Gretna East is the newest, most talked about school in the area is set to open during the 2023-2024 school year, and coaches across the board for all sports are being appointed. For the past 15 years, Coach Mark Jones has been leading the way for the girls golf team and will continue to do so at Gretna East. This past season, the Dragons finished with a solid second place in the A-2 district, falling short to Millard North by 46 strokes.
Coach Jones grew up north of Gretna in Blair, Nebraska. He went to Blair High School, then stayed nearby, graduating from Dana College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with an endorsement in K-6 Elementary Education along with K-12 Special Education.
He has always been interested in golfing, playing for his high school team and continuing to do so for fun after graduating. After college, he moved to Gretna and began his teaching career at Gretna Middle School, later transferring to Aspen Creek Middle School when it opened in 2017.
“Throughout my career, I have also coached seventh grade boys basketball, eighth grade girls basketball and freshman boys basketball on top of that,” Coach Jones said.
When he is not on the course or in the classroom, Coach Jones enjoys spending time with his family up in Blair and on a lake in Minnesota. He and his wife, Shannon, who is also a middle school teacher at Aspen Creek Middle, are the parents of their daughter, Ellasyn (11).
“I have enjoyed living and teaching in Gretna for the last 16 years,” Coach Jones said. “Although it has changed a lot in that time, Gretna is a place my family and I enjoy.”
With GEHS not having a senior class its first year, the roster will be shorter than ever. Hours upon hours of work on the range will be needed before the season opener. Despite this, Coach Jones is ready to embrace the birth of a new program and to put in the work to build this team to be the best they can be.
“I am excited to be in control of this opportunity to start a new program at Gretna East and although numbers are down,” Coach Jones said. “Having girls that have grown up near the course are introduced at a younger age and have made bigger strides before high school.”