletes was also a point of inquiry. Tina Esch, the softball teamís assistant coach, said she thought that Spring Grove players would either have to play with Mabel or with Caledonia. She pointed out that at present the majority of players on the team are from Caledonia, and that only four Spring Grove girls from this yearís team will be returning to play high school softball next year.

School board members indicated they would place the matter under consideration, after checking with VanDenBoom to pin down the exact expenses such a program would incur.

CHS class scheduling for Fall 2003 nearing completion

Caledonia Middle/High School Principal Brian Doty told the board that class scheduling for next year is nearing completion, and that he anticipates students to have received their daily schedules for Fall 2003 by May 19.

ìWeíre making progress,î he said, ìand weíre very close to what most people would recognize as rubber hitting the road.î

The scheduling process this year was designed to maximize the amount of choice each student has in determining his or her daily schedule. Earlier this year, students submitted pre-registration requests, indicating which classes in which they most desired to be enrolled. School officials then began the process of designing a master schedule, which would best accommodate the scheduling wishes of every student.

School officials are currently putting the finishing touches on the master schedule, and when this is completed, studentsí schedules for next year will be released. Doty added that, although most students will receive a class schedule with perhaps one class they didnít specifically request, the system this year assures that, for the most part, students will be enrolled in the lionís share of classes they requested.

Top of Page