Mount Union Area HS

[Ratheolcoach]

I have family in the Fairfield/Gettysburgh Area, and my wife is from Maryland. We are currently living in South Carolina, where I've been coaching for eight years. I'm trying to find out as much as I can about this job opportunity before applying. Can anyone give me any information/background? Is there a decent amount of talent? Community support? Administration support athletics? This would be a huge move for us, and I don't necessarily want to put in for the job and go through the process if they've already got someone in place and just posting it and going through the motions for the sake of it. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ratheolcoach]

147 views and no replies. Thanks for the info fellas!

 

[footballwhiz]

147 views and no replies. Thanks for the info fellas!

I guess that helps with your decision. We can't tell you something we don't know.

 

[ChesmontLeague1]

If you like hunting and fishing Raystown Lake is close by! I've shot 2 bucks there! Never heard of the football program.

 

[Ratheolcoach]

I love hunting and fishing. I can't find much history about the program and the school's current website leaves much to be desired. At any rate, we shall see what comes of this. It would be a huge undertaking to move my family from South Carolina which is where I've lived most of my life. But, for the right opportunity, it could be worth it.

 

[Busch08]

I love hunting and fishing. I can't find much history about the program and the school's current website leaves much to be desired. At any rate, we shall see what comes of this. It would be a huge undertaking to move my family from South Carolina which is where I've lived most of my life. But, for the right opportunity, it could be worth it.

Record wise it appears that they have had recent success. Not sure about any support. You wouldn't move your family without getting a teaching job as well if you are a teacher, so that has to be one of you top questions as well. Apply for the job, the process will take some time so you can continue to weigh the potential pros and cons. In terms of talent and community involvement you may want to look for a board more geared toward Western PA. A lot of chatter on here about Southeastern PA.

Cheers,

Busch

 

[Ratheolcoach]

thanks Busch. I can see on Maxpreps they've won some games in recent history. I'd certainly have to have an in house teaching job. I'm certified in Business Education. That's a requirement. Depending on $, we'd have to find the wife work too, but that is down the line. I'll give a look for a western PA board to see what I can find. Thanks again.

 

[Stalker]

147 views and no replies. Thanks for the info fellas!

Wow coach, a little patience man, or a compass! The board is mostly Philly area guys, definitely eastern PA well this side of Reading. MU is in the boonies in D6, west of Harrisburg.

I'm from Gettysburg originally but know little about the school with the big schools (formerly 4A-3A) pretty much dominating southern PA ball in D3. You'd have to get lucky to come up with "inside" info on a small school like MU knowing their geography. Sorry I can't help.

 

[Gang $$ Green]

Here's my two cents not sure if it will help. Have quite a few relatives there and my mother was from next door Mifflin County. First and foremost this area is primarily made of very small little towns surrounded by very rural areas. Towns have become less populated as factories, mills etc left. Farming in rural areas still a major part of what economy is left. Service industry is other part.

Demographics there continue to skew older as a lot of people have moved. This has caused mass consolidation of school systems and kids going to even consolidated elementary schools. There just aren't a lot of kids left in that area and a lot of property where the last generation is hanging on to long time family property.

Depending on your viewpoint one can see what this area has to offer as either depressing or charming. The towns are partly shuddered at this point and what is left feels very much like you are in a 50's time warp. The people that remain in my experience are unbelievably nice and life is pretty simple. Quite frankly most of them are in pretty bad shape financially so housing etc is extremely cheap. Making 80 grand combined in that area qualifies you as doing extremely well.

Because of the way of life not changing much there over past 75 years from an educational standpoint there isn't nearly the same emphasis on education you might see somewhere else. A lot of kids are still working family farms (if they are lucky). Others have to work to help support underemployed households. Not a ton of these kids go to college for a lot of different reasons.

It's not Gettysburg. Gettysburg a metropolitan area compared to Shirleysburg. It's rural with some towns. The economy there is bad. The kids are typically pretty tough kids and sports is a release from everyday life and a possible way out. It's old Pennsylvania Dutch country. It's probably similar to some other older rural areas that developed towns in the industrial period that time left behind across the US.

Everytime I leave there and go back to my environment (live in surburban phila and work in city) it always takes me a few days to adjust to how different two places can be 2 hours away. I have a whole sect of cousins who would not dare leave and another sect who would never ever think of living there again. Depends on what you are looking for.

 

[Ratheolcoach]

thanks Green. It sounds like a lot of the small rural towns here in SC, only I'm assuming most kids in the Mount Union Area are going to be white, and most in the towns here are black.