Athletic Director Coach Steiner told the Verona Area School District Board on Dec. 1 that 538 students participated in fall athletics and the combined quarter GPA for those athletes was 3.44. "We had had 538 student athletes participate in fall sports," Steiner said, noting 230 letter winners, 120 of them first-time earners, and 94 students who lettered in multiple sports.

Steiner laid out team and individual highlights across programs: boys cross country won the Big 8 conference for the first time in the program's history under Coach Matt Cooper; girls cross country finished second in conference and produced a first-team All-State performer (transcript name: Izzy Decapiter); girls tennis returned to state and McKenna Thorson was a Division 1 runner-up; and the swim program produced its first state champion since about 2018.

Beyond competitive results, Steiner described new and expanding initiatives intended to broaden participation and student supports. He introduced a student-athlete leadership group aligned with WA SALT that created four student-led committees (leadership development, culture/ belonging, volunteer projects and mental health) and said seniors will represent the program at a statewide student-athlete event. "They developed 4 committees that they really wanna focus on," Steiner said.

Steiner also announced an adaptive sports league to offer school-based competitive opportunities tied to a Special Olympics model. He said the district partnered with Montmore to ensure adequate rosters and plans to recognize participation (letters) and integrate athletes into the high school community.

On operations and funding, Steiner said the district moved to Arbiter for registration and scheduling and described an apparel partnership with vendor BSN that produces rebate dollars used to buy team shirts and volunteer incentives. "We have a deal with BSN for our apparel, and part of that is I get rebate dollars," he said.

The athletic director said the department is exploring upgraded scoreboard/video-board displays to both showcase student-athletes and create curricular opportunities for students to produce content. He also said administrators are conducting stakeholder conversations about adding boys' volleyball, stressing the district must consider impacts on budget and existing programs before moving forward.

Board members asked about the jump in participation from 471 to 538; Steiner attributed much of the increase to growth in the cheer program and other incremental gains across teams. Several trustees praised the high GPA among athletes and the emphasis on student leadership and inclusion.

The board neither voted on nor directed a formal adoption of new athletic programs at the meeting; Steiner said further outreach and analysis will precede any change in offerings.