TheWarrior
Casey-Westfield High School, Casey, Ill. • Volume 2, Issue 2 • Monday, May 7, 2012
C-W says goodbye to Hall of Famers By Warrior Staff The end of an era arrived at CaseyWestfield High School on Wednesday, March 28, when long time head football coach Keith Sinclair and assistant coach Gene Vidoni announced to their assistant coaches and players that they were stepping away from the sport that has been a big part of both of their lives for many, many, years. Sinclair and Vidoni both retired from teaching a few years ago, but both remained on the football coaching staff until their retirements from coaching became official last week. “I had the feeling since last November at the State Final game that most coaches never get the privilege to coach in or to end a career in the State Championship game,” Sinclair explained. “It was a real honor for our team and community to be there. We had to overcome many obstacles to reach that level. Realistically that is what coaching is all about; to try to teach kids to band together and overcome the obstacles put in front of them. To leave coaching with such a positive feeling, love, and honor to have coached the greatest game ever invented, is something I felt was the right thing to do.” Sinclair began his coaching career in 1974 when he started as an assistant coach at Villa Grove. He then moved on to his first head coaching position at Assumption High School in 1977, and came to then Casey High School as the head football coach in 1981. He then guided the
Words of wisdom: Long-time coaches Gene Vidoni and Keith Sinclair talk to players in a post-game huddle in Johnston City. (Warrior Staff photo)
Warrior football program from 19811990 and then again from 19992011. During his 27 years as a head football coach, Sinclair has amassed an incredible 236-61 (79.5 winning percentage) record, won a State
Championship in 1985, and led the Warriors to three State Runner-Up finishes (1982, 2008, and 2011). In 2007, Sinclair received the greatest award for an Illinois High School football coach when he was in-
ducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He has coached 20 teams into the Illinois High School Association post-season playoffs where he posted a career playoff coaching record of
36-19. In addition to the four State Championship game appearances, his teams have played in three additional Final Four games and had four Elite Eight appearances. Continued on Page 6
To eat or not to eat: The cafeteria survey says... By Warrior Staff What began as a simple interview with Casey-Westfield cafeteria manager Marsha Shonk grew into a more in depth investigation into the school lunch program both at our school and also on a nationwide basis. Eventually, a survey was distributed to the students and staff at both Roosevelt Junior High and Casey-Westfield High School to gain a better understanding of the most popular lunch offerings and why some students elect to not eat in the school cafeteria. During our interview with Marsha Shonk, we discovered that over 100,000 schools are part of the National School Lunch program which is a federally assisted meal program. Governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this program mandates specific “Nutrition Standards” for school lunch and breakfast programs and provide schools with subsidies and USDA foods for each meal they serve. In return for these benefits, schools must offer free or reduced price lunches to eligible children. In January of 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, along with celebrity chef Rachael Ray announced the release of the final rule concerning Nutrition Standards that included the offering of both fruits and vegetables every day, substan-
The Warrior distributed a survey to students and staff at both Roosevelt Junior High and CWHS to gain a better understanding of the most popular lunch offerings and why some elect not to eat in the cafeteria. tially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods, offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties, and limits on calories and saturated and trans fats in school lunches. Following the interview and research into the school lunch program, it became evident that the planning and preparation of each meal is more than simply cooking some food for that day. The menu must be planned more than a month in advance and each meal must meet the increasingly strict USDA guidelines. The goal is to provide school children with healthier meals, eliminate unhealthy items, and do it all on a
A Casey-Westfield High School student heads to the lunch table with a tray holding a typical school lunch. (Warrior staff photo)
certain budget. The survey attempted to survey as many of the Casey-Westfield students and staff as possible. Once reviewed and tallied, 235 sur-
veys were returned from the high school and 141 were returned from the Roosevelt Junior High. Continued on Page 4
Preparing for college: See Page 2 to learn what you need to be doing now