District activities directors showcase athletics, arts and new programs; flag football and girls lacrosse highlighted

Assistant Superintendent Christine Schaefer introduced a district activities update at the June 12 board meeting and invited activities directors from East Ridge, Park and Woodbury high schools to present highlights from the 2024–25 school year.

Sarah Plodicek, East Ridge activities director, reported increased overall participation and noted particular successes: a two‑time state champion in girls swimming and diving (Logan Hoverman, a sophomore who set a state record in the 200 individual medley and won the breaststroke), conference and section championships in volleyball, multiple students signing national letters of intent and a number of teams earning academic team awards. She described clubs that expanded this year (for example, robotics, Hmong dance, and a student publication called Fine Print) and noted students’ community service, including fundraising and a large homecoming dance.

Park High School's director (identified as Phil in the presentation) outlined broad participation and fine arts achievements, including musicals and one‑act plays recognized for strong performance. He highlighted students who earned national and conference recognitions, academic team awards across multiple sports and additional district honors; Park reported a large spring collegiate signing event and multiple student athletes receiving academic all‑state honors. Phil and the presenters also described the growth of newer offerings such as trap team, robotics (which qualified for worlds), and competitive cheer.

Woodbury activities director Jody (surname presented during the meeting) described Woodbury’s participation numbers, club diversity and several individual achievements—multi‑year state qualifiers in wrestling and alpine skiing, cross‑country and track qualifiers, and successes in debate, swim and dive and gymnastics. She and other presenters noted the district’s Thunderbolts adaptive teams and their continued appearances at state tournaments.

Directors from all three schools emphasized two recurring themes: strong academic performance by student athletes (multiple teams earned gold or silver academic team awards by meeting GPA thresholds) and growth in nontraditional or newly sanctioned sports. Notably, girls flag football—organized as a club sport with Vikings grant support—played multiple games on weekends, drew high participation and exhibited fast‑improving athleticism; the district’s flag football team went undefeated in the regular season and reached the state semifinals. Directors also highlighted girls lacrosse’s deep runs in the postseason; Park and East Ridge reported state tournament appearances.

The Woodbury director noted the district began decommissioning the Woodbury High School pool after a 50‑year history; staff and community members marked the pool’s last meets and practices with commemorations. Directors thanked coaches, families and the board for support; no formal board action was associated with the presentations.

No board decisions followed the reports; directors said they will continue work to expand offerings, sustain high academic performance among athletes and support student leadership programs.