Lake Braddock’s new Director of Student Activities or DSA, Karl Kerns, has set forth his vision and hopes for the student activities/athletics department in an exclusive interview with the Bear Facts.
Kerns recently joined LB in Dec. 2016 and carries decades of experience in education. He got his start with FCPS back in 1994 at a teacher recruiting event. He was first placed at Hayfield Secondary School as a special education teacher.
“I met Coach Metress at Hayfield and we both left about the same time to come to Lake Braddock,” Kerns said.
In 2001, Kerns first came to Lake Braddock as a special education teacher and joined coach Metress’ coaching staff as the freshman basketball coach. In 2009, he left LB and became the Activities Director at Woodbridge High School, and from 2011-2016, the DSA at Annandale.
“I’m humbled and honored to be here at Lake Braddock,” Kerns said.
Kerns has enjoyed the transition and is very motivated and encouraged by the staff within the athletics department. Kerns wants to see students succeed in athletics and offer more opportunities for students to participate.
“The best part about the job is seeing our kids compete and doing what they love, even when they lose”, Kerns said.
Over the next few years, Kerns hopes to make various capital improvements around the school such as increased storage capacity for athletics, field upgrades, a better balance between girl and boy sports programs and even various school spirit improvements.
“We have all this hall space and we should recognize a student athlete of the week”, said Kerns.
Kerns would also like to make some drastic improvements to the student section at games.
“Student sections are out of control”, Kerns said.
Kerns thinks that a lot of the students have issues with cheering and aren’t making any original cheers. Especially at basketball games, ever since cheerleading was cut, he believes students lost their way and don’t know how to cheer for the team. Kerns also wants to figure out why our giant student body isn’t able to fill up the stands at games like they used too.
“Why do kids not go to games?” Kerns said.
Kerns hopes to create new opportunities and motivators that will encourage students to go to games such as a pep bus and pep rallies that are about the teams, not playing silly games. When it comes to rivalries, Kerns says we need to understand what a positive rivalry is and that we need to support our school. Students shouldn’t be vandalizing other schools, but putting that effort into supporting their own team and cheering them on, in Kerns opinion.