Mount Vernon activity director Matt Thede outlined the key to Mount Vernon’s success has been focusing on giving students the opportunities to succeed in multiple activities at the district at once.

The presentation by Thede outlined the number of state qualifiers at Mount Vernon Schools over the past 11 years, and the numbers were staggering on the athletic side –

Nineteen different events have been champions or runner ups, roughly an average of two events per year.

Twenty-one total team appearances for boys’ and 26 total team appearances for girls’ in post-season appearances in that same 11 years.

And while Thede had the data for athletic appearances, there are countless other activities like speech, drama, jazz band, jazz choir, band, choir, Science Olympiad and robotics that have had increasing number of state and higher accolades. That they might not be “state champions” because an equivalent title in their event doesn’t exist does not deter that the focus on students developing their skills at all they do is seen as a boon for the school and students.

We don’t have the numbers for Lisbon’s state qualifications handy, but we can say as the newspaper that covers both – when we are entering any postseason, we are discussing with Daily Iowan students now about “we will likely have a need for coverage at the state contest level for either of our two schools.”

Lisbon in the past week had their jazz band finish the highest they have as a Class 2A band and their concert band was selected for the Iowa Bandmaster Association conference in May. Lisbon BPA has another crew headed to nationals.

This is an editorial topic we come back to again and again, but there’s a reason. Focusing on students at all levels and helping them to develop their talents, be that in athletics, music or the arts are what our coaches do, and we as a community remain richer for it.