Back-to-School Newsletter August 2020

A Message from the President

Welcome back! We are excited to be back in action for the 2020-2021 school year! Good luck this year to all the athletes, coaches, administrators, and parents who make Clark Athletics special! The booster club's goal is to provide important resources and programs for our athletes, coaches, parents, and community in a safe manner. We are working on new, creative ways to safely recognize teams, sell merchandise, etc. as we kick off this year.

As your booster club president, I am committed to doing what we can to support our student athletes and programs. Our goals this year are to boost membership, provide more financial support to Clark Athletics, and better communicate with you about what we have going on.

We need your help. We have a lot of opportunities, from simply becoming a member, to purchasing merchandise, to volunteering for concessions, to becoming a board member or joining a committee, and much more! Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Go Cougars!

Your Booster Club President,

Melinda Foster

foster_mel78@yahoo.com

Do you want to support Clark Athletics?

Become a member! For as little as $25, you can help support Clark Athletics. Last school year, the club sponsored the Back in Black Pep Rally, showed some booster club hospitality to coaches and players, and awarded ten $1000 senior scholarships. We also provided funds to Clark Athletics, which were used to support sports banquets, signing celebrations, and to purchase the annual Hudl video system, strength and conditioning equipment, team equipment, and more. We have donated $10,000 to the Clark Athletic fund this month as well.

There are lots more needs, so please support the Clark Athletics today!

Clarkathleticboosterclub.com

We have launched a new website!

Please register on our website to take full advantage of all of its features. You can become a booster club member, sign up to volunteer, purchase spirit items, etc. Go to Clarkathleticboosterclub.com today! We are in the process of trying to put more spirit items up for sale, so please check back often!

Booster Club Website

Do you have your clear stadium bag?

Due to the UIL Realignment, two NISD schools - Clark and Brandeis - have joined the 7 NEISD high schools in District 28. Beware that NEISD has a CLEAR BAG POLICY. Show your Cougar Pride by carrying a Clark bag, available from your booster club NOW for $15. Order yours online and pick-up at Clark at one of our designated times.

Questions about Covid-19 Safety?

NISD is following their Start Smart Playbook, which defines status levels and protective measures that all athletes, coaches, and patrons must follow on campuses and at athletic facilities. It outlines the protocol to be followed in the event of exposures, symptoms, or diagnosis.

Masks required!

Look for Clark masks on our website soon!

We need you!

Please support Clark Athletics and volunteer to work Concessions at a game this fall. It's easy and fun! Dates and times will be available on our Volunteer page after September 8th. Masks and gloves will be required.

We Have Open Board Positions!

The booster club is run by parent volunteers who want to support Clark athletes and enhance their high school athletic experience. Interested in a board position? We have vacancies on the executive board as well as committees. Contact us if you're interested!

Webmaster Wants to Hear from You

Attention coaches, parents, spirit reps, athletes!

We want to make our website fun and useful. We welcome ideas and submissions for placement on our site. Have pictures, information to share, a coach, player, team or booster club member to recognize?

Contact us!

Students of families who maintain Clark Athletic Booster Club membership during all years that the student participates in a Clark high school sport are eligible to apply for the Booster Club Scholarships awarded during the student's senior year.

Make sure your athlete is represented on the fences at school!

Purchase a fence sign so your athlete will be represented on the Clark fences with their teammates. Signs are personalized with your athlete's sport, name, jersey number, etc. Fence signs are only $20. We have window decals and yard signs available as well. Check our website for more information.

A few words from the Athletic Director

Hello Clark, Texas!

There has been a lot of activity around campus this spring and summer in regard to athletic facilities upgrades. The biggest project is the new synthetic turf on the main field. We now have a great playing surface for both football and soccer. The new turf also has built in speed ladders and dot drills that can be utilized by all sports during their strength and agility training as well as markings for a baseball and a softball infield. The track is also scheduled to be resurfaced during winter break. The baseball field has a new backstop and the softball field is being completely redone and is currently under construction. We are excited about all of the upgrades to our facilities and we can’t wait to get our Cougars back to work.

~Coach Geist

A Note from Coach Miller

Clark Volleyball is "set" for it's 2020 season to begin!

Tryouts for the Freshmen, JV, & Varsity teams will be Tuesday, September 8th.

With 8 returners from last year's Regional Finalist team, the 2020 season should be a strong one for the Cougars. Led by seniors Elise McGhee and Trinity Herrera (both 2020 Under Armour All-American watchlist honorees) and Kendall Harrington (AVCA Phenom Watch List honoree), the Cougars will be tested weekly as they compete against some of the state's top teams. After joining a new district... possibly the toughest one in the state... the Cougars will be competing at 3 different facilities this season: Northside Sports Gym, Paul Taylor Fieldhouse, and Littleton Gymnasium (NEISD). Please check the Clark website for the 2020 schedule. We've got the best fans in the city, and we look forward to seeing you at the games!

Interested in tryouts? Need information? Contact head coach Melissa Miller at melissa.miller@nisd.net

A Word from the Directors

Cougarettes are ready to roll! This week we have been meeting daily to get to know each other and create strong team bonds for the school year. Our Cougarette officers completed a leadership workshop with ShowMakers of America the week before school began and took away MANY great ideas in how to lead our teams successfully, virtually and in person. We have been impressed with the enthusiasm of our leaders this year. We are looking forward to what they will accomplish with their teams. We will begin some virtual practices and hope to start safe, in person practices soon. Next, we will be gearing up for our first football halftime routine! We are hoping to perform in person but will be ready to perform virtually during the season. We are so thankful to the booster club for their support!

~Cougarette Directors

New Officers!

Cougarette Top Officers:

Colonel - Daala Zavala

Lt. Colonel - Bailey Eichelbaum

Cheer Varsity Co-Captains: MyKenzie Bohlken & Jaden Brandt

Cheer JV Captain: Joanna Salas

Top Cat Captain: Marisa Nunez

Top Cat Co-Captain: Makayla Regino

Top Cat Spirit Officer: Rachael Garcia

Top Cat Co-Social Media Ambassadors: Bailey Eichelbaum & Taylor Alleyne

Aristocat Aide: Taylor Alleyne

Aristocat Social Media Ambassador: Vanessa Rodriguez

Attention Football Parents!

We are excited to be your Football Spirit Representatives and look forward to working with you! Although this year is not what we had envisioned, our hopes are to work together as a team during these challenging times, be creative in keeping some of the past traditions alive and make this year special for our boys.

You can find the most current information regarding practice schedules, game schedules and upcoming events by regularly checking the SportsYou app, and on the Football page on the Clark Athletic Booster Club website. The Booster Club has worked hard in designing a new website and are now able to accept payment online for memberships, spirit gear and events. We highly encourage you to check out their new website and support Clark athletics by signing up to become a member. We would love to see 100% representation for Football since money raised is given to the Athletic Department. As your Spirit Representatives, we will facilitate any additional information we have to share with you on the Booster Club’s Football page as well.

In keeping up with past traditions, we will still provide game day snacks and game day meals for the Varsity boys. Coach Geist promotes the idea of providing our boys with nutritious food throughout game day for maximum fuel! We are asking each family to donate $75 towards the purchase of snacks and limited decorations. Amanda Alvarado will coordinate with the Coaches and Training Staff to provide the best options and will purchase snacks and drinks with the money collected. All snacks will be delivered to Coach Geist the day before games and will be distributed by the Coaches on game day. Erin McKay has volunteered to assist with game day meals. We are also asking for each family to donate $100 for game day meals.

For JV and 9th grade boys, we will provide snacks for at least their first game and Homecoming. We are asking each family to donate $20 towards the purchase of snacks and limited decorations for these times.

A great way to show an act of kindness during hard times is to donate additional funds to assist families with hardships. No additional amount donated is too large or too small. We want ALL players to have game day snacks and meals. This year, the process of collecting these funds has been made simple and convenient. You will be able to make your donations directly through the Booster Club website, which will serve as a “One-Stop Shop” for families.

We have some fun ideas for a few events this season. We welcome and encourage your ideas! We will keep you posted as the Season begins!

Feel free to contact us with any questions and/or ideas.

~Your Football Spirit Reps

Amy Childs & Sharee Varelas (V),

Kari Phillips (JV), & Meghan Goertz (9th)

Tennis

Varsity Tennis tryouts are being held September 8-12. Brandeis is the first match-up on September 16th. The fall schedule is posted on our website. Go Clark Cougar Tennis!

Aquatics

Aquatics is ready to go! Tryouts are taking place Thursday, September 10 through Saturday, September 12. Slots are assigned. Practice schedule and Meet Schedule is posted on our website. Best of luck to all of our swimmers and divers!

Thoughts from a Senior Athlete

Being a senior for this cross country season is definitely a tough one. It’s hard not being able to be with your teammates that you cherish every moment with, and not be able to have our last moments as a team in a normal season. I am just grateful to be given the opportunity to still have my last season of cross country although delayed. This summer I had to keep my motivation set, because laziness came in to play due to our 5 month spring break. What really motivated me to keep working out was Coach Ager texting our workout schedules, and wanting to do good for my team. I hope our season this year is as great as all our previous seasons, and I’m beyond excited to be with my team once again.

~Chandler Valdez

Good luck to our Cross Country runners. Their first meet is September 26th.

We wish all of our Fall Sports Athletes safe and healthy seasons! We'll highlight our Winter sports in our Winter Newsletter. If you'd like to contribute something, we'd love to hear from you!

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SUBJECT: Clark Booster Club Back to School Newsletter