Winn took what he describes as the "worst kids in the school," and started breakfast meetings, where students would eat, listen to music and talk about their issues.
"I could identify with them," he said. "I’m from the same neighborhood. Three or four months later, the worst kids in the school become the best behaved kids in the school."
A marketing major in college, Winn hopes to begin work on his Master’s degree soon.
More from Horseheads: David W. Kubissa, associate editor of the Star-Gazette in Elmira wrote a column on the issue of Horseheads' new code of conduct, noting the similarity to "real" life.
"In high school and college, I had in-your-face coaches, and I had understated coaches," he wrote. "I learned to play for both kinds. I saw flaws in both types. The intense coaches pushed my lazy bones to be better, but they also sucked the spirit out of me at times. The softies made me enjoy the game more, but they sometimes didn't make me stretch beyond my reach.
". . . In the real world, you don't get to vote on your bosses, unless they're running for office. Coaching is the same way."
He concludes with this thought: "(C)oaches are really just grown-up players, and no matter how old they get, they can't get rid of the player inside of them."
Extra points: The Houston lawmaker who authored a steroids testing law for Texas high school athletes says the program may not be ready in time for football season. State Sen. Kyle Janek said the state should consider holding back on testing if concerns about over-the-counter supplements causing positive test results are not satisfied soon. The Senate's original plan was to test about 3 percent of the 730,000 of high school athletes at a cost of $4 million per year.
