DAWSON BEARS ATHLETICS

We strive to teach our student-athletes to develop a flexible and healthy mindset toward competitive activities, as well as important life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, time management, leadership, risk-taking, and goal-setting. Our student-athletes are important representatives of the School’s Mission and Core Beliefs, both on campus and throughout the larger Las Vegas community, and they represent our school with pride and spirit. Each year, we are lucky to experience incredible successes through our athletics program, and by forming purposeful partnerships with local sports clubs and recruiting knowledgeable coaches and mentors, we continue to enhance an athletics program that is inclusive, dynamic, and beneficial to all of our students. We congratulate each of our student-athletes for their incredible strength, skill, and trust in one another both on and off the court and field. Here’s a recap of our fall and winter sports seasons with the Red Rock Athletic Conference (RRAC) and the National Choice Schools Athletic Association (NCSAA).

VOLLEYBALL Coached by Kinsey Minter, faculty Lily Monares and Cal Govang, and Stacy Sykora of Sykora Volleyball, each of our three volleyball teams had stellar seasons. The fifth-grade Red Team made it to the NCSAA playoffs due to their winning record, and the seventh and eighthgrade White Team made it to both the RRAC and NCSAA playoffs! Dawson is in its second year of a school partnership with Sykora Volleyball Academy, a high-quality volleyball program that strives to develop its players into the best individual, teammates, athletes, and community members through competition and life skills development. Owner and coach Stacy Sykora is a three-time Olympic athlete who took silver with Team USA Volleyball in 2008.

CHEER Dawson’s cheer athletes, coached by Dawson faculty Jessica Lopes and Vegas Golden Knights cheerleader Sara Simpson, support our programs throughout the year and keep school spirit high on game days and other important school events. Almost 40 middle school students are on the squad, and we are grateful for their boundless energy, leadership skills, and positive community impact. The cheer team performed in the Disneyland Holiday Parade in Anaheim this past November, a truly exciting and magical opportunity!

FLIP-FLOP GAME As a fun community-building activity, our Middle School student-athletes participated in a special afternoon Flip-Flop Game in which the cheer team played football and the football team cheered them on from the sidelines. It was a fun opportunity for students to see things from another perspective and deepen their understanding of how hard each team works toward success.

SWIM The Dawson swim team, coached by Dawson faculty Jessica Balzano and Nancy Myster, had an incredible season and participated in several meets with notable results. The team’s best finishes from the relay meet in November included two swimmers finishing in fourth place in the 50-meter backstroke, third place in the 50-meter freestyle, third place in the 100-meter individual medley, and first place in the 50-meter breaststroke! In the championship meet in December, the swim team finished the season strong with three ribbons: second place in the 50-meter freestyle, fourth place in the 50-meter backstroke, and third place in the 50-meter backstroke.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Our runners, coached by Dawson faculty Corey Drummond and Rachel Ferguson, showed incredible drive and motivation this year, improving their race times over the season. Right out of the gate in the first meet, Dawson’s best finish was a runner in second place out of 67 competitors. The entire team participated in the championship meet in October, and Dawson’s two best finishes were third out of 84 runners and sixth out of 82 runners. The entire season brought a lot of continued success for our runners.

FLAG FOOTBALL (CO-ED)

Flag Football

Coached by faculty Malcolm Hodge and Dawson alums Mikey Tuccelli-Margolin (‘08) and Remmington Penn (‘08), each of our three flag football teams finished the season with winning records. Highlights include the fifth-grade Red Team making it to the NCSAA quarterfinals and the seventh and eighth-grade Red Rock Team winning backto-back RRAC championships in November! Congratulations to our student-athletes and coaches on this amazing season!

#AMAZINGDAWSONALUMS

Our Middle School athletics teams are an integral part of Dawson’s community and culture. In the fall, faculty and coach Malcolm Hodge arranged for several of our alums to work with our seventh and eighth-grade flag football team during a special practice. In addition to Class of 2008 coaches Remington Penn and Mikey Tuccelli-Margolin, we were lucky to welcome back Class of 2022 graduates Jacob Figg, Giacomo Ferrence, Hudson Borsari, Tyler Protell, and Alex Freestone.