The 2015-16 VESPY Awards was held on Saturday, April 30th, at the Wyndham Hotel. This event celebrated the remarkable year our athletes and teams had during the 2015-16 schoolyear. As soon as our athletes, parents, and coaches entered, they walked the red carpet, took pictures, and gave interviews about the highlights of their season! They were the stars of the evening.

Once they entered the large banquet room, the beautiful décor captured everyone’s attention. The white linen tables with black chair covers were an elegant touch. In the center of the table were trophy centerpieces, which were filled with hydrangea flowers. The Viking blue black-lighting and senior banners decorated the walls of the room. The stage area featured a streaming video where everyone was able to see all of the athletes arriving who were walking the red carpet. The athletes and guests then flowed in and out, snapping fun pictures in the photo booth, and then settling down to enjoy the delicious food. Soon after, it was time for the opening remarks from Associate Athletic Director, Jeff Bond, and Athletic Director, Dustin Embrey.

The award presentation is always a very thoughtful and touching moment. Each coach celebrated the success of their season, and praised the commitment, character, and development of each of their athletes. Our boys soccer team had special State Championship ring presentation. There were also a series of new specialty awards: Newcomer of the Year, Staff Supporter of the Year, Performance of the Year, Strength and Conditioning Award, 4 Year Varsity Athletes, Academic All-State Recipients, and the Exemplary Athlete Awards. All of the deserving award winners were on hand to receive their awards.

The award presentation also featured two special presentations. The first special presentation honored a legendary coach, great leader, and friend, Judi Klausmeyer. Coach K built the high school volleyball program. In her time as coach, she was able to successfully grow her program, experience tremendous success, and make an everlasting impact on so many young ladies. Two of her current players spoke about their relationship with Coach K and the lasting impact she has had in their life. One of Coach K’s former players, Lauren Fernandez-Miller, who is currently playing college volleyball, was also on hand to share her love for her former coach. The second special presentation recognized the commitment our Viking athletes and teams have made to serve the community around us. The Athletic Service Learning Program had 136 athletes participate in Service Learning projects, combining for over 500 hours of community service. The girls helped a local elementary school by providing reading assistance to their kindergarten ELL students. The boys volunteered at Open Door Mission, which is a drug and alcohol recovery program, by helping in their kitchen area. They prepped food for 170 residents, organized the pantry, washed dishes, and served the men. This growing Service Learning program has been able to help the community around us and help instill the proper values and character into each of our athletes.

The night concluded with the presentation of our final specialty award: The Male and Female Exemplary Athlete Award. The Exemplary Athlete Award recognizes a male and female Senior Viking student-athlete that not only excels in his or her athletic life, but also contributes to the betterment of our school by his or her community involvement, leadership, and academics. These two people epitomize a Viking student-athlete and it is considered our most prestigious award. The recipients of this year’s Exemplary Athlete Awards were Michael Wille and Michelle Menkiti.

The 2015-16 VESPY Awards was a fun night. It had a red carpet, photo booth, and a beautiful banquet room to celebrate our memorable year. The evening had a million laughs and smiles, kids cheering for their teammates, videos, and funny presentations. As much fun as it was, the VESPY Awards was also an emotional goodbye. Our senior athletes will be moving on, but their legacy will remain. The close relationships and memories will be lasting. On behalf of the Village Athletic Department, thank you to all of our athletes, parents, staff members, coaches, and supporters, for a wonderful 2015-16 year.

For a list of all the Award Winners, please click the attached document.

Houston Methodist West Hospital will be holding physicals at The Village School Moore Gym on May 18 from 3:00 P.M. – 6:30 P.M.. Cost of the physical will be $25; we ask checks be payable to The Village School.

Students must bring the following forms correctly completed by both student and parent: Physical Evaluation and Medical History Form, Physical Assessment Form, Houston Methodist Physical Consent Form, and the Impact Testing Form. All forms can be found on The Village Athletics website under the tab Student Resources, or click the link below.

As a reminder, students do not need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian but must have all forms correctly completed and signed by parent/guardian in order to be able to have a physical completed.

On Tuesday, April 26th, the Varsity boys golf team competed in the TAPPS 4A Regional Golf Tournament that was held at Magnolia Creek Country Club in League City, Texas. The boys team includes: Ross B, Fraser K, Justin V, Daniel P, and Sebastian A. These five young men had an opportunity to advance to the State Tournament, which would be a first in program history. In order to accomplish this, the boys had to finish with one of the top 4 team scores. After finishing 3rd in District, a top 4 finish was a difficult task. The boys were not only competing against the best teams that advanced from their own district, but the tournament also included the best teams that advanced from other districts in their region. It was evident before the tournament started that the boys would have to shoot their best team score to put themselves into contention.

With tremendous Senior leadership from Ross, Fraser, and Justin, who all played for the golf team when they were Freshman, the team had a calm demeanor heading into their round. That experience certainly paid off once the golfers took to the course. Ross B posted a 77, Fraser K with a 78, and Justin V was rock solid as usual after posting an 84. Newcomer to the team, Daniel P, who is always consistent with his play, also posted an 84. With the scores being tallied up, the Vikings took care of business, and posted a program record team score of 323.

After the results were in, the boys team came in 2nd place, overtaking one of our district opponents, and beating every team from the other district that was represented. It was a total team effort, and all the hard work and time spent on the course was validated by earning their spot in the TAPPS 4A State Tournament. The boys will travel to Temple, Texas on Sunday morning to compete in Monday and Tuesday’s 2-round State Tournament at Wildflower Country Club.

The Regional Golf Tournament also included our lone female golfer, Mariana O. Mariana advanced to the State Tournament last year as a sophomore, and has finished in the top 5 at every tournament she has played this season. After a 13th place finish at last year’s Regional Tournament, Mariana knew that she would have to play her best golf to advance to the State Tournament going up against the best golfers in the region. After a tough start to her round, Mariana rallied and played solid golf throughout, posting a 96 on a tough course with windy conditions. That score earned a 8th place finish for Mariana, which was higher than her finish at last year’s Regional Tournament. Mariana will also accompany the boys team to the State Tournament on Sunday, and she hopes to improve on her finish from last year.

Great job to all of our golfers who participated and advanced to the State Tournament! Good luck and Go Vikings!

The middle school golf programs continues to grow in its second year. Doubling in size, the program was split into two teams. The competitive team featured the top 8 boys golfer, and our only girl golfer. The remaining golfers worked on developing their skills, which was led by TGA. The middle school competitive golf team showed tremendous improvement throughout the year. The golfers featured a blend of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. This is a wonderful sign for the future of The Village School Golf Program. Enrique O had the lowest average for the season. Meghan A was the only female golfer, and she had a great season. This included a 2nd place finish at the HJPC Championships. “Seeing the growth in our middle school program is very exciting. Building a program starts by developing a foundation. This middle school program is the foundation of our future. We have some talented young golfers,” said Coach Brotherton.

2016 Tennis Season Recap

Greetings all,

Our regular season has ended, and we are now in a period where we can hold off-season practices. Since this will be our last posting for some time, it is a good opportunity to recap the season.

The season’s biggest news for all Village tennis players, coaches, and administrators was getting courts built on-campus! In late February we held our first practice on the new courts and ushered in a new era in tennis at The Village School. In addition to student practicing/playing, Village will also eventually host adult league play and offer private lessons for our community.

For the high school team’s season, our overall W-L record was 52-46. Our boys team made history by capturing the first district championship in Village history. And four boys — the most in VHS history — qualified for the State tournament. We look forward to next year’s arrival of some fine rising 8th grade players, and we also say so long to a large number of senior players. As a coach, saying goodbye to our senior players as they begin their college careers is always the most bittersweet time of the season. We will get a chance to gather one last time in celebration at the Spring Banquet (VESPY Awards) on April 30th, and we will surely hit some tennis balls a few more times before school ends in May. So until next time: play the first good one…