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Former Wolf grapples for glory

June 30, 2023 by David Svien

The older one’s a wrestling legend, the younger one an international superstar. (Sean LeVine photos)

The little girl who used to give me free rocks at her sister’s softball games is now ripping heads off.

On the wrestling mat, at least.

Izzy LeVine may not be on target to graduate from Coupeville High School like siblings Micky and Jae — she does live in Arizona now — but she’s upholding a family tradition of excellence.

Both of her sisters and dad Sean are in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, while mom Joline is the true superstar, but it’s the youngest family member who is currently claiming the spotlight as her own.

Izzy finished first in her weight class at the five-day Wrestle the World Camp in early June, impressing a Colorado crowd which included Terry Brands.

I can pretend like I knew who he was prior to writing this story, or I can admit I Googled him.

Either way, Brands is a two-time NCAA wrestling champ, two-time world freestyle champ, a bronze medalist at the 2000 Olympics, a highly accomplished coach, and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

He sort of knows his way around the mat is what I’m saying, and he’s in the pic at the top of this story.

Which means, one day, he’ll be able to say he shared the same frame with Izzy “The Destroyer” LeVine.

So, he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

Izzy LeVine’s collection of fine medals and trophies continues to grow.

The youngest LeVine isn’t stopping with her performance in Pagosa Springs, though.

Izzy is locked and loaded for the 16U Nationals, which runs July 15-23 in Fargo, North Dakota.

While there she’ll wrestle freestyle in the 122-pound class.

Just getting the invite to nationals is a big deal, as each grappler has to qualify through their state association.

Izzy is one of two 122-pound female grapplers on Arizona’s roster, joined by Brooklyn Perez, who can now Google herself and be all like, “What in the heck is Coupeville Sports?”

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“He is irreplaceable, plain and simple”

June 30, 2023 by David Svien

Coupeville High School Class of ’82 grad Matt Bepler injects some rock and roll into the conversation with his new take on a classic design.

United, with one voice.

From the moment Superintendent Steve King cut the position of Dean of Students at Coupeville High School/Middle School, the outcry has been intense.

And it’s not stopping anytime soon.

Wolf Nation wants the world to know what Tom Black has accomplished the past 19 years, and they want him reinstated.

Our latest letter comes from Nicole Strelow, mother to two Coupeville students — Class of 2023 Valedictorian Helen and younger brother Thomas.

 

Mr. Black is an immeasurable resource in our school district.

The kids in Coupeville know he is genuinely invested in their lives and that is a trust built from years of his efforts within our schools.

This trust is something that cannot be replaced by dividing his role to other staff members. 

Mr. Black has provided a source of comfort for the kids knowing that an adult is in their corner in what may be the only safe place for some children.

For the kids lucky to have a secure home the comfort comes in knowing he is their cheerleader as well.

Removing Mr. Black and splitting his job between multiple employees is an unrealistic step.

He is irreplaceable, plain and simple.

In doing this we would be relinquishing some kids to fall through the cracks in the system.

Removing Mr. Black would unfortunately be taking Coupeville schools in the wrong direction for the sake of budget.

Having Mr. Black so visible around the schools and knowledgeable about the students is our largest factor in prevention and keeping our schools safe.

I know the school board is trying to fix our budget and this is a hard task.

But the most important investment the board can make for the children is keeping a valued staff member that makes the biggest positive difference in their lives.

I urge the board to reconsider a different budget cut for the sake of the community.

I would also like to thank Mr. Black personally.

Thank you for not only being a guardian to all the children of Coupeville but thank you for being a support for all of us parents.

You always had kind words of encouragement to parents bringing their 6th grader for the first time to middle school or the parent watching their senior graduate.

Knowing you are walking the halls and greeting every child is a great relief to parents.

Thank you for being the example to our children of what a productive and kind human being in our community looks like.

Nicole Strelow

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“He is a friend to all”

June 30, 2023 by David Svien

Megan Behan (left) is joined by Tom Black and Kimberly (Farage) Sewell at her high school graduation. (Photo courtesy Behan)

Two students, almost a decade apart, both bound by their appreciation for a man who had a major impact on their lives.

Megan Behan graduated from Coupeville High School in 2021, while Kimberly (Farage) Sewell received her diploma in 2012.

The former has appeared here on Coupeville Sports numerous times for her athletic and academic achievements, while the latter departed CHS mere months before I launched this blog.

Today, the dynamic duo swing by to offer their support to the #bringbackblack movement, which calls for Coupeville Superintendent Steve King to reverse his decision to cut the school’s Dean of Students position.

That budget cut move brings an end to a 19-year run by Tom Black, something Behan and Sewell, like many in Wolf Nation, are not happy about.

 

Hello!

We thought it would be helpful to show the impact Mr. Black has had on student’s lives even nearly 10 years apart.

This man has done so much for this school, and we want the school board to see that!

The loss of Mr. Black to the Coupeville School District is a dreadful mistake.

Mr. Black is a core piece not only to Coupeville Schools but to the community as well.

I personally would have not gotten though high school without this man as an ally.

He was always the first high five and good morning of each day. His door was always open when troubles arose.

When I returned to Coupeville in 2021 for a graduation, he was not only the FIRST but ONLY staff member to welcome me home.

I could hear his big booming voice “KIMBERLY FARAGE” from across the way.

He has always made sure students were heard and loved. For most that is a vital resource.

Middle school and high school are hard times.

Students lives are changing rapidly and this can leave many feeling lost.

The stress we have in our world these days is only growing. Students now are facing situations that us that came before cannot understand.

Mr. Black is the beacon many confided in during hard times.

I understand that some members of the school board view his position of not high priority.

But from the voice of a past student you could not be more wrong.

There is way more that happens at school aside from math and science.

Not having Mr. Black around is a HUGE mistake.

I have always been proud of this community and its ability to stand together.

The loss of Mr. Black is going to impact our small town greatly.

I challenge you to ask any student about their time at CHS and I can guarantee their stories are not absent of Mr. Black.

We may be a small town, but our voices have always been loud!

We need to BRING BACK BLACK!

Kimberly (Farage) Sewell
Class of 2012

 

I, like many, am heartbroken that Coupeville Schools has decided to let go of Mr. Black.

I understand budget cuts are necessary to keep the school in good financial standing but cutting Mr. Black, who has a vital role in every student’s experience at CHS and CMS, is a huge mistake.

I know I am not alone when I say that Mr. Black is the reason I am on the right path in life right now.

He provided open ears, advice when asked, and of course his signature good morning high-five, which I looked forward to every morning.

He is a friend to all and somehow has enough compassion to share with both the high school and middle school.

As much as I loved all of my teachers, there is no staff member that can measure up to his reliability and comfort.

He was and always is there.

I know from a financial standpoint this may not seem like much, but from a social perspective it means the world.

Coupeville, if you follow through with this, just know the effect it will have on student’s mental health.

I hate to see a future at CHS with no Mr. Black.

#BringBackBlack

Megan Behan
Class of 2021

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If you build it, they will volley

June 29, 2023 by David Svien

Brynn Parker and fellow CHS netters will have a new home next season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Wolf netters are on the move.

After getting school board approval for the project Thursday, Coupeville High School will build new tennis courts this summer, financed by money from its capital projects fund.

That funding is completely separate from any money which is part of the district’s ongoing budget cuts.

The current home for aces and volleys is next to CHS, in front of the school’s bus barn.

The new location for Wolf tennis will be just west of the high school gym on SW Terry Road, next to the school’s softball field.

The move, which will cover literally a few blocks, will begin in the next few weeks, with the courts expected to be ready for use in the fall, said Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King.

Once tennis departs its current spot, the school will use the area to expand its bus facilities.

While CHS is moving its tennis courts, and getting brand new playing surfaces, the plan calls for the number of courts to remain at four.

FieldTurf USA Inc., in conjunction with Beynon Sports Surfaces, submitted a bid of $1,040,510 (plus tax) for the work, which the board approved as part of its consent agenda.

 

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“Mr. Black always pointed me in the right direction”

June 29, 2023 by David Svien

Siblings Jada Heaton and Ryan Oliver both walked the hallways at CHS under the watchful eye of Tom Black. (Photos courtesy Jennifer Heaton)

Their stories are unique, but the sentiment at the core is the same.

Local students, current and former, are pouring their hearts out in the wake of Tom Black’s 19-year run at Coupeville High School coming to a premature end.

Budget cuts are necessary, and it’s the position — Dean of Students — which is what is being sliced, we are told.

To which the response is — Tom Black is more than his job title.

He is the glue helping to hold together generations of kids.

Our latest letter in the ongoing #bringbackblack movement comes from Ryan Oliver, CHS Class of 2010:

 

Coupeville will always have a special place in my heart and Mr. Black is a significant reason for that.

Middle and high school were real weird times for me, like I’m sure it is and was for many kids.

I wouldn’t say I was a bad kid by any means.

I just did obnoxious things and would a lot of the time cross the line.

Or, if anyone here was around with me in those years, it was talking.

Talking, talking, talking, is what I would get in trouble for, and I HATED it and I let it be known I hated it, because why me?

And why is it such a big deal?

But you know who was always there to listen? Mr. Black.

Countless times he was the person who was in between me and actual trouble.

I’m sure behind the scenes he vouched for me to not get some sort of suspension.

Looking back, who knows if I deserved that benefit of the doubt? Maybe I needed a little kick in the ass.

But I think without that benefit of the doubt and him listening to me and hearing me out that I would be a different person.

He never made me feel like I was a bad kid.

In fact, he would shoot it straight with me and explicitly say I was a good kid, but I just need to stop doing these “dumb” things.

In all honesty he probably knew about my anxiety/depression when few people knew in those times that I was taking medicine for it.

It’s something that I still deal with today, but he was one of the people early in my life that didn’t make me feel like my thoughts and feelings were weird.

Looking back with thankfulness, looking forward with joy.

At times, with a fork in the road, Mr. Black always pointed me in the right direction.

I trusted him, he made me feel heard, and made me feel like I was his friend and when you’re in middle school and high school sometimes that’s all you need.

It wasn’t just me either.

He would talk and joke around and make people feel welcomed and loved every day. Every student.

He’d be at the bus stop in the morning saying hi and greeting everyone and be right back there at 2:30 when everyone was leaving.

He would chat with you in the halls and when he popped in your class for a few minutes it was always a treat.

I’m still best friends with Jason Bagby, Chase Griffin, and Jason Ornburn, and over the years we’ve shared stories and reminiscenced about Mr. Black and the impact he had on our and other peoples lives.

Don’t rob those feelings and memories from students from today or tomorrow.

Don’t let their last memories be about how they wish he was still here or that things are so different without him.

Don’t let a student be thinking in their head, “I wish Mr. Black was still here. He would understand.”

Because it will happen.

There will be a vacuum that nobody will be able to fill.

He’s a true one of one and it would be shameful and an absolute disgrace if you let go of one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and genuine people that has helped thousands of students in his tenure at Coupeville.

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