Assistant tennis coaches Robin Sutton and Susan Hallstrom took the two-hour drive to Junction City for their fourth and final state tennis tournament together. As Sutton drove, the two discussed being moms, working in education and students’ mental health, all while Hallstrom graded chemistry labs. Sutton, a social worker at Highlands Elementary, has coached East girls tennis for four years. Hallstrom, a chemistry teacher at East, has coached girls and boys tennis for six years. They’ve used their experience of working with kids to notice if players are unusually quiet or to give them advice on advanced classes and sports. “It’s great to instill a love for the sport, and teach the strategy and technique of tennis,” Sutton said. “But what I love the most is being able to utilize my skills as a social worker to be there for the girls on the team. Just connecting with them on that human level first, and being a support in an informal process of, ‘Are you taking care of yourself?’” To r...