By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
This week was emotional for the Apopka softball team. They honored select teachers from Apopka High School during teacher appreciation day and dedicated a plaque and a tree inside the new complex to former Apopka softball player Monica Paige Faison and her family.
“The game is the game,” head coach Mike MacWithey said. “But there are things more important than the game. There are things like a young lady who passed away and had a love for softball. There are things like teachers who guide you throughout. And many times, nowadays, we are too quick to gripe, too quick to criticize, and too quick to laugh, and we don’t take time to say thanks.”
On Wednesday night, in Apopka’s 17-0 win over Bishop Moore, the Blue Darters showed appreciation to teachers at Apopka High School who have impacted their lives in and out of the classroom. Each member of the Apopka softball team walked out with their chosen teacher, whom they honored, and prepared some words of admiration for what their relationship has meant to them during their time at Apopka.
MacWithey told me that the night was about honoring those who have been instrumental pieces of this program. He said one of his jobs is to teach his players how to be thankful and appreciate what they have and how it got to them.
“If you can teach them how to be thankful, how to be respectful, how to do the right things the right way, and always give thanks, then good things come their way,” MacWithey said.
After the game, the team honored Monica Paige Faison and her family with words and more. Faison was a member of the Apopka softball team in the early 2000s who tragically died at age 15 during her time as a player. She was known for her exceptional skills on the field and her positive attitude off the field.
The Faison family was in attendance during the game, and the plaque was dedicated at the entrance of the new complex, with a tree sitting behind the home plate bleachers. The team and Faison’s family spoke after the game to learn about Monica.
“We firmly believe that the things that you build here will give rewards later,” MacWithey said. “And we will see our rewards later on, whether later is in heaven, or later is in districts, or later is in the playoffs. We’re going to do things the right way and accept the outcome because our blessings are what’s important to us.”
