Hempfield
townlively.com
AUGUST 23, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIX • NO 20
Building school spirit, on and off of the field
Schreiber Pediatric will hold annual Rubber Duckie Race and Festival
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
many unique situations, which it seeks to tackle with a specialized approach. Among these situations is the opportunity to expand certain aspects of student life, including athletics. “Although they are often referred to as extracurricular activities, we view athletics as a part of the educational process for students,” said Dan Stone, Dayspring’s headmaster. “Beyond academics, the other portions of student life shape their thinking, their behavior and who they become.” Over the course of the last five years, Dayspring has attempted to cultivate a brand that surrounds its sports teams with the intention of promoting school spirit. After the school introduced a new logo and offered its students more spirit wear, Stone began to notice an increasing number of students who are proud to be a part of its athletics programs in both winning and losing seasons. Dayspring credits former athletic director Caleb Onasch with being instrumental in the enhancements in the department. Onasch took over as the head athletic director three years ago and worked closely with assistant athletic director Eric Lee to bring the program to where it stands today. After Onasch decided to step down from his position following the 2022-23 school year, Stone began the process of seeking a replacement to continue Onasch’s work. Stone sifted through multiple applications before he came across Daryn Vinson, and he immediately knew that it would be a natural fit. Vinson, who resides in Washington Boro, had been teaching and coaching in the Penn Manor School District for 22 years. He has two children who attend
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
The 35th annual Rubber Duckie Race and Festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10, at Lancaster County Central Park, 1050 Rockford Road, Lancaster. The rain-orshine festival will take place from 2 to 5:30 p.m., and the rubber duckie race will begin at 5 p.m. A variety of food and beverages will be available to purchase from more than a dozen food trucks during the event. The festival will feature a variety of games and activities such as arts and crafts stations, traditional carnival games and face painting. Participants will have a chance to win prizes at each game, including books, stuffed animals, bracelets and small toys. Members of the 4-H club will offer pony rides for children. There will be no charge to attend the festival, but attendees will need to purchase tickets to partake in the games and activities. At 5 p.m., more than 10,000 rubber ducks will be dropped into the Conestoga River for the traditional race and primary attraction of the festival. Ducks may be adopted online ahead of the event or on the day of the race, and each owner of a racing duck will be entered into a drawing for cash prizes and gift cards. Sponsorships are also available for the race; sponsors and those who adopt a duck will receive a souvenir duckie to take home, which will include limited-edition Halloween- and back-to-schoolthemed ducks. To adopt a duck or to become a sponsor, visit www.schreiberpediatric.org/ events/duckies. Since the festival began 35 years ago, it has cemented its role
In recent years, Dayspring Christian Academy has sought to promote school spirit through its athletics programs.
school in Penn Manor and two children who attend Dayspring. “As I’ve gotten to know (Dayspring’s) heart and mission over the past few years, I decided that I wanted to partner with them and the work they do,” Vinson said. “I saw this as a way to give back to the families of Dayspring students and help the school accomplish its mission.” Vinson officially started in his new role on July 1. During the transition, he has been meeting regularly with Onasch to make it as seamless as possible. As the school geared up for the beginning of its fall sports season on Aug. 14, Vinson worked to finalize game schedules, solidify transportation and practice rentals and decide on coaching placements. Moving forward in his new role, Vinson has a vision of the areas of the program he would like to further improve. One of his main goals is to increase Dayspring’s community
engagement and support. “We draw students from multiple school districts, so it can be challenging to achieve that sense of community involvement,” Vinson said. “I’m looking at how to improve that and increase attendance for games. These kids are doing amazing work using the gifts God has given them.” In addition to seeing an increase in the number of student accomplishments in the last few years, Stone has noticed his students making more of an impact in the community. The school frequently receives emails from restaurant employees and other schools’ coaches who state that Dayspring athletes’ respectful behavior left an impression. “These things are more special to us than trophies,” Stone said.
Daryn Vinson
See Duckie race pg 5
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