Parents of Escambia County High School’s student-athletes will get their first chance to meet new athletic director and head football coach Lev Holly next week.

Holly has scheduled a parent meeting for the entire athletic program at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5.

At the meeting, Holly will go over expectations, fundraising and rules for the athletes.

Having parent involvement at the meeting is important to let them know who he is, Holly said.

“We want every parent to make it to the meeting,” he said. “I’m pretty much going to introduce myself and let the community know that we are going to be a community-oriented athletic program.”

Building support for the athletic programs will be one of Holly’s key goals, as he begins to run the programs his way.
Gaining the support of parents is the first step, Holly said.

“I want them to know that we are going to support their boys and that we need their support as well,” he said.

Earning the support of the parents and later the community will help in the growth of the students at ECHS, Holly said.

“This is a community effort,” he said. “I think it takes a village to raise a child, so I want our community to back our kids. I’m a father figure to all of these kids and I want to see an effirt from everyone around to embrace these kids with support.”

In terms of rules, Holly will inform parents of what will not be tolerated on the Blue Devils’ teams.

Laying out the rules will help avoid any “surprises” in the future, Holly said.

“There should not be any surprises,” he said. “I want the parents to know that I will treat the kids fair, but there needs to be accountability. They represent this school and I want them to be outstanding citizens in this community.”