DCHS Star High Jumper Ally Beneke Signs with Tennessee Tech

April 25, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

A DCHS champion high jumper is about to take a big leap to the college ranks.

Ally Beneke, 19-year-old senior and daughter of Jerry and Kim Beneke, made her commitment to Tennessee Tech official during a brief signing event Tuesday at DCHS.

Beneke became a State Champion last year on May 26th at the TSSAA-DI AAA track meet. During that competition Beneke jumped a height of 5 feet 6 inches to claim the title. Beneke had the number one seed going into the competition of 5 feet 7 inches and that still remains a personal record for her.

In fact, she repeated that high jump feat just this week according to her coach, Jeremy Wilhelm.

“Ally is magnificent. Yesterday (Monday) she jumped 5 feet 7 inches and that tied her school record which she set last year and that has put her in the top 25 in the country with that distance. She will only get better as the season goes along,” said Coach Wilhelm.

Since DCHS doesn’t have enough players for a program of its own, eight players from DeKalb County compete in the Warren County High School Track and Field program under a cooperative agreement between the two schools. Wilhelm is the Track and Field Head Coach and Kristen VanVranken of DeKalb County is the assistant Coach.

Beneke and her family moved to DeKalb County only two years ago from Michigan when she was a sophomore. Even as a young child, Beneke said she discovered her talent for the high jump and grew to love it.

“I have been jumping since elementary school. They had an event called a field day and that’s when I first jumped 4 feet and got the school record so ever since I have been doing it and I have loved it and succeeded in it,” said Beneke.

As far as her future, Beneke said while she hasn’t settled on it yet she plans to study something in the medical field or maybe computer science while at Tennessee Tech.

In the meantime, Beneke is high jumping with excitement about heading off to college to compete. “I can’t wait. I am really looking forward to joining the track team. They have already shown so much support to me and I can’t wait to get started,” she said.

Until then, Beneke will be looking to earn more honors before her high school career comes to a close.

“We are preparing for our sub-sectionals and sectionals and Ally has a big meet on Thursday at the 23rd Annual Great 8 Track & Field High School Invitational in Nashville,” said Coach Wilhelm.

April 25, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

A man charged with two cases of theft a year and a half ago recently appeared for sentencing in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

42-year-old Scotty Brian Heard entered a plea by criminal information to one count of theft over $2,500 and one count of theft over $1,000. He received a two-year sentence in each case to run consecutively (total of four years) but concurrent with a Bledsoe County case against him. He will serve this TDOC sentence as a Range I offender. He must make restitution of $2,270.

The cases against a co-defendant, 32-year-old Haley Dawn Wright remains pending in court.

Heard was allegedly found in possession of a 17-foot bass boat reported stolen in October, 2021 from the Red Bank area of Chattanooga. According to investigators, the boat was found at Wright’s home on November 15. In addition to the boat, Heard was charged with the theft and vandalism of a 2006 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle reported stolen from a location on Highway 70 in the Snow Hill area on October 13, 2021.

On the day it was reported stolen in DeKalb County, Sparta Police spotted the motorcycle and stopped it. Heard, who was operating the bike, was arrested and taken into custody. The motorcycle, which was returned to the owner, had some damage and missing parts totaling $2,270.

April 25, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Cut the cake. It’s time to celebrate!

Kudos to the students and staff at DeKalb County High School, DeKalb Middle School, and DeKalb West School for recent academic growth.

Staff at each school recently gathered for the celebration with the cutting of a cake.

“We are celebrating DWS being named a Reward School for the 2021-2022 school year. They were a level 5 out of 5 school in growth, achievement and attendance for the 2021-22 school year. This means our students had more than expected academic growth from the 2021 year to the 2022 school year. The Tennessee Department of Education recognizes Reward schools when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting their annual measurable objectives across performance indicators and student groups, and the Reward school distinction places significant emphasis on improvement from the prior school year. We had exceptional growth and achievement in English, math, science and social studies for grades 3-8,” said Supervisor of Instruction Dr. Kathy Bryant.

Meanwhile DCHS and DeKalb Middle School each celebrated being named a Level 4 out of a 5 school in growth for the 2021-22 school year.

“We are really excited about that growth. We had outstanding growth in Algebra II and English 10 at DCHS and I think that is what put us over the expected growth for the 2021-22 school year,” said Dr. Bryant.

“DeKalb Middle School also had exceptional growth in English, math, science and social studies for grades 6-8,” said Dr. Bryant.

“We are super proud of our schools and the academic growth shown there because last year we were coming off of COVID with some students being in school with others being remote and the previous year when we were out of school from March going forward,” said Dr. Bryant.

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