So long, Coach D: Coach Michael D'Ascheberg leads his final field days at Old Kings Elementary

Current and former colleagues, friends, family and 1,200 OKES students surrounded the track to honor the veteran PE teacher as his final field day week came to a close.

By Brent Woronoff
| 2:00 p.m. March 19, 2024

Michael D'Ascheberg, known as Coach D, speaks to students before his final field day at Old Kings Elementary School. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Rodney Harshbarger, now a music teacher, and PE coach Michael D'Ascheberg, have worked field days together at Old Kings Elementary School for 17 years. Both are former Flagler Schools' Teachers of the Year. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Fourth graders race at old Kings Elementary School's field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

A fourth grade class races in the 30-yard dash at Old Kings Elementary School's field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Coach Michael D'Ascheberg (right) and coach Jan-Michael Scott provide instruction to Old Kings Elementary School fourth graders before their field day activities on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Students get wet during the hole in the cup relay at OKES field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Molly Rizzo, 4, accompanied her mom, Allison, to watch her brother, Jack, participate in Old King Elementary School's field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Students compete in the hole in the cup relay at Old Kings Elementary School field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Fourth grade students race at Old Kings Elementary School's field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Fourth grade students begin a race at Old Kings Elementary School field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Four grade students watch the races and cheer for their classmates at OKES field day on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Michael D'Ascheberg smiles during fourth grade field day at Old Kings Elementary School on March 14. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Old Kings Elementary School's Angie Buchanan presents a sign to Michael D'Ascheberg that reads, "An awesome PE teacher is hard to find, difficult to part with and impossible to forget." Courtesy photo

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore and Old Kings Elementary School Principal Nicole Critcher joined the celebration for Coach Michael D'Ascheberg's final field day. Courtesy photo

Coach Michael D'Ascheberg surveys the activities on his final field day at Old Kings Elementary School. Courtesy photo

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Old Kings Elementary School PE teacher Michael D’Ascheberg, known as Coach D to his generations of students, got quite a surprise after his final field day at Flagler Schools.

“I was taking down tables, putting equipment away and all of a sudden they said, ‘Coach can you please report to the middle of the track.’ There’s 1,500 people out there, including all the students, and I was totally in shock,” D'Ascheberg said. “Then, when I saw my wife and my granddaughter and my daughter, I just started crying.”

D'Ascheberg is retiring at the end of the school year after 28 years as a teacher and coach in the school district. He was a PE teacher for 10 years at Indian Trails, when it was a K-8 school, and he has been at Old Kings for the past 18 years.

D'Ascheberg won Flagler Schools’ Teacher of the Year award in 2009.

He has been running field days in Flagler County since 1996, when he was one of the original teachers at Indian Trails. He ran his final field days March 12-14 at Old Kings with two grade levels each day, each grade participating in two-hour-and-15-minute blocks.

The children competed in foot races, potato sack relays, tug of war and hole-in-the-cup and water soaker relays in which the classes compete to get the most water in their bucket.

Fellow PE teacher Jan-Michael Scott and music teacher Dr. Rodney Harshbarger helped D’Ascheberg run the field days. Harshbarger has helped D’Ascheberg run field days at Old Kings for 17 years, and before that at Indian Trails since the school opened in 1996.

“The field days have adapted over the years,” said Harshbarger, who was Flagler Schools Teacher of the Year in 2002. “It’s more about the kids having fun and having all the kids laugh and giggle than one or two super athletes winning everything.”

Most of the events are competitions between the classes rather than individuals, he said.

D’Ascheberg said his final week of field days was emotional. But the emotions became especially hard to keep in check when the entire school came out to honor him after the fifth graders’ activities were done on the afternoon of March 14.

It was so emotional that I tried to slow it down in my mind and I just couldn't do it.
— COACH MICHAEL D'ASCHEBERG

“They brought the whole school out onto the track, all 1,200 kids,” he said. They brought my old principals, my old administrators, my principal now (Nicole Critcher), my administrators now, the guidance counselors — all the people that I’ve work with all those years all showed up. It was all planned in 24 hours, but they all showed up around the track along with my wife, my daughter and our brand new granddaughter. And I walked around the track. It took me 15 minutes and the kids all made signs and I hugged and kissed every teacher and I hugged and kissed the lunch ladies and custodians, the grounds keepers and everybody. It was so emotional that I tried to slow it down in my mind and I just couldn't do it. But I told everybody that I loved them and I still have two more months to teach, so I'm sure I'll be seeing everybody again.”

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore also was there for the celebration and even participated in some of the field day events.

D’Ascheberg suspects that his daughter-in-law Heather D’Ascheberg, who also teaches at Old Kings, helped organize the surprise.

D’Ascheberg began teaching in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, in 1980, days after his college graduation. With the student population decreasing, leading to his layoff, he bought a Dairy Queen with his brother-in-law in Middletown, New York. In 1995, D’Ascheberg, his wife, Cindy, and their children moved to Palm Coast to help take care of Cindy’s parents.

Michael and Cindy have three children — Michael Jr., Nicholas and Felicia — and six grandchildren. Michael plans to continue his part-time business as a realtor, but he expects he won’t stay away from Flagler Schools for long.

“Cindy and I got married when we were in college, and we had a family. And I always had teaching, coaching and a part-time job, so we're going to try to enjoy whatever years we have left, and just try to enjoy our family,” he said. “But eventually when I start missing it real bad, I'll probably go back and volunteer and I'll substitute and I'll mentor anybody they want me to mentor. I'll go for as long as the good Lord keeps me around.”