ELON COLLEGE, N.C. – When John Taxboro first saw Block Island School in Rhode Island, he was amazed that school and the tiny community of 1,000 year-round residents didn’t offer sports.
In the past 10 years, Taxboro, a health and physical education teacher at the school, has created variety athletic teams and recreational leagues on the island that is 16 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. The island’s only school has grades kindergarten through 12th.
For his efforts, Taxboro received the “Hometown Hero Award” at Elon College. He was among five people honored for their contributions to their communities. Kyle Draper, a former student who is a freshman at Elon College, nominated him. The ceremony was held in November.
“When (Tarbox) arrived at the school 10 years ago, the word sport was unheard of,” Draper said. “There were no high school sports teams or recreational leagues at all. The students didn’t know the rules of the main sports such as basketball, and there was no gymnasium anywhere on the island.”
Taxboro has since established programs in many sports, including soccer, baseball and basketball. He has created an indoor soccer league for children. He also was instrumental in getting a gymnasium constructed.
“Today, athletic programming on Block Island is phenomenal,” Draper said. “Almost every student in the elementary, junior high and high school is in one of the leagues that Mr. Taxboro set up.”
Elon College is a four-year co-educational college located near Greensboro, N.C. It has more than 3,900 students from 42 states and 35 foreign countries.
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