District 202 Names Gym, Court After Plainfield Teachers, Coaches

PLAINFIELD, IL — High school students and athletics have always held a special place in the heart of Dave Stephens and Tom Hensel. Now, both of the long-time educators who also have plenty of ties to Plainfield High School sports will be remembered in the district’s central campus gymnasium.

District 202 honored Stephens and Hensel at a surprise ceremony last week when district officials announced that the central campus gym would be named after Stephens and the basketball court would be named after Hensel. Both Stephens and Hensel coached the school's boys basketball team during their respective careers.

“These are two individuals who deserve to be recognized for their time and service to District 202,” Superintendent Lane Abrell said during last week’s ceremony.

Stephens spent his entire 33-year educational career with District 202 and retired last year as the principal at Plainfield High School’s central campus. Stephens, who arrived in Plainfield in 1987 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels during his career. Stephens coached the boys varsity basketball team at Plainfield from 1993-2008 became the school’s athletic director in 2007, the district said. Stephens also coached golf for eight years.

“I love this place and I love all these people,” Stephens said in a news release.

Hensel, a 1967 Plainfield High School graduate, retired from the district in 2004 after working for 33 years in education as a teacher, coach and administrator. Hensel, who graduated from Illinois Wesleyan, came back to Plainfield in 1981 to teach and coach after spending time teaching at the high school level in Minooka, Wyoming, and Galesburg.

At Plainfield, Hensel coached boys basketball and golf and holds the distinction of coaching the first game in the new high school after the former Plainfield High School was destroyed by a tornado in 1990, the district said. Hensel, who served as the first principal at Plainfield South, also worked as the dean of students and assistant principal during his time with the district.

“I loved coaching here and I loved the fans,” Hensel said in a news release.