Page 50 January 2012 A RC A DI A SPORTS PAGE A RC A DI A SPORTS PAGE AHS quickly gets out of the blocks Arcadia High sports security staff ‘highly performing’ By Kyle A. Porter Jeri Eshelman knows every student and many of the alumni and parents as she greets them at the door to the gymnasium of Arcadia High School for the basketball season opener, the alumni game. Eshelman has been part of the security staff at Arcadia since 1997. She works every school day and at most of the athletic and other extracurricular events. And she is part of the school’s successful security staff. While a uniformed police of fi cer and interactive security staff may seem like simply a deterrent to crime and other problems, the Arcadia security team sees its job as building a relationship with students and keeping them safe. Eshelman even thinks of herself as the “mom on campus,” to listen when a student has a problem, to anticipate a situation that could get a kid into trouble, and to remind them that someone cares about what happens to them, even at school. James Dorer is chief of security for Scottsdale Uni fi ed School District. He had 20 years experience as a police of fi cer with the City of Scottsdale when he joined the school district about 18 months ago. Dorer has assumed the job of hiring and training security personnel for the 31 elementary and fi ve high schools in the district. He also says the job is about kids. “A security of fi cer is someone they can trust,” he said. Dorer directs emergency planning and preparedness district-wide, trains security personnel and has initiated physical training for security staff. He says security has become more de fi ned in response to society’s complexity, in schools as in many settings. He was unwilling to disclose details of security Continued on page 52 By Dale Messmer It’s a common theme on these pages. Athletes at the local high school deserve fans in the stands. And sports at the high- school level can be very exciting. Never more true, or fun, than this school year, since virtually every sports team at Arcadia High School has been successful and entertaining. Right now it’s basketball season, and both the boys and girls teams are off to a great start. The boys even have a game of nearly 100 points under their belt, and both went into holiday-tournament play with a handful of defeats. The football team was in the semi fi nals, losing to the eventual state champion. The volleyball team fell in the state-title game, the fi rst appearance in the championship in school history. Girls won a state title, again, in swimming, their fi fth in six years. The boys team fi nished second. Yet crowds are small, a lot smaller than when I was in high school. It’s easy to understand. First, that was back when a fancy telephone was one that wasn’t black. Second, Phoenix is one of a handful of cities with professional teams in all four major sports. And even the hockey team can’t draw a decent crowd. Watching the screaming students at many of the volleyball games this year, however, reminded me of exciting times I’ve had at prep games, as a fan and professionally. So once more I’ll urge you to go see the neighborhood kids play. Better yet, send your kids, especially if they plan to attend Arcadia High. If they become fans now, they’ll be more likely to support classmates when they become Titans. Many of the fans at volleyball games were baseball players. I expect that many of the volleyball players will return the favor this spring. And the baseball team promises to be very good. The softball team always is. Good teams and good times. Catch a game or two of your favorite sport. The kids will appreciate it.

Tyler Scrivner plays on the Arca- dia High School Varsity Soccer Team. He has been playing soc- cer since he was four years old, and hasn’t taken a season off since. He was MVP of the team last year as a junior. His primary position is that of defender, and still was able to score eight goals. This year he has started as cen- ter striker. He is a dedicated team player and works just as hard to set up other players to score as he does to score goals himself. His speed and ball control skills make him more than most de- fenders can handle. When play- ing as a defender he rarely allows the other team to get around or past him. Tyler hopes to play soccer in col- lege, but his decision going to be based around academics fi rst. Tyler was nominated by Gloria Keenan. Do you know an Arcadia athlete who deserves to be recognized by the community? Fill out a Nomination Form at Arcadia Sports & Fitness or www.arcadiadaily.com/athlete.pdf, or drop us a line at athlete@arcadianews.com. HURRY! WE WILL BE CHOOSING ANOTHER WINNER ON JANUARY 16TH! Congratulations Tyler Scrivner! C l i of the of the