Two coaches from the Houston Independent School District have been selected for the prestigious ROCK Coaches Mentoring Program designed to retain and develop coaching talent in Texas schools.

Coaches Kelvin Chatham of Booker T. Washington High School and Christopher Hampton of Patrick Henry Middle School are ROCK Mentees for 2022. Chatham serves as Washington High School’s head football coach. Hampton is the head coach of the football and basketball programs at Henry Middle School.

The ROCK (Rare, Outstanding, Compelled, Knowledgeable) mentoring program is a partnership of the Texas High School Coaches Association and Texas A&M’s Thornton-McFerrin Coaching Academy, specifically created to retain high school coaches and administrators. According to the THSCA, twenty percent of coaches leave the profession within five years.

The ROCK mentoring program pairs the best and brightest young coaches with seasoned professionals to lower attrition. ROCK cultivates leadership, reinforces best practices, combats apathy, enhances time management, and fosters a proper work-life balance for Texas coaches.

“Kelvin Chatham and Christopher Hampton are outstanding individuals and dedicated professionals who exemplify what it means to be great coaches and excellent role models for our students,” said HISD Athletics Director Andre’ Walker. “We seek to recruit, develop and retain coaches who have great character and ability. The ROCK Coaches Mentoring Program is key to helping retain and grow the great talent that we recruit.”

This is the second year that the program has been in existence and Walker has served as a mentor both years.

Chatham and Hampton will attend the second annual ROCK Coaches Mentoring Workshop at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 20 and 21, 2022.