Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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BALLANTYNE | feature that comes out of it." It's what he based his master's thesis on. "Attendance is way up for the student-athlete, GPAs are higher, referrals to the office are fewer, graduation rate is a lot higher," he says. "It's not just athletics, it's all the extracurriculars. You want kids to be involved and feel like they belong to the school and have a vested interest in it." It's easy to be invested at a place like Providence, Schundlemire says. "Providence is a special place, he says. "You've got a very supportive administrative team, excellent coaches, very involved parents and super children. The children make you want to do for them. They are appreciative of what they receive and they work so hard. "That makes Providence a wonderful place," he stresses. "I want to continue to build on the excellence that's been here." The Mathematician Kevin Hinson South Mecklenburg High Kevin Hinson is calculating, but in a friendly way. He's affable and easygoing, but you can tell his inner wheels are turning. He's sizing up the situation. Makes sense for a guy who teaches Advanced Placement statistics, in addition to heading the South Meck athletic department for the past three years after 10 at the school and 20 in CMS. "Being a math teacher is not what normal coaches and ADs would do," he explains. "The math logic helps me in my organizational skills. It's really a good thing. Using computer software and all that really makes sense to me. I also handle all our computer stuff at the school. 84 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE I've done it since I started. "I have many jobs other than AD," he says. "AD is just one of them." A Clemson grad, Hinson credits his brothers with instilling in him a love of competition from an early age. "We were a competitive household. That's why I like sports so much, I guess. I always had to try to beat someone — my older brother. It was a fun thing growing up for me," he says, adding that he played high school basketball and football and intramural sports at Clemson. "I'm a Tiger for life," he says with a smile. Hinson, 45, says that his "driven, detail-oriented" personality and love of sports make him perfect for the AD role. "I like everything about sports and seeing the kids and how happy they are playing and how enthusiastic they are. It's the thing that keeps me going and keeps me young." He admits sometimes he still feels like he's in high school. "When you get around the kids, you think you're one of them. Sometimes you forget that you're not. That's what's fun about it." South Meck's success comes from its group mentality, Hinson says. "I think cooperation among the staff is our focus — working together to get the job done no matter what it takes, everyone chipping in, no one saying, 'I can't do that; that's not my job.' If you don't have that cooperation among your Kevin Hinson is calculating, but in a friendly way. He's affable and easygoing, but you can tell his inner wheels are turning. Kevin Hinson CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 staff, it just makes it terrible for everyone. If you don't have that, you have a hard job as an AD." Like the other ADs, Hinson says the economy hasn't impacted participation as much as it's affected frugality and team support. "People might not buy as much barbecue as they used to or there's a little less attendance at the games," he says. "That's what we see the most and that determines how much money we have to spend on our teams. You have to be smart how you spend your money. That's something I think about all the time: making sure I don't overspend so I have enough for a later sport." He is concerned about the fate of middle school sports. "Who knows what will happen a couple of months from now? We're just trying to keep them going. If we don't, that's when we'll see some big issues," he says. "You'll see a decline in high school athletics. It will be harder to get athletes prepared for college if they don't come with a lot more skills." But it's all part of the job. "There's just a lot put on ADs," he says. "Number one, there's a lot they have to do that people won't see. It's almost like being the principal at a school. You're the principal of the athletics. You just have so much responsibility to a lot of different people and you have to have someone who doesn't get too rattled over things," he says, admitting that teaching taught him that kind of patience. He also always knew he'd wind up an AD. "I guess ever since I realized there was such a thing as an AD, I knew that's what I'd be," he says with a laugh. "This is a job I don't intend to leave; I'm happy here. South Meck has been my home for 10 years and it will be for 10, 15 or more years." WINTER 2010-2011