Football is synonymous with Eaton School. Coach Doug Bailey began his football coaching career at Eaton in 1979 and was joined the next year in 1980 by his coaching partner, John Frison. The two coached together for the next 27 years. Eaton School recorded 195 wins & 62 losses since 1978. During this time, our 6- man teams won at both league and conference levels. They competed in Provincials in 1998 & 1999 taking Gold and in 1988 & 1994, they received Provincial Silver medals.
Another football highlight happened in July, 2000 when the Spartans (including current and former players, parents, and fans) hosted the Can-Am (Canadian-American) Bowl.
The Spartan Spirit is always alive and well on the sidelines at Spartan football games. "Sparky" has often been seen working the crowd into a frenzy of "de" "-fence". It is this pride in the Spartan Football program which has made it strong and well known throughout the province over the past three decades. For three years, Eatonia was part of a co-op with Eston. The Eatonia contingent of the coaching staff included Mr. Clint Hayes and Mr. Billy Coventry. In the 2010 season, Spartan Football returned to Eatonia. Our team consisted of students from Gr. 9-12 and the coaching staff included: Mr. Clint Hayes, Mr. Bill Coventry, and Mr. Cam Aitken. While the season was not necessarily a successful one, there were great improvements on the field as the young team learned and developed.
While the volleyball program at Eaton has been solid for many years, it reached a pinnacle in 2005, when Eaton School hosted the Provincial Volleyball Championships. The local Spartan team, coached by Matt Linner, played well throughout the season to earn them a spot in Provincial playoffs. Unfortunately, that was not to be our year. Then, in 2006, the Spartans, who were coached by Megan Boychuk and Assistant Coach Megan Specht, had a stellar season. The team attended many tournaments, setting the stage for their drive to the Gold. The school and the community were proud to again cheer our home town team on at the Provincial Championships being played in Kyle. Going into Provincials, the team ranked very high. They beat Gronlid in Semi-final play to face Rouleau in the finals. The girls buckled down and played outstanding, defeating Rouleau 25-21 in two straight sets to capture the Provincial Gold Medal - a first in the history of volleyball at Eaton School. The following year, a new coach, Mr. Craig Vanthuyne, stepped up to the net and the Eaton Spartans continue to be competitive on the court.
Sr. Girls' Volleyball
The development of basketball skills at Eaton begins at an early age. A Midget team consisting of girls in Grades 4, 5 and 6 has been running for the last 10 years. These players then move on to form the Junior Basketball team made up of girls in Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. By the time the players reach the Senior team in Grade 10, they have a solid grounding in basketball skills. Off and on throughout the years, we have also had Junior and Senior Boys' teams.
Eaton School is known throughout the province for its outstanding Basketball program. Coach John Frison developed a strong program at Eaton which led our senior Spartans to Divisionals, Regionals, Districts, and Provincials where they saw success many different times. In fact, the strength of the Spartans took them to Hoopla 7 years in a row. They brought home the Silver medal in 2002, Bronze in 2003 and 2005, Silver in 2006, and finally, the Gold in 2007. This is an amazing accomplishment of which players, parents, fans, Eaton School and the community of Eatonia are very proud. Evidence of this pride is found on the sidelines at every game and many a vehicle full of fans have travelled across the province to cheer the Senior Spartans on to victory.
Since winning gold, the Spartan Sr. Girls' Basketball team has become small but mighty and is eager to hit the court each season. A decrease in the number of players at Eaton led to the formation of a co-op with Plenty School in the 2008-2009 season. The team continues to show strength in skill and determination, as well as a love of the game. The team from 2010-2011, under the guidance of Coach Kim Somerville (a Spartan Alumni), progressed to Regional Play in Middle Lake. They lost a very close match to Luseland that took them to the consolation final against Canwood. A tied score at the end of the game against Canwood forced the girls into overtime and saw us lose by one basket. It was an exciting way to end the season. Way to play, Girls!
The popularity of the Junior Badminton program has increased by leaps and bounds in the past few years with approximately 30 students signing up to play singles and doubles each season. The Juniors are coached by Mrs. Shelley Follensbee. Several seniors also compete in singles and pairs under the guidance of Coach Craig Vanthuyne. Badminton players are very competitive within divisional and district play.
Eaton Track Athletes have received divisional, regional and provincial recognition over the years. As far back as 1979 when Alice Humeny received Gold in Triple Jump and Adele Humeny got Silver in Hurdles and Bronze in Long Jump, Spartans have been competitive in all areas of Track and Field. Some particular highlights include high jump (Brandi Cooper - 1993 Provincial Champion & Steven Toan - 2002 Bronze Medalist), shot put (Jayce Meyer - 2002 Bronze Medalist), and races (Kellie Boychuk - 2006 4x100 Relay Provincial Champion). Many athletic individuals have left their mark in Track and Field at Eaton School.
Provincial Track @ Saskatoon - May 2010
The Cross Country Running program was initiated by Mrs. Ashley Kosior (nee Miller) upon her arrival at Eaton School in 2005 and continued under the direction of parent volunteers, Mrs. Susan Theaker and Mrs. Nicole Galarneau, in the 2009-2010 season, and then Band Directory, Miss Karen Luptak in 2010-2011. Student involvement in this program has increased greatly since its inception and now includes runners from Grades 4-10. Training begins in early September and students compete at a number of meets each fall. Our athletes have been recognized at several meets within the Division, many placing in the top ten. In 2007-2008, Valerie Butt moved on from Districts to compete in Provincials, as did Kasia Guidinger (Bantam Girls) in 2009-2010. Jonathan Guidinger (Peewee Boys) and Kelsey Guidinger (Novice Girls) placed 1st at Districts (2009-2010). As well, Eaton School proudly was awarded the trophy for Highest Team Points. Then, at the 2010-2011 Districts, both Garrett King and Jonathan Guidinger claimed 1st place in Peewee and Bantam Boys' respectively. Cross-country running is yet another area where Eaton students are making their mark.
Eaton School Cross-Country Running Team - 2010-2011
The Spartan Wilderness Adventure Team (SWAT) was initiated in the fall of 2009 by Mr. Craig Vanthuyne with support from Ms. Karen Luptak, Mr. Cam Aitken, Mr. Clint Hayes and community member Brett Becker. SWAT is an outdoor, extra curricular program that focuses on eco-friendly camping/canoeing practices and provides students an opportunity to experience Saskatchewan's natural beauty first hand. In 2011, SWAT purchased the final equipment needed to make this program a permanent fixture in the extra-curricular programming at Eaton School. Without the generous contributions from the community and surrounding area, this would not have been possible.
SWAT is divided into three basic categories: Level 1 (Beginner), Level 2 (Intermediate) and Level 3 (Advanced) and grades 10, 11 and 12 students are eligible to participate.
The first ever SWAT Trip took place in June of 2010. In June of 2011, two trips took place with both Level I and Level II SWAT members taking part. Level III will be added in 2012 which will complete the program. Each level builds on prior skills and the trips become more challenging, both physically and mentally, as students progress through the levels.
Our Mission: to develop responsible, respectful members and to build leadership skills that are transferable to life after school. SWAT strives to promote critical thinking and increase planning and problem solving skills while expanding outdoor skills.
Our Vision: Respect, Safety, Pride and Growth
SWAT will provide an opportunity for students to take on challenges and experiences individually and as a group that will help prepare them to be responsible leaders in our community. Students will understand their capabilities and learn that working together and supporting those around you are essential to survival in our world.
SWAT goes beyond the classroom and becomes an experience that builds leadership capacity, relationships, self-confidence and self esteem.