06/13/08
Board agrees with proposal to
name High School track for retiring athletic director
The School Board has given its blessing to name the track in front of Cape
Elizabeth High School for Keith Weatherbie, who is retiring this year after
21 years as the School Department's athletic director.
The proposal will now go to the Town Council for approval.
"This would be a perfect tribute to a man who has given so much to this town,"
High School Principal Jeff Shedd said in a memo proposing the naming, addressed
to the town manager and to the superintendent of schools.
"Keith I think is probably one of the most, if not the most, highly respected
athletic administrators in the state," Shedd told members of the School Board
at their June 10 meeting, where they approved the proposal.
Weatherbie, a 1963 graduate of Cape Elizabeth schools, began his professional
career as a science teacher here 41 years ago, Shedd said. When Weatherbie
makes guest presentations to today's physics classes, students are amazed
that their athletic director is also so well-versed in science, Shedd said.
But Weatherbie's major accomplishments have been in athletics, having produced
a program with more state champions than any other comparably sized school
in Maine.
Weatherbie will be remembered for his desire to broaden sports participation,
having overseen a significant expansion of programs, particularly for girls.
"At the state level, it was his voice that almost single-handedly persuaded
the Maine School Principal's Association to open up its playoff system to
more schools," Shedd's memo says. And, Weatherbie has worked closely with
Community Services to ensure that school fields are shared with the
wider Cape Elizabeth community.
One of Weatherbie's earliest accomplishments was the track that Shedd is
proposing bear his name. As coach of Cape's first state indoor and outdoor
track-and-field championship teams, Weatherbie pushed for the new track around
the High School field. The track replaced a charcoal dust surface track located
on another part of the campus in the late 1980s, Shedd said.
"I just think it would be a fitting tribute to a guy who's contributed many
many years and provided really wonderful leadership to the athletic program,"
Shedd said to the board.
In related matters, the board approved in concept an idea put forth by the
Hannaford Field Committee to name a coaches box at the artificial turf field
the "Legends Box," where plaques would honor multiple individuals who have
contributed to Cape Elizabeth athletics. Details on the appearance of the
plaques and how the honors would be awarded have yet to be determined.
The board also accepted with gratitude a small sign donated by Cape resident
Jessie Timberlake marking Moulton Field, the Middle School baseball field
named after her late brother, Rey Moulton. In accepting the plaque, the board
discussed the need for more comprehensive signage for all Cape fields.
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