Thanks to Amber Ningen
The Ledger

Hemingford Public Schools was hit with three coaching resignations during Monday night’s School Board meeting.
Randy Hiemstra, Dave Chatelain and Kerri Heusman all submitted resignations for various coaching positions.
In his coaching resignation letter as girls’ head basketball coach, Chatelain said he has “given all that I have to give physically and emotionally to this endeavor and truly believe at this stage in my life that it is time for someone else to lead this program.”
Chatelain said in the nine years that he has been in charge of this program, our teams have improved to the point where they are considered as good as any other team in the two conferences they play in and have competed for district championships each of the past two seasons.
“As I turn the page on this part of my life I would like to thank the folks in the community who have sincerely supported our efforts in basketball,” he said. “I would also like to thank the administration of our school as they have solidly backed our efforts to get this program on a strong foot.”
Chatelain also thanked all the “fine, young women who have come through the program over the past nine years and have made the job so enjoyable for Kathi and I to be part of.”
Heusman stated in her coaching resignation letter that she wished to be released from her position as the head volleyball coach for the 2015-2016 season.
“All in all I have enjoyed making a difference in the past four years,” she said.
Heusman said although the volleyball team may have not made huge strides like going to State, there were many other issues to overcome and life lessons to learn before this could take place.
“I felt I was heading everyone in the right direction. However, due to recent actions from individuals and information that has been brought to my attention, I have come to realize despite my initial enthusiasm, this position is no longer a good fit for me,” she said. “I will honestly miss being a coach at Hemingford Public Schools.”
The final coaching resignation letter read aloud was from Randy Hiemstra. In his resignation letter, Hiemstra stated he would like to resign from his coaching positions as assistant high school football coach, head boys’ basketball coach and junior high boys’ basketball coach. He would like to retain his position as head boys’ track and field coach.
“I have found my time coaching in these areas to be very rewarding and consider it a privilege to have been in these positions,” he said. “I believe it is time for a change for the sake of these programs and also for the sake of me and my family. I wish to extend a sincere thank you to all those involved in making Bobcat athletics a benchmark for many in the Panhandle.”
The Board voted 6-0 to accept the coaching resignations of Heusman and Chatelain and 5-1 to accept the coaching resignation of Hiemstra with Board members Randy Wood, Trish Schumacher, JD Sutphen, Alan Roland and Justin Ansley voting in favor and Troy Turek voting against accepting his resignation.
Though only a few members of the public addressed the Board regarding the coaching resignations, it was made clear that there are several rumors as to why these coaches have resigned. Shelley McConville, a parent and former student, said she was in attendance at the meeting because of the rumors she had heard and was concerned.
“What is going on,” she asked of the Board.
Superintendent Casper Ningen said the best advice he could give anyone when an educator or coach chooses to resign would be to talk to them.
“It happens for a variety of reasons,” he said.
School Board President Randy Wood acknowledged that there have been a lot of rumors recently, adding that there has been a lot of misinformation.
“Like Casper said, your best bet is to go straight to the source,” he said. “Hear it straight from their mouth.”
The Board also read aloud a letter from Brooke Foster. Foster, a 2011 HHS graduate and former basketball player, said she was extremely blessed with the loving support of her family and coaches when she played for HHS.
“There was a great deal of respect between the two,” she said. “Now somehow we have blurred that line of authority and respect.
Foster said that now sitting at a HHS game, she is surrounded by negative and critical comments, shouting at officials, yelling at coaches and calling out kids. This issue, she said, has gotten progressively out of control since the 2015 season ended and has come at the potential cost of “one of the most influential coaches I was blessed to play for.”
Coach Chatelain, she said, has an impressive amount of experience in coaching but he cares for his players far beyond the court.
Foster went on to say she thought it was absolutely wrong members of this School Board have hosted meetings outside the school to discuss coaching staff.
“Have our egos gotten so out of control that we have lost sight of what really matters and most importantly, who this is really affecting,” she stated.
After Foster’s letter was read, a member of the public asked the Board about certain Board members holding meetings outside of the school.
“There were parent meetings,” Board member Justin Ansley said. “That has nothing to do with the Board.”
“There was no quorum there,” Board President Wood said.
Superintendent Ningen added that at every school district, the school board has to avoid having a majority of board members at one place, unless it’s a community celebration.
“But some of the Board members certainly are also on the Booster Club or are parents,” he said. “There are a lot of groups that they could belong to.” Regarding the School Board holding any meeting outside of school, Superintendent Ningen said that this has not happened.
Before moving on with the meeting, Superintendent Ningen addressed the three coaching resignations one last time, stating there was a lot of time, effort and heart put in by these three coaches, as well as a tremendous amount of success over the last decade, especially in the last year or two.
“So it may seem paradoxical that we’re talking about resignations and changes,” he said. “If you take the time to visit with each of those people, it may be for slightly different reasons that they’re resigning.”
We want to try and look forward, he said, and remember that this is a great school.
“We have a great staff and there really are a lot of positive things ahead of us,” he said. “We will definitely get through this.”