Interact Club, a high school version of the Rotary club, has gained a new sponsor, Tony Hein. Hein had been the defensive coordinator on the high school football team for ten years but left due to an agreement he had made with his family.

“I’d actually promised my wife and kids that when the former head coach left, I would leave, but then I was asked to stay and I told my wife and kids that three years was all I’d do, so I did three more years and it was time,” Hein said.

After Hein had left his coaching position, he felt the need to get involved with a service oriented club, and found Interact club was the best option for him.

“I went into Mrs. Moore and asked if there was a club that either existed or I could create that was just service oriented, that just wanted to go serve the community, and she said Interact Club needed somebody, so it was a natural fit,” Hein said. “At the current time, it is about twenty that are in the club but, that’s off of last year’s numbers too. We’re always looking for more, and even if you aren’t in the club and you see one of our volunteer opportunities, you are more than welcome to help and volunteer.”

Senior Connor Ekerberg feels that Hein has been the extra push that Interact club has needed in the past.

“He is more outgoing and he wants to put everything into action, whereas last year we had a whole bunch of ideas but it never really went into action. Mr. Hein is actually rolling out things into action,” Ekerberg said.

With Hein as the new sponsor of Interact club, Ekerberg feels that his guidance will help the club participate in more activities within the community.

“There’s been a little bit of change; it’s been a fairly positive change. It’s a lot more of we are going to create ideas and then we’re going to take large ideas that are going to take a little longer to plan, and smaller ideas that are going to take a little bit shorter to plan,” Ekerberg said. “We’re going to make it so both of those things will happen so we will have shorter term services and longer term services.”

Hein has had a very positive outlook on being the Interact club sponsor, working in the district and watching students grow as people has helped influence his outlook.

“Being the sponsor of Interact club means to me that I get to watch young people have an interest in the community, and I get to help and be apart of it. Because really, the Interact kids know this. This is their club I am just here to help them do as much as they can,” Hein said.

From Hein’s point of view, Interact club is here to help people, and for anyone to join if they can.

“(The most important thing I’d like people to know about interact club is) That our main goal is to help people, and we think that it should be everyone’s goal to make Newton a better place than what we found it, and everybody is welcome to join,” Hein said.