According to former Palo Alto High School teacher and current Athletic Director Jennifer Crane, sports are all about community and uplifting others around you.
At Paly, adults with a passion for sports are a common presence.
But, what many students don’t realize is that several of our staff members, including Crane, experienced collegiate athletics firsthand.
Jennifer Crane
Crane began playing field hockey as a freshman in high school, much later than most Division I recruits.
“I played sports growing up — soccer, basketball, softball — and then to start a new sport in high school was actually kind of fun,” Crane said.
During her junior year, she committed to play Division I field hockey at the University of California, Berkeley. Crane said that being a student-athlete was extremely demanding and difficult.
“It’s a huge commitment, it’s like a full-time job,” Crane said. “Not only practice every day, but you also then are in the weight room with your coach every day, and you also have team dinners, and you’re also watching team film.”
After graduating from Berkeley, Crane coached field hockey at different schools while pursuing her teaching credential and eventually teaching at Paly.
Jerry Berkson
Jerry Berkson is Paly’s assistant principal of operations, but before that, he played baseball for the College of San Mateo as a pitcher for four years. During the first few years of his stay at college, Berkson said he was rarely focused on academics.
“I didn’t do it [academics],” Berkson said. “Once I got my act together, I got almost straight A’s. When I figured out that I’m not going to be very much.”
Berkson was coached by John Noce.
Noce is the coach with the most wins in junior college history, and was the Italian national team coach.
His coaching style put the team ahead of individuals.
“The one thing that he was all about was team and not about standing out. Nowadays you see people flipping bats. … that would never happen in a million years playing there,” Berkson said.
LaDonna Butler
Assistant Principal LaDonna Butler played Division I basketball at San Jose State. She originally didn’t have it as a goal to make something out of basketball — she just loved playing it.
Butler grew up in the San Jose area, which had a unique basketball community.
“In my day you had to earn your way on the [basketball] court,” Butler said. “So you had to be good enough to go to these parks to play. … My cousin told me first you have to be able to own your own space. So my own space was an elementary school that I went to so anyone that came there — I had to win.”
Butler played power forward for her college team and became the captain her junior and senior year.
Butler was the first member of her family to graduate from college. When her four year playing eligibility ran out, she says, she lost a bit of her love for basketball.
“I felt like I had not put the time and energy into my academics that I needed to,” Butler said.
