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Highlands Today

Wrong Priorities

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Carla Miller

Published: December 16, 2007

This letter is to address the recent termination of "Coach" Earnest Perkins. As a parent of a student-football player at Avon Park High School, I have witnessed the influence this man has had on not only my child, but his friends also. I have had a chance to be around and listen to them talk about the coach and these guys have a lot of respect for him.

At the beginning of the football season, he called a meeting of the parents and players. I attended that meeting and was very impressed with the way Coach Perkins had his priorities. He looked at the big picture, not just football, but academics and discipline also. Even I was inspired after attending, just the hope, knowledge and respect he was placing in these young men.

I recall hearing him speak about the kids getting up early in the morning, coming to practice even if it was raining, and at first I used to tell my son, "You don't need to go to practice in the rain" or "You don't need to go every day; you can miss a day." He would say "I have to go." At that meeting Coach Perkins was saying, "I know some of the parents are complaining about all the practice, and them practicing in the rain, but if they were getting up to go work for Wal-Mart, they would go in the rain." From that day on I never complained about it, because he had a point and he was getting them ready to be responsible men.

I know he was brought in to win football games and it would have been nice to win more games, but for me as a parent it is nice to have someone who influences my son positively. There are so many negative influences out there, so to have someone letting him know that as long as he keeps his grades up and the right attitude, the sky is the limit, and there is life off of the football field.

I feel that the priorities are in the wrong place. We should be more concerned with our school, opposed to how many football games we can win.

In a conversation I had with Mr. Guthrie, I asked about the rating of the school and he let me know that APHS has had a "D" rating for the last six years. I then asked him if he didn't turn that around after being here only two years, would he then be terminated also? He stated that that would be up to the superintendent of Schools, but he made the choice to terminate Coach Perkins solely on his own, based on what he had seen.

I have no idea what it was that he saw, but myself, along with other parents and members of the Booster club, saw this man come to this small town and make a difference. From the time I've read about Perkins being terminated I have had one question, where are our priorities?

Carla Miller
Avon Park

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