Posted 1:05 am Saturday, August 28, 2010
Grillin' On The Hill: T.K. Gorman Boosters Raise Funds, Foster Relationships
By DAYNA WORCHEL
Staff Writer
As a pleasant, late-summer breeze blew on Thursday night, the dads of the Bishop T.K. Gorman Athletic Booster Club had their noses to the grindstone -- actually the grill -- making food and memories for their student athletes.
Staff Writer
As a pleasant, late-summer breeze blew on Thursday night, the dads of the Bishop T.K. Gorman Athletic Booster Club had their noses to the grindstone -- actually the grill -- making food and memories for their student athletes.
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The smells drifting up from the sizzling burgers and sausages on the grills were heavenly as grill master and Gorman parent Phil Pongetti stepped into action, and another football season got under way.
It was the first night of The Tyler Football Classic, and Gorman played host to the game between the Winnsboro High School Raiders and the Grace Community Cougars at McCallum Stadium.
Pongetti, 52, an engineer, was busy cooking, and continuing a 17-year Gorman tradition with The Grill on the Hill, along with a group of Booster Club parents. Pongetti, who has been involved with the grill for 10 years, said each night has its own rewards and memories.
"I enjoy meeting and training new people, and I plan to be involved even after my son graduates," he said. Pongetti's son, Joe, is a senior and plays for the Crusaders.
The Grill on the Hill was conceived and built by the Gorman Dad's Club as a way to provide shelter and accommodations during bad weather, according to information from the Booster Club. Former volunteer Gibb Harvey, now deceased, was instrumental in the grill's creation and construction.
"Much of this work goes on in his memory," said Scott Terry, 52, a financial advisor and another Booster Club parent who is involved with the grill.
The Gorman Booster Club sells burgers and sausages on a stick from the grill, as well as sodas and other goodies to help finance the school's athletic program, Pongetti said. The Boosters sell during track meets, football and soccer games.
There is also a hospitality group that serves snacks and a hot meal to players and coaches after the football game, Pongetti said.
But the most important part of The Grill on the Hill is the relationships it helps foster between the parent volunteers and also with the school staff. Terry said the grill is a small part of what everyone on the campus does to make the program successful.
"This creates a real bonding experience for parents and families and creates a family experience," Terry said. He added that parents always volunteer to work on the grill and never have to be asked.
Jeff Wallace has been the facilities director at Gorman for 25 years, and can speak about some of those relationships, too. He's been around to see the school win two state championships and said he enjoys the association with the students, parents and school employees.
"We couldn't run the school if we didn't have the parents to volunteer," he said.
Gorman Principal James Franz also gives a tremendous amount of credit to the parent volunteers and said the school could only achieve its mission through the efforts of so many of them.
"The dedicated volunteer staff of The Grill on the Hill is extraordinary -- they cook hamburgers in the heat of August as well as the windy cold of November," the principal of 13 years said.
And nothing can beat the satisfaction of a job well-done for a good cause in Terry's opinion.
"When you go home at night smelling like a grilled burger, you know you've done a good job," he said.
