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Dream recognized as Ahrens takes on STC activities director position

NEWS CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO — Chelsea Ahrens, a longtime employee of the South Tama County school district, is the new activities director.

South Tama High School has a new activities director in the form of Chelsea Ahrens.

Ahrens has been involved with STC for over a decade, starting as a social studies teacher for the past 15 years. Ahrens has been gaining valuable experience that pertains to her new position.

She has been involved with event coordination since 2012 and has been the assistant coordinator for the middle school and high school for the past two years. She’s also familiar with STC athletics, previously serving as the head softball coach, assistant basketball coach and assistant golf coach.

“I’m very lucky to be offered this position. I have a good relationship with our coaches and parents. I still have a lot to learn but already having those positive relationships with coaches and parents will make this an easy transition,” Ahrens said.

Making sure that school staff have passion for what they do, and a commitment to the school they serve is one of the most important aspects of putting together a great staff. High schools often see a high turnover rate with their athletic directors and activities directors for a multitude of reasons. Some use the position as a stepping stone, and others can’t handle the workload. Neither of those will be an issue for Ahrens.

“This is definitely something I enjoy doing. I love to support the community and this school. I’m excited to be able to give back to our coaches and supporters. I care deeply about our community and our school activities. I will do whatever is needed to bring success to the Trojans,” she said.

Ideas are already forming in Ahrens’ mind when it comes to the changes and improvements she plans to make. She wants to improve participating in activities and athletics in all grades, not just high school.

“The first step is to find out what those barriers are and what is preventing kids from getting involved. We’re going to figure that out and then go from there,” she said.

Ahrens wants to continue to improve the facilities at STC. While there has been a lot of great work done in the last few years, there is still plenty more work to be done. Ahrens specified the football field and the baseball and softball fields.

“We just want to give the kids the best facilities within our means,” she said.

Commitment will not be something that STC families will have to be concerned about with Ahrens.

“I care deeply about this community. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been a consistent face here in this community. This is my ultimate dream job. My kids go to school here, my husband works in this community, for me there is no better position than this one,” she said. “This is what my goal has been for the last five to seven years, that one day I would be the AD here.”

STC activities are in good hands with Ahrens. She has been building up a wealth of experience with the duties involved with this position and is firmly planted in this community with plans of bringing it to new heights for years to come.