For the past several years, Weston Ranch High School has been without an Athletic Booster Club. While there are remnants of prior attempts, athletics boosters have remained mostly anonymous. However, that all changed Tuesday night as Weston Ranch elected their first Board of Directors. Hoping the revival will spark interest in the community, both parents and supporters, the WRHS Boosters will begin working to satisfy the needs of the students and athletes.

Newly appointed athletic director and vice-principal Marcelo Zamarripa made the booster club one of his top priorities. He immediately began reaching out to community members through emails and social media to build interest. After a few phone calls, parents came forward to make the booster club a reality. A Zoom meeting took place, and the newly elected Board secured their spots and pledged to support the school on September 21.

“We needed the community to support our athletics,” Zamarripa said. “Our student-athletes and coaches work very hard, and this is a great way to show the support. We went into this with the phrase, ‘Come be part of history,'” said Zamarripa. “We talked about the last time WRHS had a booster club, and we couldn’t come up with an answer. So, why not approach this as a first for our school. The parents were excited and totally on board with the vision.”

The new Board will be led by: Anthony Bell (President), Melanie Gonzalez (Vice President), Crystal Felder (Secretary), Augustine Esquivel (Vice Secretary), Brandy Walker (Treasurer), Michelle Bell (Vice Treasurer), and Adrienne Thompson (Auditor).

“I’m just happy to have this resource back on our campus,” said head swimming and water polo coach Clayton Basepayne. “We’re looking forward to working with the new board and doing what we can to help the Athletic Department.”

Among various issues, the biggest item on the new Board’s agenda will be fundraising for the athletic programs. Boosters work to raise funds and require volunteers to facilitate activities and help keep costs down. Often, they cover some items that may not be covered in the school budget. In addition, the support parent groups provide encompasses everything from planning events to supporting teachers in the classroom and much more.

“It is an exciting thought to have a booster club to support our athletic programs again,” head baseball coach David Hager said. “The stress of fundraising during this pandemically trying times has risen to new levels. I look forward to working with them for the betterment of all athletic programs.

Indeed it is an exciting time on the Weston Ranch campus. It’s an exciting time for Weston Ranch High School athletics. For more information, please get in touch with Marcelo Zamarripa.

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