Johnston Community Education

Course Description

Come join the coaches and athletes of the 6 x State Champion JHS Girls Cross Country TEAM in this introduction to our TEAM Mission Statement: We are Dedicated to Developing Strong, Confident Women Who Seek to Build Community While Enjoying Competitive Athletics!!

Logistics

• Bring water bottle with your name on it

Camp Director

• JHS Girls Cross Country Head Coach Patrick Hennes- Coach Hennes has been a Dragon since his first days of student teaching at JHS in the Spring of 2002. He has had a front row seat as the number of graduates has doubled over time and taken great joy in witnessing JCSD grow into a thriving and diverse community serving the needs of a broad, multicultural group of learners. After volunteering with the JHS Track & Field squads as a student teacher in the spring of 2002, Coach Hennes was hired as an assistant coach for both the boys and girls Cross Country and Track & Field squads for the 2002-2003 school year. The following year (2003) he was hired as the Head Girls Cross Country Coach, remaining with the Boys Track & Field program as the distance coach until joining the girls Track & Field TEAM as distance coach in the spring of 2007.
• In the classroom, Mr. Hennes enjoys teaching mostly JHS seniors in one of their final required courses: American Government or American National Government. In one action-packed semester, students learn about the Foundations of American Government, Citizenship and Civic Participation and the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
• Coach Hennes has been recognized with the following awards:
  • 2016 Des Moines Register/USA Today Iowa All Sports Coach of the Year following the Dragons undefeated and record-setting State Championship season
  • 13-time recipient of the IATC Cross Country Coach of the Year Award, including most recently the Dragon’s 2023 State Championship season
  • 2016 USTFCCCA Iowa Coach of the Year
  • 2018 IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction
• Conference Championships (what years)
  • The Dragons have earned a total of eight CIML Conference Championships under Coach Hennes, who took the Dragons from “Worst to First” in the Conference in his first season as Head Coach in 2003. The Dragons celebrated the 21st anniversary of that Championship with another in the 2023 season. They have also won a total of 13 State Qualifying Meet Championships under Coach Hennes and his amazing staff.
• State Appearances- The Dragons have competed in the IGHSAU State Championship in 20 out of the past 21 seasons and are currently the defending State Champions
• State Titles- The Dragons have won *six* out of the past 10 IGHSAU Class 4A Cross Country State Championships (2014-2016-2017-2019-2020-2023) and have finished in the Top 4 in 14 out of the last 18 years. In 2016, the Dragons set the State Meet record for the All Time lowest TEAM score (26) and fastest TEAM finish (18:41 for 5K)
• "As coaches, we take great pride in living and coaching by our TEAM Mission Statement: We are dedicated to developing strong, confident women who are committed to building community while pursuing excellence in competitive athletes. As coaches, we deeply value the trust that parents place in us to help guide the development of their daughters as both athletes and as individuals. As coaches, summer is our opportunity to take the time to really, truly get-to-know our athletes on an even deeper level as individuals. Life is an adventure and we can’t wait to share that adventure with your daughter!!”
• Why should they attend/benefits?
  • Participants will learn what it takes to live by our TEAM values:
  • Be Healthy
  • Dream Big Dreams
  • Pursue Excellence
  • Take Ownership
  • Be Accountable
  • Have Fun
  • Embrace Your Sister