Nebo School District’s Athletic Director, Dr. Everett Kelepolo was recognized nationally this past week with the prestigious 2022 NFHS Citation Award.
Each year, the National Federation of State High School Associations presents Citations to outstanding athletic administrators in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state, and national levels. This year on December 12, 2022, at the 53rd National Athletic Directors Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, eight outstanding athletic directors were recognized with Citations including our own Dr. Everett Kelepolo.
Dr. Everett Kelepolo, Nebo School District’s Coordinator of School Services, It’s an honor to be recognized for this Citation Award from the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Dr. Everett Kelepolo is in his second stint as Director of Athletics for the Nebo School District in Spanish Fork, Utah. He was Nebo Athletic Director from 2007 to 2015, followed by five years as principal of Springville High School in Utah. He returned to the Director of Athletics in Nebo School District in 2020, where he serves five high schools and five junior high schools.
Kelepolo, a native of Hawaii and raised in Arizona, began his career coaching football, wrestling, track and a host of other sports at Spanish Fork High School (1995-99) and Lehi High School during the first decade of his career.
Kelepolo was instrumental in creating the Nebo School District Captains Academy. The academy, which consists of captains and leaders from each of the Nebo School District's 12 secondary schools, features speakers presenting concepts in which schools can conduct leadership and sportsmanship traits. His other notable accomplishments include implementing a stipend payment for athletic administrators who earn CAA and CMAA certification from the NIAAA.
Kelepolo graduated from Southern Utah University in 1991 with his bachelor’s degree and earned his master's degree from Brigham Young University in 2001. In 2011, he completed his doctoral dissertation through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on “The Relationship Between Participation in Extracurricular Activities and Utah's Proficiency Assessments of Students in a Suburban School District.”
Kelepolo has presented his dissertation on multiple occasions to address the value of athletics in aiding academic performance. He has served on a city recreation board and currently serves on a hospital board to further the cause of health, fitness and participation for youth.
Kelepolo is president of the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (UIAAA) and has served on the UIAAA Board for two years. He serves on several UIAAA and Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) committees. He has been an LTI instructor at several UIAAA state conferences as well as a workshop moderator and presenter.
Nationally, Kelepolo, a 2017 NIAAA Distinguished Service Award recipient, served on the NIAAA Strategic Planning Committee (2014-2015) and is currently chair of the NIAAA Awards Committee after four years as vice-chair. He has completed 31 LTI courses and taught the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course for eight years.
Congratulations Dr. Everett Kelepolo on being a Nebo Hero.
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