Rose knows coaching
Rose DeChellis-Heron’s resume speaks for itself.
The 54-year-old Welland native has a varied and successful coaching background, the vast majority at the high school level where she began teaching in 1993.
“I think it was always part of my plan,” she said. “I got a job at Niagara College when I first got out (of university). It was a great experience but I always had it in my head I wanted to go to high school because I could teach and I could coach. It was why I wanted to teach. I had such a great experience at Notre Dame that I thought it would be part of my path.”
During her career, DeChellis-Heron coached seven sports, won five OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) championships (three swimming, two tennis), 16 SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association) championships (six swimming, five tennis, three badminton, two basketball) and also coached School Reach (scholastic trivia quiz team).
But all good things must come to an end, and after more than 25 years as a guidance counsellor, DeChellis-Heron is ready for a new challenge at the new University of Niagara Falls, where she has been hired as Manager of Domestic Student Recruitment.
“I wasn’t planning on it. I was planning on a couple of more years when my daughter graduated but as a good coach, when the playing field changes, you have to get on your feet and steer your team in the right direction towards another goal,” DeChellis-Heron said. “I’m lucky to land on my feet and start another chapter.
“I have mixed feelings. I am excited but nervous.”
Looking back on her career, DeChellis-Heron admitted there were some difficult challenges at times, but wouldn’t change a thing.
“It was a sacrifice, but worth it,” she said.
She never had a doubt she would get involved in sports.
“It was just something I thought I was supposed to do,” she said. “I’m so glad I did it.
“It definitely was a sacrifice of time and especially when I had a family. It became harder to balance so it was definitely challenging but it was something I always made sure was part of my life.”
She has many fond memories, many of which occurred in a gym or on a playing field.
“When you look back at teaching you don’t really remember teaching in the classroom, you don’t remember as much as a guidance counsellor, what I remember are the people I coached. I really believe that if teachers don’t get involved in something, they’re missing out. Doesn’t have to be sports, but something.”
She still keeps tabs on many of her former students, citing the relationships she has made over the years as among the most satisfying of her life.
“I’m still in touch with many because of social media. Once you graduate, you can still keep in touch with your students. It’s the memories they make and the appreciation. They tell me they appreciated what I did and I somehow, hopefully positively affected their pathway plan,” she said.
Gianluca Agostinelli, a Professor of English and Communications at Niagara College, has fond memories of being coached by DeChellis-Heron.
“Rose has had a deep, meaningful influence on my life since I first met her almost 20 years at St. Paul Catholic High School,” he said. “As my then tennis coach and guidance counsellor, Rose has always led by example. She was professional, knowledgeable, committed, organized, humorous, caring, and compassionate. Rose possessed—and still possesses—the critical qualities that make an exceptional coach, mentor, and educator. Rose’s coaching style, defined by unparalleled encouragement and dedication, inspired me to compete to the best of my ability. Like many fellow athletes, I wanted to win for Rose because my goal was to make her proud.
“As a professor and tennis coach, I now model my own instruction after Rose’s formative approaches. Beyond “going for gold,” Rose instilled in me the virtues of sportsmanship and a strong, focused work ethic—characteristics that I now aim to cultivate among my own student-athletes. She has helped me to define my athletic and personal success in many ways, both on and off the court.”
DeChellis-Heron, who lives in Grimsby with her husband Gary and son Daniel, 20, and daughter Sophia, 15, feels kids are still basically the same as when she began teaching.
“I think innately the kids are the same, it’s their environment that’s different. I think most people and good people. Students want to do well in school or in sports, but what has changed is our society around us. What we had to deal with in the 80s and 90s and how it changed in the 2000s and then the social media aspect has really affected these kids,” she said.
DeChellis-Heron started her teaching career at Saint Michael Catholic High School in 1993 and immediately began coaching year round, from basketball to volleyball to badminton to soccer to track and field.
A return to her alma mater came in 1997 where DeChellis-Heron was the McAllister Award and Father Fogarty Award recipient as a student. Her main focus at ND was basketball where she led the Irish to a SOSSA midget girls championship and undefeated season in 1997. Over the next few years, she moved up with the team as they captured two more zone titles and one more SOSSA championship.
DeChellis-Heron was on the move again in 2001, this time to Saint Paul Catholic High School where she coached individual sports for the first time, trying her hand at tennis and badminton. Her tennis teams were particularly successful, capturing zone and SOSSA titles for six straight years.
Her final move was in 2009 to Blessed Trinity in Grimsby where she undertook swimming, a new sport to her. She was assisted for four years by Canadian Olympic swimmer Dr. Bernhard Volz, father of Thomas Volz, a student of Blessed Trinity at the time. Thomas Volz captured back-to-back OFSAA golds in 2013 and 2014 as well as a bronze in 2013.
“Mrs. Heron has long been a role model in my life and has made me the person I am today,” Thomas Volz said. “From being my swim coach to a guidance counsellor, she’s had a big impact on my life throughout high school and beyond. She was integral to my application to Queen’s University and then my application to physiotherapy. Whenever I ask her if she could help me with an application, advice or even just wanting to chat, she is always there without hesitation and I am forever grateful for the impact that she has had on my life. She always goes above and beyond for me and I’m sure that many people share the same experience. She truly is one of the best and most influential people I’ve met in my life.”
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