Staunton athletes choose colleges, Waynesboro teen and dog part of Team USA; teachers of the year: Chalkboard
Staunton senior athletes announce college choices
STAUNTON — A pair of Staunton High School seniors announced Wednesday afternoon where they would be continuing their academic and athletic careers next year.
Peyton Dunn, the Shenandoah District defensive player of the year for football, will be headed to Bridgewater College, while John Henderson is going to play baseball for Bryant & Stratton College in Virginia Beach.
With 467 tackles, Dunn is Staunton's all-time leader in that statistical category. He hopes to play middle linebacker for Bridgewater, an NCAA Division III school about 20 miles north of Staunton. Dunn said staying close to home was one reason he chose the school, but he also loved the campus and the football players and coaches.
"It was just great vibes all around," Dunn said. "It's just the place I want to go."
He would like to play as a freshman, at the same time Dunn said he knows that will involve putting in the work at practice for the Eagles.
"You've just got to trust the process," he said.
Dunn knows four or five players on the team now plus four other freshman that will join the team with him.
"That definitely impacted my decision, just having that brotherhood already," Dunn said.
Staunton head football coach Michael Bell coached Dunn on the junior varsity team as a eighth grader and, for the last two years, Bell has been the head varsity coach. Having Dunn on the team during Bell's first year helped the coach tremendously.
"Having somebody with the leadership skills and defensive knowledge like Peyton helped," Bell said. "As a coach that's somebody you can trust, that you know will always do the right things."
Meanwhile, Henderson will play at Bryant & Stratton, a junior college in Virginia Beach. While he's listed as a utility player for the Storm, his strength is in the outfield. Henderson said he hopes to play left field for the Bobcats.
The Staunton senior toured the campus and met some of the players and coaches during his decision process. Not long after he got a text from the coach asking him to come and play.
"I was really excited and took the opportunity," Henderson said.
Henderson has been playing baseball for about 13 years, but said he really got serious about the sport as a high school freshman. That's about the time he started thinking that, if he put the work in, he could play in college.
"I'm just blessed to have the opportunity to go somewhere," he said.
Staunton coach Robbie Miller said he thought Henderson would be a solid player for Bryant & Stratton, both on and off the field.
"He can play a heck of a an outfield, but he can pretty much play any position on the field," Miller said. "That's a good thing, especially at the college level. It will help them tremendously."
Waynesboro teen and her dog part of Junior World Agility Team
WAYNESBORO — Emma Bayonet, 15, and her canine partner, Nikki, will be members of the American Kennel Club’s 2024 Junior World Agility Team this summer.
The Waynesboro teenager and her dog will join 25 other pairs who have been selected to represent the USA at the Junior Open Agility World Championship (JOAWC) in Belgium. Bayonet called it "the dog equivalent of the Olympics." This will be the pair's second year competing in the event for Team USA.
The JOAWC is an agility competition that is officially recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the largest international federation of kennel clubs. The competition is held in Opglabbeek, Belgium from July 18 to 21.
The 26 members of Team USA are from 19 states and range in age from 9 to 18. The young handlers are competing with 30 dogs from 11 different breeds.
Bayonet's Nikki is the first of its breed, Havanese, to ever compete for team USA. Nikki is Bayonet's first dog, who she inherited when her grandmother died in 2020.
Bayonet began doing agility with her dog in 2021. She is a fan of watching dog shows on television and, when she got Nikki, she started looking online for things the two could do together. Agility competitions came up as an option and, two years later, the two were on the world team.
“Nikki is my best friend, and a really solid companion," she said.
Bayonet said you can look at some dogs and realize agility skills are something they would be good at. That's not the case with Nikki, who the teen described at "very laid back."
"She's not super energetic and she isn't insanely driven." Bayonet said. "But she's really good at it."
Bayonet said the two best skills a dog needs to be successful at agility competitions are jumping and listening to directions.
"Over half of the obstacles that you're going to see on an agility course are going to be jumps of some form," Bayonet said. "There are tires, there are regular jumps, there are jumps that look like a wall, there are jumps with multiple bars."
In addition to jumps, there is contact equipment. Dogs have to go on the equipment that varies in width and length, and hit a certain zone. There's a teeter where the dog has to cross and, as it tips, wait until the equipment reaches the ground to leave. And there's the tunnel, which dogs have to get through as quickly as possible.
Agility competitions are scored by judges.
Bayonet and Nikki compete locally as a member of the Shenandoah Valley Kennel Club, where Bayonet is the head of the junior committee. Outside of agility, she recently finished 10th grade and enjoys drawing and hiking with her dogs.
You can follow the duo on their Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/havanikki. Additional information, as well as streaming options for the event this summer, can be found at https://joawc2024agility.be/
Unlike some adult competitors, these junior handlers do not have sponsors and are responsible for personally funding their trip. Bayonet is fundraising for her trip by selling dog bandanas, handmade dog toys, stickers, and custom pet portraits.
For more information on helping with Bayonet's fundraising, email Debby DuBay at ddlimoges@gmail.com or Megan Bayonet at dzaackML7820@gmail.com.
Waynesboro, Augusta County teachers of the year
Waynesboro Public Schools named its division teacher of the year at an event Monday, April 22. Adreana Sprouse, who teaches at Wayne Hills Preschool Center, received the honor this year.
The other nominees, each named teacher of the year in their own school, were:
Anja Brenneman, Berkeley Glenn Elementary
Ashly Coffman, Wenonah Elementary
Jaime Laroche, Westwood Hills Elementary
Laurie Pennock, William Perry Elementary
Peter Echols, Kate Collins Middle
Stephanie Caldwell, Waynesboro High
In Augusta County, Stewart Middle School's Blair Hoffman was named division teacher of the year. The school's agriculture teacher was surprised at school Wednesday by division administration and two school board members. Hoffman, along with the other nominees, will be honored at a reception Friday morning.
Hoffman graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor of science in agricultural communications, leadership, and education in 2015.
Hoffman has been teaching for nine years and, in addition to teaching agriculture, she is the FFA advisor at Stewart Middle School.
"In addition to providing hands-on and unique experiences in the agriscience classroom, Mrs. Hoffman spends many hours outside of a normal school day with students," a Facebook post by the school division read. "Much of that time is spent preparing for FFA competitions, taking students on field trips, supervising students that show animals in local and state fairs, traveling to State and National Conventions, coordinating fundraisers, and participating in her state teachers association while also holding leadership positions in 4H, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and her church."
The other nominees, each named teacher of the year in their own school, were:
William Coombe, Buffalo Gap High
Doris Gardner, Fort Defiance High
Katlin Crabtree, Riverheads High
Scott Burnett, Stuarts Draft High
Ashleigh Houff, Wilson Memorial High
Jake Gray, Shenandoah Valley Center for Advanced Learning
Kay Bartley, Beverley Manor Middle
Jennifer Jenkins, Stuarts Draft Middle
Lora Dattilio, Wilson Middle
Kayla Ramsey, Cassell Elementary
Lisa McQueen, Churchville Elementary
Stephanie Caricofe, Clymore Elementary
Martha Moore, Craigsville Elementary
Stephanie Reeves, North River Elementary
Jenny Eavers, Riverheads Elementary
Megan J. Reho, Stuarts Draft Elementary
Lauren Haymon, Stump Elementary
Donald Burton, Wilson Elementary
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton athletes make college choice, Waynesboro teen and dog part of Team USA; teachers of the year
