Central High School’s Tandem of Athletic Directors Were Key to the Successful Fall Athletic Season 

Nov 7, 2021 6:00 AM PST

By Dexter Zinman

PHOENIX – Phoenix Union School District high schools have all faced organizational challenges that come with operating school athletics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of those organizational responsibilities have been taken on by schools’ Athletic Directors. 

Phoenix’s Central High School has been lucky to have two individuals taking on these responsibilities together.  

Athletic Director Evana Santee and assistant Athletic Director Sandra Stringer are that tandem. It’s been their responsibility to communicate ever-changing pandemic protocols to everyone involved in school athletics. Their hard work and diligence have helped guide the Central High School Bobcats (in multiple sports) through a tumultuous, but ultimately successful fall season. 

“They do an exceptional job relaying information, communicating with coaches, parents, student athletes,” Central football coach Matt Allen said. “Anytime there’s trickle-down from (the) district, they get it out the same day.” 

Allen is the offensive coordinator for Central’s football team. He saw firsthand how quickly and thoroughly the directors handled their responsibilities when the football season was briefly suspended due to a small outbreak. 

“They told the coaches, they called all the parents, they sent communication via email, mail, text messages, voice messages,” Allen said. “It’s almost ad nauseum, they don’t leave any stone unturned.” 

Director Santee is the more vocal of the two, making it easier to notice her working at a game, but she will make it very clear just how much work Stringer is doing as well. 

“She is swamped with trying to get kids cleared and go through covid testing,” Santee said.

You will not forget that they are a pair.  

Even outside of the new COVID-19 protocols, they handle the “normal” athletic director responsibilities together. They’re always sitting together on the sidelines or behind Cenral’s end zone. No matter how small a job is, they’re both ready and willing. 

At one point during Central’s homecoming football game, the massive inflatable bobcat the players run through during introductions was accidentally deflated. Both Santee and Stringer sprinted to the unplugged extension cord.

That literal sprint to action by both is demonstrative of how they operate.

“I would characterize the work they’ve done as super flexible,” volleyball head coach Laura Phillips said. “Everything is just constantly changing. This fall when we started our seasons we didn’t really know what we were going to get into.” 

Santee and Stringer have had to be flexible. Organizing testing is part of the new student athlete protocols for the upcoming winter season. The Phoenix Union district requires coaches and athletes either be vaccinated or produce a negative test weekly.

With so many protocol changes happening as the year goes on, it’s important to have people on top of keeping students up to date, especially those who will be playing sports for Central in multiple seasons. 

“Most of these kids do it all,” Allen said. “Most of them are multi-sport, whether it’s football and wrestling, football basketball, football volleyball, baseball, track.”

Central’s football team is full of students who have been in communication with the directors as to what is required for them to play after the football season ends. 

“They basically explain to them that you need to be vaccinated or you’re going to need to test every single week,” Allen said. “Most of the kids that have been here in this district, they’re used to adapting on the fly. Things change and these kids are super adaptable.”         

The ability to communicate with the students themselves has been one of the biggest aspects of the directors’ work. Not only have they explained the changing protocols to the students effectively, they’ve made them incredibly easy to follow. 

“The school offers rapid tests at the nurse’s office,” Phillips said, “So kids can get tested anytime really, whether it’s before school, after school, during the day.” 

Santee has stated herself that her role with the student athletes should be putting them first. That means keeping them safe, healthy and on track with updating protocols, but it also means keeping the season feeling normal. The kids should have their minds on their sports, not potential pandemic related obstacles. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to talk to all of the teams and just say we can’t look at next week and say ‘hey we might turn around and have three positive COVID cases,’” Santee said. “We can’t worry about getting shut down, we just have to worry about coming into practice and just playing.”

Beyond keeping student athletes focusing on playing and up to date with protocols, the ability to communicate with students is vital in the moments when one of them tests positive. The directors are in charge of beginning the process of contract tracing.   

“When one of my volleyball players did test positive, I was definitely notified of that right away,” Phillips said. “We had a really quick meeting and they questioned where the student was, whether she was riding the bus or not, who she was around.” 

With the positive cases on both the football team and the volleyball team, the proper students were notified about getting tested due to potential exposure right away.   

All around, Santee and Stringer’s work has been deservedly praised by coaches and other administrative and athletic officials. Their efficient communication and organizational abilities were major factors in Central’s successful fall season, despite some obstacles.  

To talk about the work of one is to talk about the success of the other. Whether it’s an unplugged extension cord or a positive COVID test, they both sprint towards the issue and handle it. 

The bobcat will re-inflate. The season will finish. Santee and Stringer will make sure of that.