Student athletes hold a central role at Central Heights, as the majority of the student body are a part of the athletics program. In an effort to honor these athletes, Central Heights hosted its first athletic banquet at a venue other than the high school to highlight the value athletes have in the community.
This banquet was held on May 18 at the Fredonia Hotel in downtown Nacogdoches. The main hall was decorated by students’ parents beforehand..
“It was a really nice, elegant event,” Principal Stephen Cox said. “I thought it was a great event. A lot of hard work went into it, and it turned out really, really well.”
Over 300 people attended the event, with almost all of the attendees being honored by the school in some way. The event was more than just an honoring of the student body, it was a highlight of the community and the family of Central Heights.
“One of the things that sets Central Heights apart is our community,” Athletic Director John Vandover said. “Tonight, we got to celebrate every program together. It’s just a great way to finish the year with as much success as we’ve had.”
The largest point of the night was passion. The students that have passion for their sport, the parents that have passion for their kids, and the staff that have passion for their students. That passion shone through with the amount of effort that people like Coach Logan Smoak and Coach Danielle Templeton, two people that are hopeful to set a good example for the future athletes of Central Heights.
“Get involved,” Smoak said. “Do everything you have the ability to do. It’s so much more fun when you just play and be a kid, so why not?”
Just like Smoak, other coaches attended the banquet to honor their athletes.
“I didn’t get to talk to them [girls’ varsity basketball team] after the state game,” Templeton said. “I wanted to tell them so many things, so it was fantastic to be able to do that here.”
Coaches and staff are grateful for the young men and women that compete at the highest level that they can, and the banquet was the school showing their appreciation for these athletes and their hard work.
“It means the world to me to have the honor to coach these young men,” boys’ basketball head coach Dallas Cameron said. “I thank God for the opportunity to work with these guys.”