48 SEPTEMBER 2024 By Rachael Bouley The Falcons are looking forward to an exciting fall, with new uniforms, a new football coach and a brand-new cheer squad bringing extra school spirit. Veritas held a uniform unveiling event in August for the first time in school history, with football and cheer athletes and their families participating in the gathering to kick off the season. “Getting a new uniform is a big deal for student-athletes, as we don’t have the privilege of upgrading our uniforms yearly, not yet at least,” Athletic Director Chase Beebe said. “Our coaches thought that getting everyone together to unveil the uniforms would help make this event that much more special for our athletes, and I couldn’t agree more. It was electric!” After a few hard-fought seasons, the previous football uniforms had been through a lot of wear and tear and were due for an upgrade. “For the first time in program history, at least from my knowledge, the football team will have three different jerseys to choose from and two pairs of pants to pair with different color combinations,” Beebe explained. The athletes now wear all-black jerseys, white jerseys with a retro touch, and Beebe’s personal favorite, the Veritas blue jerseys, which have the same retro look as the white jerseys. Mike Sanfratello is the new head coach, and he’s excited to take on the role after joining the varsity staff at Veritas last year. “My kids have gone to Veritas since kindergarten. I coached the middle school football team for three years and have always enjoyed teaching kids the game,” Sanfratello said. “We have great players and are growing a new culture under the leadership of headmaster Theresa Weiland and Athletic Director Chase Beebe.” Sanfratello grew up in Scottsdale and attended Coronado High School. He played football in 1984 and 1985, earning all-state selection before heading to Northern Arizona University, where he was a two-time All- America defensive end. He then went on to play in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in 1991 and 1992 and coached at Coronado under Joe Corte for five seasons. The new staff are ready to reset culture and build on the groundwork of the previous coaches, following the Falcon Way: Team, Teammate, Self. “These core values help guide behaviors, and if we hold young men to a standard, they will rise to it,” Sanfratello said. “Our focus is on the process and doing things right every day – then we can expect good outcomes.” The varsity football team is young, with only two senior starters returning from last year and only eight seniors on the roster out of over 40 kids. “You win with leadership and experience. We will need to grow up quickly and I am looking forward to watching them do it,” Sanfratello added. The new coach is eager to instill a sense of accountability and a will to compete to take them to the next level. “We play in a great league, and this year, we play four playoff teams from last year, including the state champion, so our work is cut out for us,” Sanfratello said. “Our homecoming game against Shadow Mountain is at Veritas on September 20, and I am personally inviting Arcadia to come out and watch!”  Helping the Falcons fly high with their school spirit is the new Spiritline program. “Our Spirit Team will be looking sharp on the sidelines and mid-field during halftimes, thanks to wonderful coaches who spent a part of their summer picking the perfect design for the uniforms,” Beebe said. For the inaugural year of the program, cheerleaders will wear two uniforms: one with a white base and the other with a black base. Coach Meghan Gottfredson says it’s been a long time coming, as families have asked for this opportunity for years. “We have an athletic director with tremendous vision, a supportive headmaster, and a handful of parents who have pushed to make this new program a reality,” Gottfredson said. “Coley Arnold and I were both excited to help get a program like this up and running, and we were honored to be asked to coach this season.” After growing up dancing and cheering, Gottfredson is ready to bring fun and enriching activities to the Falcon community. “I was fortunate to have a high school that offered an extensive Spiritline,” Gottfredson explained. “I was a cheerleader, a pommie, and I twirled baton. Being part of Spiritline even helped me choose a college.” She twirled at the University of Arizona for four years after receiving an athletic scholarship. During her senior year of college, she coached pom at Catalina Foothills High School. “These experiences allowed me to develop confidence, grow as a leader, and connect with my communities in a vital way,” Gottfredson said. “Being part of a school sports team is an invaluable experience, and I’m thrilled that the student-athletes at Veritas will have this opportunity.” The junior varsity and varsity teams consist of 20 students that practice three times weekly. Spiritline will be found on the sidelines at home and away games during football and basketball season, and while they don’t plan to compete this year, they are eager to work toward that as the program grows. “Veritas is an incredible school with a thriving athletics program. Spiritline only adds to this in the most positive ways,” Gottfredson said. “Every student should have the opportunity to be part of a team, and we hope Spiritline will fill that void. We’re excited to watch this program take our school spirit and camaraderie to the next level.” Veritas Prep athletics debuts a new look – and new Spiritline! Captains Will Barrett and Anthony Sanfratello. James Seone, Wes Jackson and Tico Lentz. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VERITAS PREP

49 SEPTEMBER 2024 D o you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had taken a different path? What if you had studied something different in college or worked in a different industry? Or had a different role at work? When I was in graduate school, a professor casually mentioned that I should go into consulting at a big firm. I had no idea what that meant. I never asked, and he never explained. I have wondered what my path would have been like if we’d had just one conversation. A disturbing trend is becoming more apparent. There are larger and larger gaps in pay between workers. This trend can also be seen in our economy as a whole. Many indicators say the economy is doing well, but someone making less than $50,000 per year most likely doesn’t feel that way. On the flip side, those who are doing well seem largely untouched by our current economic challenges – they are also often making $200,000 or more. What are these groups doing differently? It may be more random than you think. It’s not necessarily that the higher paid person is working harder or longer hours. They are not necessarily any smarter than someone else. Often, it’s the particular educational and career path that pays more. If you are a parent of a teenager or young adult, this column is for you. If you want to help your child pick the best career, do research. Look at sites like Glassdoor.com to see how much various jobs pay. If your teen is looking at certain colleges, look up what is called a post-graduation report. It will tell you which fields graduates are working in and how much they are making. Two different degrees may cost the same amount of money to earn. However, the careers they lead to may be very different. One career may pay $50,000 pear year, while the other pays $200,000. Don’t get me wrong. Money isn’t everything. But if there are two jobs that would be a good fit for a person, and one pays four times what the other pays, wouldn’t you want to select the higher paying option? If you are already in your career path, and you’re feeling financially strained, do some research. Learn if you are underpaid for the work you do. If you aren’t, but are still not making enough money, look at other options. Consider what transferrable skills you have that you can take to another field that will pay more. This can help you to close the salary divide. The salary divide Career Corner Career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching. copelandcoaching.com BY ANGELA COPELAND