The thought of returning to Westbrook High School and becoming the athletic/activities director was exciting. Westbrook High School and its faculty, coaches and administration had played such an important role in shaping my life and who I am today. I remember, years ago, walking the halls during my freshman year at Westbrook High with absolutely no direction at all. I had no thoughts of attending college after high school so I enrolled in “general studies.”

Participating in football, basketball and baseball really helped connect me not only to my teammates and coaches; it also connected me to the school. We took so much pride in being successful on the athletic fields and it helped carry over into the classroom. I am embarrassed to say this, however I feel it needs to be said, that I was not a very good student. I later learned that my lack of success in the classroom was directly related to my own lack of effort to succeed there. I did on occasion show a few signs of success that I directly relate to my teachers.

I enrolled in a few social studies courses with Dale King. Mrs. King really made a positive impact on me. I recall studying the American Indian and how Mrs. King taught that class in a way that one really felt part of the Indian culture that she was teaching (it’s interesting what one remembers when they look back in life). She was awesome.

I also remember taking a few math classes with Dan Small. Mr. Small was an amazing teacher. On game days, I would wear my football jersey to school. I wore number 5. Mr. Small always referred to me as number 5 when calling on me. He truly found a way to connect with me. From that connection, I was eager to learn in his class. I would go on to be successful in honors algebra and I owe that to the teachings and character of Mr. Small.

On the sports side, I had a lot of coaches that made great impacts on my life. Gus Libby, Dr. Ira Stockwell, Bob Smythe, Bill Folsom and Art Dyer to name a few.

But one coach in particular, not only was a great coach, he became a true mentor to me, both on and off the playing fields. His name is Jack Dawson. He was my high school football coach and guidance counselor. Mr. Dawson showed me at a young age that athletics could be an avenue for me to receive a college education. He helped transition me my sophomore year into college preparatory classes.

Mr. Dawson also guided my parents and myself through the college recruiting process. As a senior, my academics were not strong enough for me to be successful in college. Mr. Dawson directed me to do a post-graduate year of study at Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass. From there, I ended up being a scholarship athlete at the University of Maine at Orono and was a four-year starter on their football team. However more importantly, I received a bachelor of arts degree in communications from the University of Maine in 1986.

Getting back to Westbrook High School, I believe the connections I made with coaches, teachers and administrators at Westbrook High School as a student impacted my life in a positive way. As the athletic/activities director at Westbrook High, I have many exciting and challenging goals. On the top of my goal list is to hopefully to be a small part of helping to shape the students at Westbrook High in the same way I was shaped a few (at least it only feels like a few) years ago.

Copy the Story Link