WHS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTED 2023

Coach Cyndi Kelly was the sole reason girls had an opportunity to participate in sports at WHS before Title IX. Without financial backing at the beginning,

Cyndi organized the schedules, created uniforms, and coordinated

with other schools to give girls an opportunity to play high school sports.

While she did have success as a coach, more importantly, she allowed girls to compete, connect, and feel empowered that they were worthy. The relationships she formed with her student athletes created an unbreakable bond that continues to this day. On the court and field, Coach Kelly coached girls Varsity Volleyball and compiled an impressive 50-29 record. She also coached the girls Archery team to a District title in 1978-79. As a player, Cyndi played college softball at Southeast Missouri State University. She continued playing after college and has since been inducted into both the St Louis Softball Hall of Fame, and most recently the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. In Coach Kelly’s own words....” Although teams I coached did win a few Conference Championships, (and at least one individual ranked very high in her State Archery competition), that is not how I gauged myself on success. The one thing that I am most proud of is to have been among the many P.E. teachers who developed Girls Inter-Scholastic Sports in our local area. From places like Cahokia, Dupo, Columbia, Valmeyer, Red Bud, Freeburg and a nun from Gibault, we got together and worked as a team to do whatever was necessary to make this happen. With absolutely no funding from our schools, we arranged transportation to and from sites; officiated each other's games/matches; sewed numbers on tee-shirts to serve as our uniforms; shared equipment; etc. That first year (1972) our schools actually managed to compete against each other in Speedball, Tennis, Archery, Volleyball, Bowling, Track & Field, and Softball. There were numerous hurdles to overcome but we were stubbornly determined to get that ball rolling . . . and look at it now!”