Leaving His Mark
F
orty-seven years is a long time to leave a mark. At the end of this past summer, a founding staff member with 47 years of loyal dedication to Delphian and its purpose decided to move on, having completed one game to pursue another. He has left his mark on quite literally thousands of Delphian students. During a varied Delphian career that started in 1974, John “Kertch” Kertchem redefined “Delphian lifer.” Kertch has worked in almost every area of the school and his impact on Delphian will be felt by generations of students to come. Known for his high standards, he served as a supervisor in the upper school, worked as an ethics advisor, introduced hundreds of new students to Delphian as an admissions
registrar and was legendary in the athletics department. He served as an unparalleled and dauntless coach of the varsity volleyball team, where he led the Dragons for forty years, going back to 1980. Volleyball was one of the first sports added to Delphian’s athletic program. In the early days of his Delphian career, Kertch began as the assistant coach. Having played a little volleyball on an
intramural two-man volleyball team while attending UC Davis in California, he quickly filled the shoes of the head coach and built the Delphian volleyball program into what it is today. Kertch approached the job as a consummate professional, always learning more about coaching and the intricacies of the game. He watched “Volleyball 101” on VHS tapes and read and studied up on coaching and team building. In addition to research, Kertch attended multiple coaching clinics over the years led by some of volleyball’s greats including Hall of Famer Jim Coleman, US
“That true morale for self and group comes from pushing through barriers and getting things done.”
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