The students and staff at Carver Early College recently showed their appreciation for two award-winning coaches with a surprise recognition ceremony in the school’s media center.
Carver Early College athletic director Wendy Golston was named the Region 5 2A Athletic Director of the Year, and head football coach Darren Myles was selected by the Atlanta Falcons as their Georgia High School Coach of the Year.
After being summoned to the school’s media center, Golston and Myles were surprised to walk into a full party in their honor. Welcomed by the band, dance team, and cheerleaders, Golston and Myles walked into the media center, where students, staff, and family were waiting to celebrate their excellence.
“It was wonderful to see them walking down the hallway with their eyes wide open, having no idea that they were leaving one amazing ceremony but to come to a ceremony where they would be appreciated for their own hard work,” said Carver Early College principal Christina Rogers.
During the ceremony, several students and staff members shared how both coaches have impacted their lives and supported them both on and off the field.
“To be appreciated in the way that they did caught me totally off guard,” Myles said. “It just makes you realize how much value you bring to a campus and to the students.”
“These are the types of things that paychecks can’t replace,” he added. “This is the reason that I got into education. To pour into students and make an impact.”
Myles has been hit with surprise after surprise as the Falcons Georgia High School Coach of the Year. He was invited to the game against the Carolina Panthers, where he was given field passes to watch the pre-game warmup. Just before kickoff, the Falcons invited him into the endzone, where they surprised him and announced that he was the Coach of the Year.
Then, former Falcons quarterback DJ Shockley started asking him about gumbo and beignets before revealing the poster-sized Super Bowl tickets they were giving him as well.
“We’ve been on cloud 9 ever since,” Myles said. “It’s even more special to be recognized and be picked amongst all the high school coaches in the state of Georgia. I know how much work goes into putting a team on the field and developing guys from the time they walk in as ninth-graders to the time they leave.” “To be selected, I feel really blessed and appreciative at the same time that someone recognized the work that we’re doing over here,” he added.