In a ceremony held Thursday, the newly named Knapton Field behind Henniker Community School was dedicated in recognition of Debbie A. (Knapton) Hooper for her more than 40 years of dedicated service to education, SAU 24, and a lifetime commitment to the Henniker Community and Youth Athletics. The field is a community resource for the town of Henniker.
Hooper is a lifelong resident of the Town of Henniker. She attended Henniker Cogswell Memorial School and was a star athlete growing up. She worked for SAU 24 for the last 42 years and fully dedicated herself to her daughters and community. She brought her great life experience forward to make sure that youth athletics was a part of children’s lives.
She firmly believes that athletics can change a child – their outlook on life and their path moving forward – and still does so today. She made sure every child had cleats on their feet, she picked up kids for practice and games who did not have reliable support at home, and she made sure they played and built confidence in themselves.
As a female coach, Hooper’s remarkable work on and off the field, along with winning results, caught the eyes of many. This was especially true as the teams she coached made and won town and regional championships, even when no one thought it possible. Due to her dedication, her great work, and her reputation, she was approached and took two Babe Ruth Softball Teams to the national championship competitions. The first to Louisiana and the other to North Carolina. Her daughters proudly state “she continued to coach as we moved up to John Stark. There, she took a struggling team, which I was a part of, from a humiliating loss of 0-47 against Fall Mountain to a team that couldn’t be beaten. The right combination of compassion, coaching, determination, and discipline made it happen.”
Throughout her career, Hooper has made sure that every student and every young athlete, regardless of where she coached, has had confidence and if they didn’t, she built it. She made sure everyone had a support network, and not just on the field as some young athletes had issues at home or couldn’t afford equipment or even a meal when traveling. She made sure they all had what they needed to be successful, both on and off the field, and for a lifetime.