New era begins

A new day is ready to dawn at Van Horn High School.
Eight new head coaches were announced for the school’s 11 varsity sports Thursday in a reception at William Chrisman High School.
The coaches were needed because the school will officially be taken over by the Independence School District in July, and all the previous coaches remained with the Kansas City School District.
With new activities director John Ihm sitting in the middle of a long table, the following new head coaches were announced: Sean Akridge, girls basketball; Cristin Clark, volleyball; Chris Corrie, boys and girls soccer; Julie Crowell, boys and girls cross country; Danny Marshall, boys and girls track and field; Mickey Murray, boys basketball; Jeff Tolbert, football; and Tim Wilson, baseball.
Clark and Crowell were both teachers in the Independence School District. Clark taught and coached at Pioneer Ridge. Crowell is the former girls soccer head coach at Chrisman.
Clark said the opportunity to help create a “new” Van Horn was one she couldn’t pass up.
“The chance to come to Van Horn and having the opportunity to be building a new school that is also an old school is one I don’t see ever being presented with again,” she said. “This was not an opportunity I could have passed on.”
Crowell said going to a new school will definitely be different.
“This is the only building I have ever taught in,” she said, talking about Chrisman. “It was a tough decision. But I looked at it as an opportunity that would never be presented again, so I jumped at the chance.”
Wilson has served as an assistant baseball coach under both Richard Wood at Blue Springs South and Terry Parker at Chrisman for a number of years. He was at Bingham Middle School last year coaching basketball and soccer.
“I’m ready to play a game,” Wilson said jokingly, looking at his watch.
In hiring Akridge, the Falcons girls basketball team will have a former opposing coach. Akridge used to be the head coach at former Interscholastic League rival Northeast. He taught in the Independence School District last year.
“I’m looking forward to helping raise the level both academically and athletically,” he said.
Tolbert’s name is one that may also be familiar to area residents. He has been the head football coach at Ruskin and used to be the wrestling head coach at Chrisman.
“I know there’s work to be done,” Tolbert said. “I have enough work ethic that it doesn’t scare me and enough ego to think I’ll get the job done. I’ve put on my face. When I go home, I may stress. But when I wake up, it’s time to go to work. And you’d better believe I’ll do the work.”
The other three hires came to people with relatively few ties to the Independence School District.
Marshall comes from Raytown, where he served as the head boys track coach.
“We feel like this school is like a Staley (High School),” Marshall said, referring to the brand new school opening next year in the North Kansas City School District. “It’s a chance to start over. And the Independence School District seems to do everything right.”
Corrie has been coaching at Topeka (Kan.) High School, and also has experience at the collegiate level at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
“I’m excited to coach high school,” he said. “I want to be a servant to the community, and what better way than by teaching history and coaching soccer.”
Murray comes from Waynesville, where he has been the assistant boys basketball coach each of the last six years.
“This whole thing has felt like a family,” Murray said. “I think this can be a really good thing.”
The Independence School District takes over the school on July 1.

Editor’s note: Throughout the next two weeks, The Examiner will run individual stories on each of the new Van Horn coaches, complete with their backgrounds and previous coaching experiences.