for a place to exercise. Convincing the community was a priority, but before Gebhart ever reached that point it was important to get administrators on board with what he was hoping to accomplish. “One of the first things I did as
athletic director is I took our super- intendent on a tour of the facilities because I think a lot of superinten- dents don’t get to that level,” Geb- hart says. “Once she saw the condi- tions of some of the dressing and practice facilities, she scheduled a time for our school board to come and take a look. At that moment, we agreed we had to do something.”
Value Of Partnerships Fayetteville High School lives in the shadow of the University of Arkansas, with some of the univer- sity’s most impressive athletic fa- cilities just a stone’s throw from the ongoing work at the high school. That’s been something both the uni- versity and the school district have been able to use to their advantage over the years.
Few school districts are afforded
maintain good communication and keep the public apprised ...
“
the opportunities presented by a university’s proximity, but it’s a lesson in the value of partnerships. Maybe it’s a local business or the community college across town, but school districts can do a great deal of good for their students by establishing relationships through- out their communities. Fayetteville’s link to the Uni-
versity of Arkansas is unique. Gebhart says parking at the school is leased to the university during basketball and football games, creating a modest revenue stream for the school district. In turn, the university has provided use of its facilities. Gebhart says track meets were often held at the uni- versity because it had nine lanes and was better equipped to handle the crowds. “We are married in a lot of ways to the extent that they rely on us for parking and we partner
with them from time to time to host state events,” Gebhart says. “There have been times before where we were able to use their indoor facilities so our guys could practice, otherwise that wouldn’t have been possible.”
” Those partnerships also had to be
made with key players in the com- munity, but Gebhart says he was fortunate enough to have those in- roads created by his predecessor. “Those relationships were al-
ready established, so I didn’t really have to go out and do anything dif- ferent,” he says. “With those lines of communication open, all I had to do was not close them. That’s all that I’m doing in regard to maintaining contacts, but I think the transpar- ency is really important.
“People are scared of the un-
known. If you let them know what’s going on it alleviates a lot of their concerns.”
We wanted to be transparent,
Fayetteville High School’s football field was outfitted with artificial turf, which was stamped with advertisements—called “Legacy Logos”—to help offset the cost.
coachad.com May/June 2013 31
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