SPORTS

CUSD renames stadium for Hamilton’s first principal

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Arizonan Sports Editor

Arizona College Prep’s football stadium, which brings a new level of energy to Gilbert Road in Chandler on Friday nights, now officially has a name.

Previously called “Knight Stadium” when it made its debut in late August, the host site for all of Arizona College Prep home football and, eventually, soccer games will now be renamed in honor of Dr. Fred DePrez, who founded ACP as “Hamilton Prep” in 2007. The resolution was brought to the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board Sept. 22 and passed unanimously.

“I really want to thank you so much,” DePrez said. “This is really a tremendous recognition, and it was completely unexpected. "In fact, (former CUSD Superintendent) Camille (Casteel) called me about this 6 months ago and I thought, ‘I have been retired 6 years, how could I still be in trouble?’ It just caught me completely off guard.” DePrez was the first principal at Hamilton High School, which quickly grew both in terms of enrollment and in the success of its athletic programs. In 2006, he sought new ways to provide education opportunities for Hamilton students and families outside of the large classroom settings the main high school was providing.

So, he created Hamilton Prep, a high school within a high school. It officially opened to seventh and eighth grade students in 2007, using rented space from Chandler Christian Church, (now Compass Church) just down the street from the main Hamilton campus. The demand by families to attend Hamilton Prep grew exponentially. In 2010, Erie Elementary School was repurposed and remodeled to house Hamilton Prep, which then became known as Arizona College Prep – Erie. Students and staffed ofAbove: ACP head football coach Myron Blueford being able to refer to his team’s home stadium by an actual name further solidifies it as their own after using other schools’ fields for years. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff) Right: Hamilton’s first-ever principal Dr. Fred DePrez was honored Sept. 22 by the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board by renaming Arizona College Prep’s football stadium after him. (Courtesy CUSD)

ficially moved in two years later in 2012. The name and location change also allowed ACP to open its doors to more students. On top of seventh and eighth graders, high school freshman up to seniors were then able to enroll. The school had 359 students when it opened in 2012. But has since exploded to nearly 1,300 on its new high school campus.

“It’s been a tremendous thing for the community,” DePrez said of the school. “My grandson went there for a couple of years, so my own family has benefitted from this.”

Arizona College Prep has received numerous academic honors since its inception.

It was named an Arizona Educational Foundation A+ School of Excellence, a U.S. News & World Report Best High School, the top public high school in the greater Phoenix area by Niche and was awarded the 2019 National Blue-Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education. Students have received millions of dollars in academic scholarships. Some have received individual honors and scholarships from Flinn, one of the most prestigious in the United States, as well as National Merit and Coca-Cola. The school’s athletic programs, despite their young age compared to other schools in the district, have also produced high-level talent. Just last year ACP saw more than five Division I football players come out of its program that has only been around since 2018.

ACP head coach Myron Blueford said the renaming of the stadium, in some ways, solidifies it as their own. In newsletters sent every week to parents of players on his team, he would often refer to opposing team’s stadiums by their name – most commonly after former coaches or administrators at the school or district. But when highlighting a home game, he could only write “at ACP.”

“It will be cool moving forward to be able to refer to our stadium and it actually having a name,” Blueford said. “That aspect of it is really cool because it sort of solidifies the fact that we now have our own stadium.”

DePrez was nearly overcome with emotion at the board meeting when the resolution was read and approved by the governing board. Many of those involved at the district level were just getting their start in education when he was principal at Hamilton.

So, to be recognized by those he helped mold, including Arizona College Prep as a whole, was an honor he will forever cherish.

“It’s great to be part of this and be recognized this way,” DePrez said. “I thank you very much.”

ACP swim rebuilding family after COVID season

BY KATHRYN FIELD

Arizonan Contributing Writer

After a year of socially distanced high school athletics, many teams look forward to simply returning to normal competition. For the Arizona College Prep swim team, this season is about becoming a family again. Usually a very close group, the ACP swim team lost most of their team building activities during the 2020 season. COVID protocols kept the team socially distanced during travel to meets and limited team building opportunities. “Last year, the culture was there but I feel like we were all kind of distanced with COVID,” said senior Kate Shimkus. After a year with limited team building, swimmers look forward to working back toward the family feeling the team had before the pandemic. Seniors who have experienced the team under normal conditions are leading the charge to make everyone feel welcome. “We obviously had team bonding last year but it was not as close as it was this year, so it’s really cool that as seniors we get to take that on and mentor the freshmen,” said senior Kate White. For this year’s seniors, this season is as much about making current members feel welcome as it is about instilling the values in members to continue to include everyone in the years to come. They hope to leave a legacy of inclusion that will continue long after they graduate. Senior Olivia Ramos wants the underclassmen to know that there is an expectation to include everyone on the team and make them feel welcome. Ramos, Shimkus and White remember what it was like to be an underclassman on the team and how much they appreciated the upperclassmen including them, and they want to return that favor to the current underclassmen. “At the end of the year when we leave the team, I want them to know that they can always come and talk to us if they need anything,” said White. Coach Kristine Nelson has watched Ramos, Shimkus and White grow as team members since their freshman year. Nelson credits them with always embodying the core values of the team. “They’re the glue that holds the team together,” said Nelson. With the move to a new campus, Nelson has a very young team. The returning swimmers are integral to instilling the values of the team in the new swimmers. Ramos, Shimkus and White have taken on the role of mentoring the young swimmers in hopes that the family as-

pect of the team remains long after they graduate. “The discipline they have to rise to a higher level with integrity and ethics, leading by modeling, even when somebody faster than you is coming along, they still do that,” said Nelson. As a coach, Nelson has watched Ramos, Shimkus and White grow not only as swimmers, but as people as well. She has seen them grow into young women who can understand the decisions she makes as a coach and help the rest of the team to understand those decisions. Nelson was brought to tears at the thought of the 2021 season being their last season on the team. From left: Kate White, Kate Shimkus and Olivia Ramos are three of Arizona College Prep’s swimmer At the end of the day, the who are helping rebuild a family atmosphere on the team after that was interrupted by the pandemic. seniors are less concerned (Courtesy Kristine Nelson) about results and more concerned about making every team member feel welcome and included. Shimkus wants every team member to feel as included and appreciated as she has in her four years on the team. “I want to leave a legacy of making it so the minute you join the team, you know that you’ve joined a family and that everyone on the team wants the best for you,” she said. Kathryn Field is a sports journalism student at Arizona State University covering Arizona College Preparatory athletics.

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