Experienced DCHS Tiger Soccer Team Expecting Successful Season (View Video Here)

March 8, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

DCHS Tiger Soccer fans will get their first look at the boys’ team in action this year on Saturday, March 11 during the Upper Cumberland Classic Pre-Season Play Day in Smithville.

Action will take place at both the game field at 600 Allen Ferry Road and the practice field at 1130 West Broad Street.

DeKalb County’s first game will be at 9 a.m. at the game field against Macon County. Other schools participating are Community, Smith County, Bledsoe County, Cannon County, Watertown, and Westmoreland.

The regular season begins on Tuesday, March 14 as the Tigers travel to Baxter to face Upperman in a district match at 6 p.m.

With this year’s team consisting of several experienced seniors, Tiger Soccer Coach Dylan Kleparek (Coach K) is expecting a good year.

“We have a really strong team coming back. On paper we look like one of the better teams we have had, and we have had a lot of good teams in the past. We lost one senior last year, so we are basically returning our entire team. We have ten seniors who will all start so it’s a really strong group and behind them we have a good group of juniors and a really strong group of sophomores, so we have some depth. I have coached a lot of these players since they were really little kids and watched them work their way up through the middle school program. They are all well experienced and strong players and work well together. We look to score a lot of goals this season. They are very aggressive at attacking the goal and creating a lot of great chances for us. We’re looking forward to a strong, positive season but we have to really work hard and take each game one at a time” said Coach K.

Although the district race will be competitive, the Tigers are expected to be a strong contender.

“Our district is made up of Livingston Academy, Stone Memorial, and Upperman who are in the north side of our bracket and in the south side we have Cumberland County, White County, and DeKalb County. We play each team once and we play everyone on our side of the bracket a second time and then the top team on each side will get a first-round bye (in district tournament) and then the other teams will play in the tournament between the two sides,” said Coach K.

“On our side of the bracket, Cumberland County is always very strong, and they will be tough competition. White County is also usually pretty strong but this year they are kind of an up-and-coming program so we will have to look out for them because in soccer any team can beat another on any day, so you always have to play hard. On the other side of the bracket, Stone Memorial and Livingston Academy are both tough teams and Upperman is kind of the up-and-coming team there so it’s sort of an even two sides to our district. I expect Cumberland County to probably be our biggest opponent this season,” Coach K said.

2023 DCHS Tiger Soccer Schedule:
REGULAR SEASON
March 14: *Upperman-Away: 6:00
March 16: Coffee County-Home:7:00 p.m. (JV) 5:00
March 24: Springfield JV (Smoky Mountain Cup)-Away: 6:00 E
March 24: Ooltewah (Smoky Mountain Cup)-Away: 8:00 E
March 25: Shelbyville JV (Smoky Mountain Cup)-Away: 9:30 E
March 25: Carter (Smoky Mountain Cup)-Away: 11:30 E
March 26: Gatlinburg-Pittman (Smoky Mountain Cup): Away-9:30 E
March 26: William Blount JV (Smoky Mountain Cup):Away-11:30 E
April 4: *Stone Memorial: Home- 6:00
April 6: Cannon County:Home-6:00
April 11: *Cumberland County: Home- 6:00
April 13: *White County: Home- 6:00
April 18: *Livingston: Home- 6:00
April 20: *White County: Away-6:00
April 25: *Cumberland County:Away-6:30
April 27: Central Magnet: Away- 6:15
May 2: Macon County: Home- 6:00 (Senior Night)
May 4: Warren County:Away-6:00

POSTSEASON
May 8: 1st Round District Tournament: TBA
May 9: 2nd Round District Tournament-White County:TBA
May 11: District Championship-White County: TBA
May 16: Region Semifinals:TBA
May 18: Region Championship:TBA
May 20: Substate: TBA
May 22: State Tournament : TBA

2023 DCHS Tigers Soccer Roster
#2-Jonathan Balderas-Junior
#3-Cooper Brown -Senior
#4-Connor Hopkins-Freshman
#5-Brayan Aguirre-Sophomore
#6-Ekow Afful-Turkson-Junior
#7-Jonathan Zavala-Senior
#8-Miguel Mata-Senior
#9-Cameron Miller-Senior
#10-Yair Mata-Senior
#11-Adan Ramirez-Senior
#12-Axel Aranda-Sophomore
#13-Aydan Bean-Junior
#14-Jaxon Kleparek-Freshman
#15-Leo Delgado-Sophomore
#16-Emilio Garcia-Junior
#17-Hector Cervantes-Sophomore
#18-Brandon Silva-Senior
#19-Jose Guzman-Sophomore
#20-Milas Driver-Sophomore
#21-Ryder Miller-Senior
#23-Giovani Palomo-Freshman
#24-Jesus Guzman-Sophomore
#25-Bryan Ramirez-Sophomore
#26-Jonathan Garcia-Senior
#27-Cesar Gaspar-Junior
#28-Cale Brown-Sophomore
#29-Erick Hernandez-Sophomore
#30-Miguel Guzman-Sophomore
#31-Connor Vance-Senior
#32-Jack Gassaway-Freshman

March 7, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The 2023 DeKalb County School District Teacher of the Year is Lesa Hayes, a CTE Teaching as a Profession, Human Studies and Business teacher at DeKalb County High School.

Hayes got a surprise visit to her classroom Tuesday for the “John Isabell Memorial Award” presentation by Director of Schools Patrick Cripps, DCHS Principal Bruce Curtis, Assistant Principals Jenny Norris and Thomas Cagle, and Supervisors of Instruction Michelle Burklow and Dr. Kathy Bryant. As part of the honor, Hayes also received a school bell award, a floral arrangement, and a certificate granting her a day off from school with pay.

In addition to the visit to Hayes, Director Cripps and school administrators paid a call on four other teachers at their schools Tuesday to present the school level “Teacher of the Year awards including Special Education Pre-K teacher, Sydney Johnson at Smithville Elementary School; Positive Behavior Interventionist and Lead District Positive Behavior Support Interventionist, Meagan Humbert at Northside Elementary School; Rachel Desimone, 5th grade teacher and Instructional Coach at DeKalb West School; and Sarah Jacobs, an 8th grade ELA teacher at DeKalb Middle School.

This is the 16th annual Teacher of the Year observance.

Hayes, whose duties include teaching as a profession, family studies, and human studies said she is excited to have been named both the DCHS Teacher of the year and the Overall DeKalb County School District Level Teacher of the Year.

“I am very honored and humbled that I have been chosen for this and the fact that I work with so many great teachers. I have grown to love this school as well as the kids here,” said Hayes.

Altogether Hayes has been a teacher for almost three decades. In the local school system, she was at DeKalb West School for about 13 years followed by a stint at DeKalb Middle School for five years before moving to DCHS four years ago. Prior to her years in the DeKalb County School District, Hayes taught in Wilson County for a private company that contracted with the Department of Labor to train adults for re-entry into the workforce. Before becoming a teacher, Hayes worked in banking and then took a job at DeKalb West working in the office. “I had my teaching degree but there was not a position open at that time, so I started working part-time in the office and part time in adult education. When a computer position came open at DeKalb West is when I moved into the classroom,” said Hayes.

“Ms Hayes is a wonderful teacher. She is very dedicated to her students and to the faculty and staff here. She is always willing to help out and do anything she can even with the afterschool program. It’s a pleasure to have her here at DCHS,” said Principal Bruce Curtis.

The other principals were equally as proud of their school-level teachers of the year.

“Ms. Jacobs was chosen as DeKalb Middle Schools’ teacher of the year by her colleagues and peers,” said DMS Principal Caleb Shehane. “She received her bachelor’s degree in communication from Tennessee Tech and her master’s degree in teaching from Cumberland University. She is currently in her 6th year as an ELA teacher. Ms. Jacobs truly puts students first. She provides high-quality instruction while building positive, meaningful relationships with her students. If not in the classroom, you can find Ms. Jacobs on the softball field as head coach of Lady Saints softball. She is a true asset to our DeKalb Middle School family, and we are happy to honor her,” said Shehane.

“Ms. Meagan Humbert came to us in 2019 and has since made a tremendous impact on our school and district,” said Northside Elementary School Principal Karen Knowles. “She brought with her extensive knowledge and experience that has supported our school climate and student success in all aspects of their education. I truly feel blessed to work with Ms. Humbert and was extremely pleased to see that Ms. Humbert was selected at NES by her peers as Teacher of the Year,” said Knowles.

“Congratulations to Mrs. Desimone for being selected Teacher of the Year by her peers for DeKalb West School,” said DWS Principal Sabrina Farler. “It is very much deserved. All her effort and hard work have resulted in this achievement. Her way of teaching and managing her classes and the strategies she applies to teach her students allow the opportunity for students in her classes to academically grow. What an amazingly positive impact you have made on the teaching profession. Well done Mrs. Desimone and congratulations on being named DWS Teacher of the Year,” said Farler.

“Mrs. Sydney Johnson, Smithville Elementary School Teacher of the Year, is a Pre-K teacher in the Special Education Department and has been employed as a teacher in DeKalb County Schools since 2014,” said SES Principal Summer Cantrell. “She is a valued member of the SES faculty who brings positivity and encouragement to the students, families, and colleagues of Smithville Elementary School. Mrs. Sydney’s passion for teaching revolves around meeting the needs of the whole child, while creating an engaging and creative learning environment for all students. As an Early Childhood teacher, her dedication to the teaching profession helps to create lifelong opportunities for individual success for her students,” said Cantrell.

“Our district’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes and honors outstanding teachers in DeKalb County. We applaud teachers who care about our children, who devote their professional lives to enriching the lives of DeKalb students, and who demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement. We are not just exceptionally proud of our Teachers of the Year, but we are also grateful for all of our educators in DeKalb County,” said Director Cripps.

Teachers of the Year are selected competitively through five cycles: Building, System, Field Service Core Center Region, Grand Division and State; and from three categories (levels of teaching); Grades Pre-K-4, 5-8, 9-12.

Teachers selected at each cycle receive local recognition and awards underwritten by local sources. State recognition/awards include a banquet honoring the nine State Teacher of the Year finalists and certificates of appreciation from the governor. In addition, the State Finalists and the State Teacher of the Year receive cash awards.

Dr. Kathy Bryant, Supervisor of Instruction, concludes, “The Tennessee Teacher of the Year Program is designed to promote effective teaching practices by recognizing and rewarding outstanding teachers while encouraging others to join the teaching profession.”

March 7, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

An Alexandria man who broke into and vandalized a residence while attacking the homeowner has been arrested and charged in the case.

30-year-old Samuel Kameron Vanatta of West Main Street, Alexandria is charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, and vandalism. His bond is $35,000 and he will make a court appearance on March 23

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on January 31 Vanatta broke into a residence by kicking open the front door and after making entry he struck the homeowner with a bat several times in the leg and punched him in the head. Vanatta also broke a Motorola phone, a 50-inch television set, and a fan in addition to causing damage to the front door. The total amount of the damages was $1,920.

50-year-old Laura Carol Ratliff of Lascassas is charged with driving under the influence. Her bond is $3,500 and she will be in court March 16.

Sheriff Ray said that on February 28 a deputy responded to a vehicle crash on Highway 70 at Billings Road and upon arrival spoke with Ratliff, one of the drivers involved in the wreck. Ratliff was unsteady on her feet. Her speech was slurred, and her eyes were red and glassy. She admitted having consumed two beers prior to the crash. She submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Three empty cans of Budweiser beer and an empty bottle of Southern Comfort were found in the back seat.

20-year-old Michael Anthony Vestal of Old Hickory is charged with underage driving while impaired. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court March 16.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 4 a deputy received a call about a reckless driver operating a maroon Ford F150. The officer spotted the vehicle on Nashville Highway in Dowelltown which had gone off the roadway and struck a curb. The deputy then turned around and stopped the vehicle. While speaking with the driver, Vestal the deputy noticed that he smelled of alcohol. Vestal submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. The officer also learned that this vehicle had previously been involved in an accident in Wilson County.

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