Struggling city student-athletes get a boost

Lynchburg City Schools have never had two staffers dedicated solely to increasing the achievement of at-risk student athletes both on and off the field.

Dedicated faculty members and passionate coaches, yes.

But not two full-time academic coaches trained to help athletes with grades, the college application process and life.

This year that will change.

Lynchburg Superintendent Paul McKendrick on Tuesday announced Lynchburg College graduate Maggie Davis as the academic coach at Heritage High School, and Gladys native Gavin Davis as the E.C. Glass High School coach. The new positions are part of a national program called Play It Smart and have been funded for two years largely through the program grant and
community donations.

“After I interviewed and found out they were going to offer me the position at Heritage, I felt like it was a dream come true,” Maggie Davis said during a telephone interview from Massachusetts where she is teaching summer school at a private boarding school.

The two new hires, who are not related, will start in August. As academic coaches they will be required to wear many hats, serving sometimes as a tutor, teacher, friend or mentor. Responsibilities will include helping athletes set goals, achieve higher grades and SAT scores, and participate in community service.

The positions are funded by a Play It Smart grant through the National Football Foundation, the school division and community donations, including significant contributions by the Alliance for Families and Children and Genworth Financial.

“They all signed on to say, ‘Yeah, we are interested in making sure these kids know they matter,’” Maggie Davis said, hailing the new program as a community project.

She is no stranger to competitive athletics, competing in softball and basketball in high school. Davis, 34, continued her basketball career through college.

“I really, truly believe athletics is an incredible experience of empowerment. You empower physically, you empower mentally. The experience of being an athlete allows you to be fully present and strong,” she said. “It gives you tools to believe in yourself and push yourself.”

She currently is working on her doctorate from California Institute of Integral Studies and has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lynchburg College.Both of Lynchburg’s new academic coaches, along with the city’s high school football coaches, will attend a Play It Smart conference for training from July 24-27 in Dallas.

Gavin Davis, 26, has some experience with the city schools; before being hired as an academic coach, he worked as a substitute teacher.

“I think this position is not just going to help them as athletes ... but make them a better person and make them strive to be more than average,” he said.

Davis is a graduate of Liberty University and William Campbell High School, where he participated in track and field.

He said he’s tough and will expect a lot from his students. He’s already visited with a few athletes when he dropped by weight-lifting training.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I feel that God has me exactly where he wants me to be and that’s working with these teenagers to make a difference.”

Play It Smart, a national program created in 1998 through the National Football Foundation, will come to Lynchburg for the upcoming school year.

The program uses academic coaches to work with at-risk student athletes, giving them the extra support they might need.

According to the Play It Smart Web site, 136 high schools and almost 10,000 student athletes currently are participating nationwide.

Play It Smart’s goals include raising grade-point average, test scores and graduation rates. There is also a focus on enhancing life skills, boosting community service opportunities and increasing parental involvement.

The program was first

proposed to the Lynchburg School Board in January by community member Charlie White, of Wood & White Investment Advisors, and Tom Prest, Alliance for Families and Children CEO.

Lynchburg City Schools was able to hire two academic coaches, one for each high school, after securing community contributions and Play It Smart grant funds.

In June, the school board announced the division’s formal receipt of $60,000 from the Play It Smart grant over two years, as well as more than $30,000 in community donations.

The program becomes a reality this August, when the two academic coaches start work at their respective high schools.