South Hagerstown student-athletes honored for their community service
At a school that hasn’t had a lot of sports success in recent years, senior Ethan VanMeter might stand out as a state champion in track and field at South Hagerstown.
But he’s more concerned about being a community leader.
The Central Maryland Conference recently held a canned food drive competition, and South High, led by VanMeter’s efforts, collected 2,305 cans between March 20 and April 6 to donate to the Maryland Food Bank, winning the competition by a landslide.
That also helped South earn the 2023 CMC Community Service Award at the CMC Student Athlete Leadership Conference in Walkersville, Md., on April 21.
“As soon as it was announced that they were going to have the competition, Ethan was all over it,” said Dwayne Freeman, South’s athletic director. “He and I sat down and brainstormed. He was down here every day. We were tallying up cans. He was going door to door (in the school). He really put in a lot of leg work.”
What motivated him?
“South High gets kind of a bad rep a lot of the time,” said VanMeter, who won a Class 3A indoor state title in the shot put this year. “Being involved in the sports community, we hear a lot of things about our sports records and things like that. And sometimes that will lead into discussions about culture. People who aren’t in the building have strong opinions that don’t really seem justified.
“This was a good way for us to show that, despite these opinions, we’re going to rise above it and get better. We obviously have our issues. Everybody has issues. We are working actively to create a better community and a better South High family.
“I did help organize it, but I didn’t donate all 2,305 cans,” he added. “It was truly a community effort. And South High, as a community, really came together to help us win this thing, and that’s what I’m most proud about.”
Eric Michael, Washington County’s supervisor of athletics, was on hand for the presentation of the community service award.
“It’s really neat,” Michael said. “It’s a sense of pride. Usually our accomplishments we think of being on the field, but this is a group of students giving back to the community, which is really awesome.”
South forms a leadership council
Last spring, after attending the 2022 CMC Student Athlete Leadership Conference, Freeman and VanMeter started the South Hagerstown Student Athlete Leadership Council.
“I nominated four officers (then-rising seniors Kevin Addeh, Mauricia Jones, Leah Palmer and VanMeter) and then reached out to coaches and asked them to nominate two athletes from each team,” Freeman said. “Right now, we have about 30 members. Our group has grown, and we’re going to continue to focus on community service, sportsmanship, team leadership and all the things we can do to help bring a positive culture to our school. Obviously, that’s the mission for the conference, but for South High, there’s a strong need for it.”
South’s student-athlete leaders also volunteer their time at neighboring Emma K. Doub Elementary School, reading to children and, on Fridays, instructing and playing with them in various sports activities during a free period.
“We just want to build that community outreach and make sure we’re looking after everyone as a South High family,” VanMeter said. “If you want to generate wins on the field, you have to win off the field and make sure that your community is right. That’s definitely what we’re focusing on.”
Although the first set of officers for South’s Student Athlete Leadership Council soon will be graduating, Freeman and VanMeter both said the group is in good hands with juniors Joseph Fox, Leighann Harmon, Marlon Jones, Ana Small-Simmons and Madi Wade ready to take charge.
VanMeter set to head west
As for VanMeter, he’s set to sign a letter of intent to continue his track and field career at Western Colorado University.
“I’m going to study biology with a focus on ecology,” he said. “I hope to work in the environment. Again, it goes back to that community aspect. I really enjoy nature, and I want to make sure it’s preserved and protected so that all people can enjoy it.”
Freeman said VanMeter’s future is bright.
“Ethan’s the kind of person that I know is going to leave this area and is going to grow,” he said. “But I know for sure that eventually his roots will bring him back here, and he’s going to be an active participant in this community. What the capacity is, I don’t know. Before he knew he was a leader, I saw that leadership capability in him. He’s going to do big things with his life.
“That’s part of what we want to do. We want to prepare our kids to go out here and be successful in life and be productive citizens. We’re showing that the kids believe in that mission, and they’re going out here and trying to achieve that.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: South Hagerstown student-athletes win CMC Community Service Award
