A new booster club, Hawks Nation — Champions of NHS Athletics, has been established for Newtown High School’s athletics programs.

NHS had a booster club in place but things came apart as a result of the impact of COVID-19, according to a group of student-athlete parents who have stepped up to help ensure the many Nighthawk teams get financial support needed during upcoming seasons.

The booster club is led by Executive Director and NHS Athletic Director Matt Memoli. It includes President Andy Sachs, Vice President Todd Piccuillo, Treasurer Steph O’Leary, and Secretary Krista Rekos, along with members at large T.J. Garvin, Michelle Garrity, Marybeth D’Amico, and Julie Laughlin.

This is the mission of the booster club: “Hawks Nation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing all athletic programs at Newtown High School. We strive to foster school spirit, promote excellence, and provide resources to enrich athletic programs. Our passion for sports and commitment to the success of student athletes inspired us to start Hawks Nation.”

Hawks Nation has three objectives: funding capital projects, coaches and teams, and raising money for scholarships. Long-term capital projects include upgrading the student fitness center and stadium lighting, and the addition of a field house at Blue & Gold Stadium. The boosters seek to provide supplemental funding for assistant coaches, equipment, training and other related items based on team needs. And the boosters are looking to award senior student-athletes with scholarships toward post-high school education.

Piccuillo said the boosters’ main objective is to help out with financial needs across the board with all of the girls’ and boys’ sports. The boosters emphasized that they are not here to take over or replace existing individual team booster clubs but to add to their fundraising efforts.

“We are supplemental,” Piccuillo said.

There are a variety of needs teams have, from the coaching staff to uniforms the players wear on the playing surfaces.

“Most of the coaches, other than head coaches, are not funded,” Piccuillo said. And then there is equipment along travel expenses, game officials, and more. “Teams have additional needs other than the assistant coach stipends,” Piccuillo added.

Some teams do not have or need to replace tents to protect players or score keepers from the elements — hot sun or rain alike — and things such as banquets and Senior Night festivities, are among the team expenses that they must raise money for in order to improve on the field and step things up on the sidelines and off the field.

“The (Board of Education) budget doesn’t allow for all of the teams to have everything they need,” said Garrity, noting that it is not possible for the budget to cover all costs, which is why booster clubs are so important for high school athletics.

A majority of the Pay to Play money families of athletes contribute goes towards assistant coaches, officials for games, and transportation.

From Blue & Gold Stadium to the back fields and a large gymnasium, some outsiders might be envious of all NHS has to offer. Sachs pointed out that while Newtown High has nice athletics facilities, upgrades are needed to keep up with many competing schools, including replacing the old Blue & Gold Stadium lights with energy-efficient lights and weight room upgrades.

“Newtown has a premier athletics program. We’ve won South-West Conference Championships, we’ve won State Championships — we need the facilities to match that,” Garrity noted.

Among the upgrades in recent years have been the switchover from grass to turf for one of the high school’s back fields along with replacement of the track and turf playing surface at Blue & Gold Stadium — both made possible by joint efforts between public and private funding.

D’Amico noted that the booster club will have a strong tie-in with the community, connecting youth athletes in town with the high school players in the process of raising interest in supporting the high school programs.

The boosters invite parents of athletes to a meeting at NHS on August 10 beginning at 7 pm.

Hawks Nation will lean on support from students, parents, and advertisers. Donations may be made through the Hawks Nation website, newtownhawks.com, and there are individual and family membership and corporate/business sponsorship opportunities.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.