Brian Alessandro, a middle school language arts teacher at Highlands Middle School, has decided to step down from his position as the Highlands High School Cross Country and Track coach. Alessandro had been coaching at Highlands High School for thirteen years, and it wasn’t easy for him to decide to step down.
Alessandro found his passion for coaching after college, where he assisted his old high school coach. Afterward, he quit his job and returned to college to become a teacher in order to coach. He’s been coaching for a long time now, and for some, Alessandro’s announcement was a shock.
Freshman Ella Taylor said: “I was surprised and sad because he’s been my coach for such a long time and I can’t imagine anyone being a better coach than him.”
Taylor was not the only one surprised by Alessandro’s seemingly abrupt decision.
Sophomore Sydney Houlihan expressed: “When I saw the message from him, I was really surprised. It all seemed so sudden; I mean he’s been coaching for around thirteen years.”
While on the outside, Alessandro’s resolution to quit may have seemed hasty, it was not made lightly. Alessandro had been considering it since he had his first kid, seven years ago.
Alessandro explained: “When I had kids, I started to consider quitting. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found it harder to balance things with school, coaching, and being there for my kids.” As hard as the decision was for Alessandro, he will have a lot of good memories after he leaves.
Alessandro said his favorite memories were winning state championships. He explained: “We won five in six years and we were just one of the best teams in the league at that time.”
Winning isn’t the only thing Alessandro will miss about coaching. In the end, he expressed that the thing he would miss most were the “interactions with students and athletes every day.”
Alessandro’s impending absence leaves many questions, as well as concerns, but Alessandro’s decision to step down is official. As much as he will be missed, he will remain for the rest of this track season.