Dekalb County High School hopes to have a new girls’ volleyball team ready to take the court in time for the 2024 fall season.
Vice Principal Thomas Cagle said it has been a three-year process to bring the new team to reality. He said he is excited to offer students a chance to play a sport that builds discipline, unity, and character.
“I feel like at least, people do remember playing Dekalb County,” Cagle said. “And I just think that it’s an opportunity for us to grow and to give more students in the school an opportunity to be able to excel outside of school in an athletic endeavor.”
Cagle said finding a coach and ironing out the logistics of how different fall sports will share the one basketball gym. He said he is sifting through a pool of possible coaching candidates and once one is chosen, he hopes to begin practices soon.
“The athletic department has always strived on making sure that our student-athletes know that they’re students first,” Cagle said. “We need to have our success in the classroom to also have our success on the field or the court.”
Cagle said the Athletic Department has been successful for years, and the time for growth has come. He said there is already a sizable group of girls ready to play.
“That was one of those things that made sense that could be added to our programs and offer some more options for some more students to be involved with the school,” Cagle said.
He said the formation of the team has been approved by the school board and the next step is to get poles installed in the gym floor in time for the season in August. He said community engagement is vital for a school to flourish, and this is another way for families and Dekalb County residents to come support the school system.
“I’ve gotten a lot of support from different family members, different community members, and our students as well,” Cagle said. “We have a large group of students who had reached out to me this summer about the possibility of being able to get the volleyball team still up and going and running. they stayed on with me to support me in getting everything together.”
Cagle said one Dekalb County student was playing with the Warren County team and was a driving force in pushing for volleyball at home.