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Posted By: Harold Logwood on September 02, 2007 Athletes get pushed in academics Castlemont enlists help to keep members of football team from fumbling in class By Steve Herendeen, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 08/30/2007 10:14:22 AM PDT Harold Logwood, who has been hired as the new Castlemont High School academic coach, speaks to... OAKLAND — Amin Denny may be gone, but the much-loved and well-respected late former Castlemont High football coach is still giving to the program he cared so much about. Denny, who died in February from colon cancer, applied for a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. grant two years ago to provide funds for an academics coach for the football team under the organization's "Play It Smart" program. "Play It Smart" has provided funds to 137 schools nationwide. Its educational program is designed for high school football players from economically disadvantaged environments who need extra support to graduate. In less than a decade, the program claims to have significantly boosted grade point averages for its participants, increased graduation rates to 95 percent and enrollment in college to 80 percent. Wednesday in the Castlemont student cafeteria, athletic director Johnny Lorigo announced the grant had come through and introduced Harold Logwood to the football team as the new academics coach. Logwood, 61, is a graduate of McClymonds High, Merritt College and the Howard University School of Law. He has been a lawyer, a teacher and, for the past 25 years, a recruiter for the Historical Black Colleges and Universities Coalition. He also served as the organization's president. "This is a great plan and a great fit for us," said Lorigo, also a counselor for Castlemont Business Information Technology School. "We have to give more support to our kids. "This is like a gift from heaven," Lorigo continued. "Amin's vision was so wise and so broad. He may be gone in body, but his spirit lives on." Castlemont, which received a two-year, $30,000 grant for the academics coach, is the only East Bay school in the program. Galileo and South San Francisco high schools are the only others in Northern California on the "Play It Smart" plan. Long Beach Poly, Crenshaw and Westchester are the only other schools in Southern California to have received grants. "We are going to be the model for the East Bay," predicted Lorigo. "Our goal is to have no academically ineligible athletes, but that's a small goal. In the bigger picture, we want everyone to get higher grades, pass the SATs and go off to college." Lorigo also said there is a plan to provide all Oakland high schools with funds for an academics coach by the end of the current school year. The academics coach is pivotal in the "Play It Smart" program. The coach is a mentor, advocate, counselor, coach and friend. Logwood will work about 20 hours per week at the school, tracking the football players' attendance and academic progress at the three schools on campus: Castlemont Business Information Technology School, East Oakland School of the Arts and Leadership Preparation School. It will be his job to make sure the football players attend mandatory study hall after school and remain academically eligible with at least a 2.0 grade point average throughout the football season. He will continue to monitor those players through the winter and spring seasons if they play other sports to ensure their grades and attendance don't fall off. Lorigo called Logwood the "new sheriff in town" and the new academics coach said he had no problem with it. "I've done it before, only this time it will be under the title of 'Play It Smart,'" he said. "I don't think there will be problems." Logwood addressed about 50 varsity and junior varsity players in attendance and said he looked forward to working with everyone on the team. He also said he was serious about making it work. "(Success) is all going to be based on what you do with your grades, ACT and SAT scores," he said. "It's not a threat, but if someone gets out of step, my first job is to tell your parents, then the coach and then Mr. Lorigo. So if you make a mistake, come to me first." James Barnes, who took over the football head coaching duties this year, was all for the program. He is an off-campus coach. "This is a perfect system. It really takes a load off of me," he said. "Now I can just coach. Harold will bring any problem information to me, and I can take care of it. "We're going to stay on top of the players," he went on. "We expect a lot from them. There are potentially a lot of Division I (college) players on this team, and we want them to stay on course." The "Play It Smart" grant is the latest piece of the Castlemont puzzle to fall into place regarding improving the academic atmosphere at the school. Each of the three schools on campus has received $250,000 grants from 21st Century Community Learning Centers to promote academic excellence, which includes a strong, after-school tutoring program. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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