Good athletes, good citizens

Woolridge Elementary School student Taylor Fox works on an art project with the help of Varsity Club members Amanda Rogers (center) and Claudia Doyle. A high school sports stadium is a sorry sight after a game is over with all of those empty cups, wadded-up candy wrappers and other trash. Picking up the mess is not fun. So why would a group of high-schoolers volunteer to do the job - again and again?

"That's how we can earn money for the Varsity Club," says Amanda Rogers, a senior and lettered volleyball player at Cosby High School.

Amanda, along with Jake Lowery, Scott Pollard, Ronnie Shaban and Josh Wilburn, founded the Varsity Club during the 2006-07 school year. The club's objective is to give outstanding athletes a chance to serve the larger community.

"Sometimes athletes put out the image that they don't do much beyond athletics," says Josh, a member of the Varsity Club who lettered in football, baseball and wrestling. Teens in the club prove that stereotype wrong by volunteering to work in area schools, hospitals and other agencies.

Amanda, Josh and Jake volunteer at Woolridge Elementary School once a week. Other Varsity Club members spend time at Clover Hill, Grange Hall and Winterpock elementary schools, where they grade papers, act as role models for the children and assist classroom teachers in a variety of ways.

The teachers can't praise the Varsity Club students enough.

"Jake is an absolute delight to have in the classroom," says Tara Krohn, a teacher at Woolridge. "The kids look forward to seeing him, and he is willing to help with anything."

"Josh is a great role model for the boys in my class! He interacts well with all the students," says another fourth-grade teacher at Woolridge.

"The benefit of having positive teenage role models in the classroom is immeasurable," says Lorena Cavan, who teaches fourth-grade at Clover Hill.

Cosby Coach Tim Lowery, faculty sponsor of the Varsity Club and Jake's father, is proud of all of "his" kids.

"When we started this, we were looking for something to put athletes more in the spotlight. Everybody in the club is outstanding. Their leadership is exactly what I wanted. They've taken off and gone further than I expected them to. These kids have left a legacy at Cosby."

But the Varsity Club now faces a serious challenge.

All of its founders and all seven members of its board of supervisors are leaving Cosby at the end of this school year. Jake, who lettered in football, indoor track and baseball (winning the Coach's Award in track and the baseball team's Co-MVP award last year), is off to James Madison University in the fall. Amanda will study nursing at James Madison or Virginia Commonwealth University. Ronnie, with a letter in baseball and also the team's Co-MPV player in 2007, is headed to Virginia Tech. Amie Alvis (field hockey), Ryan Parker (baseball and football), Scott (football) and Josh are considering their options.

New leadership must be developed if the club is to continue, but Coach Lowery is confident that Cosby's athletes will rise to the challenge in time for the club's board of supervisors election later this winter. After all - they have a legacy to protect.