The Athletic Director role carries a great deal of responsibility coordinating sports matches, practices, and facility usage. But when Athletic Director Danielle Zelinski went on maternity leave, this did not intimidate PE teacher Brad Anderson in the slightest.
“I got my Masters in Athletic Adminitration, and I was working with Zelinski the previous year. I was turning to Mr. Krogstad and Mr. Brownson, who were both Athletic Directors previously, so it was huge having them,” Anderson said.
Even though she was on maternity leave, Anderson also had Zelinski to turn to. “I left it open to him and he was able to call me and we would text or call various times throughout my leave,” Zelinski said.
Having so many people around him able to help turned out to be more important than expected, as Snowmageddon proved to be a nightmare for any Athletic Director.
“Everyone else was enjoying snow days, and I was working my tail end off. Each day that a snow day happened, I had to reschedule and push stuff back a day,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s hard work ensured that matches were rescheduled and teams proceeded into the postseason.
“He was great and calm. He was very effective,” Zelinski said.
Though having performed well during Zelinski’s leave, Anderson is excited to return to teaching.
“For the first month of second semester, I wasn’t even in the classroom, so it’s gonna be like the start of a new semester, because I haven’t met some of them before. It’s gonna be awesome,” Anderson said.
As Anderson phases back in to his teaching role, Zelinski is happy to return to her teaching role. “It’s not been easy going from spending 5 months with the baby, but I missed being on campus and around staff and the kids,” Zelinski said.
Although back on the job, her at-home duties haven’t diminished at all. “I have someone watching my little guy during the day and if I need to be here at games a lot, which I do have to be as athletic director, then I can rush home really quick, hang out with him for a few hours, then rush back,” Zelinski said.