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Maryville High School’s football team is joining the upper echelon of sporting teams by getting swooshed from head-to-toe.

The Maryville Board of Education approved a contract Monday night through which
the varsity football team and staff will exclusively use Nike equipment and products.

Athletic Director George Quarles said they will be wearing Nike from “head-to-toe.” The only outerwear that won’t be a Nike product will be their helmets, Quarles said.

The varsity football team and its staff will be required under the contract to wear and/or use exclusively Nike products during practices, games and other official program activities from June 1 to May 31, 2011.

Quarles said the football team was approached by Nike last fall. “It’s a great honor and Nike’s a great company. Most of the big programs (wear) Nike and to think you’ll be one of them, (well) it’s pretty exciting,” Quarles said. “Kids grow up wanting to wear Nike (products),” he said.

The football team was approached by several companies last year, Quarles said. The financial benefits offered by the companies were similar, so they let the kids decide, he said. The most important thing was for the kids to feel proud about what they were wearing, Quarles said.

One of the contract’s benefits is that Nike will be giving free merchandise to the players, he said. Nike will provide free equipment, shoes and clothing to the team every year, he said.

Quarles said he has been asked not to talk about the total value of the contract. He met last week with middle schoolers interested in playing high school football, he said. When the team briefly talked about the Nike contract, Quarles said the kids seemed to get excited. “It’s just something the kids can get excited about playing for Maryville,” he said.

The contract also gives any MHS team the choice of being involved in the contract, Quarles said.

Also Monday night, the board approved a technology campaign Monday night that will allow teachers to get their students more involved in the classroom.


Under the technology campaign, the school system is trying to raise $500,000 for projectors, SMART boards, document cameras and amplification sound systems.

Director of Schools Stephanie Thompson said she likes the campaign.

It's "unbelievable what can be done in the classroom and (how) teachers can get students involved," she said.

Thompson said the campaign will have two phases. Phase I will include the purchase of projectors and SMART boards and Phase II will include the purchase of everything else, Thompson said.

In other news, the board approved 25 teachers for tenure. David Allen, Leslie Capozzoli, and Letitia Rich were tenured at Maryville High School. Six teachers were tenured at Maryville Middle School, including: Chris Dunkel, Julie Hilborn, Beth Anne Koons, David Pope, Brian Waters, and Michael Wortman. Kyra Kauffman, Jeremy Miller, John Riddle, and Jeremy Russell were tenured at Maryville Intermediate School. Three teachers were tenured at Foothills Elementary School, including: Teresa Fields, Jessica King and Melissa Sonner. Penny Garrett, Sylvia Kite, Pamela Pyron, and Jenny Rimmer were tenured at John Sevier Elementary School. Five teachers were tenured at Sam Houston Elementary School, including: Elisabeth Bellah, Stephanie Collins, Ashley Hammonds, Joyce Spence, and Mary Grace Taylor.

Board member Mark Cate said the night they grant tenures is "the best night of the year for the school board." Cate then thanked all the teachers for all their good work.

We'll have more details as they develop or in Wednesday's print edition of The Daily Times