As he begins his fourth year as the head football coach, Tim Lugo will also will be taking on the new role of athletic director.
Lugo feels this position holds a lot of responsibility. He supervises approximately 50 coaches and their 800 athletes.
“I have to make sure officials are scheduled for every game, make sure the field is prepared, communicate with parents, manage budgets and attend meetings, along with overseeing my football program and teaching classes,” Lugo said.
Lugo said that although the department was in good shape when he took over, he has already made some changes that will improve the program.
“One thing I did do this summer was write an athletic handbook that outlines our policies and procedures for students and parents,” Lugo said. “I also updated the athletics website and [put] information that parents look for on the main page.”
Teacher Peter Jordan, who had held the position for three years, decided to return to a more normal assignment.
“The athletic director position can be a very time-consuming, demanding and often stressful job,” Jordan said. “After working very hard at it for three years, I simply decided that I would be much happier spending more time in the classroom at school, and having more time for my family at home.”
However, he still holds his position as department chair for physical education. Jordan is also serving as an adviser to Lugo as he tackles the demands of his new responsibilities.
“[Jordan] has been a great resource for me as I learn [about] this position,” Lugo said.
In addition to his positions as football coach and athletic director, Lugo is entering his second year of teaching Health and Drivers’ Education. However, he will not be teaching physical education this year due to his demanding schedule.
Lugo hopes the athletics department will continue to expand this year.
“I want to see our athletic program grow in terms of being competitive and increase our exposure,” Lugo said.
He also hopes that more students will participate in multiple sports, in order to make the teams stronger.
“There is this belief that you must focus on one sport if you want to play in college and nothing could be further from the truth,” Lugo said. “I’d like to see more students get involved in multiple sports and really enjoy their high school experience instead of trying to use it as a platform for a college scholarship that may or may not even exist.”