MIAA Hosts 46th Annual Meeting - “A Celebration of Leadership and Service in Support of Educational Athletics”

More than 250 principals, assistant principals and athletic directors from throughout the Commonwealth attended the MIAA 46th Annual Meeting – “A Celebration of Leadership and Service in Support of Educational Athletics” – held Wednesday, April 2 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough.

Highlighting the event was a performance by the Mighty Singing Falcons from Foxborough Regional Charter School, under the direction of Evelyn D. Lee.

The day began with the annual MIAA business meeting, presided over by outgoing MIAA president Stephanie Sibley, who was presented with a rocking chair in appreciation of her service to the association and the Board of Directors.

In his Executive Director Report, Dr. Bob Baldwin reviewed the accomplishments of the Board and the association over the previous year, and also presented several “What’s Next” potential initiatives:

• Standardized Annual Calendar for Interscholastic Athletics
• An objective process to adopt and/or remove an MIAA sponsored sport
• Power ranked sports standards for Number of Championship Divisions
• Establish a Division 1A component of the statewide tournament

The Board also recognized several retiring athletic directors and officials for their dedication and service to the MIAA, including:

• Matthew Gillis, Westwood High School (athletic director)
• Patricia Gonzalez, Newton South High School (athletic director)
• David Johnson, North Reading High School (athletic director)
• Dick Newton, Lynn English High School (athletic director)
• Jeff Rudzinsky, Marlborough High School (athletic director)
• William Walker, official

Following the performance by the Mighty Singing Falcons, Dr. Baldwin moderated a panel on Athletic Program Standards, featuring:

• Karissa Niehoff, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) executive director
• Cameron Staples, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) president/CEO
• John Cabral, Taunton Public Schools superintendent
• Christine Vigneux, Belchertown High School principal

A second panel discussion – “The Core Essential Duties of …” – provided a forum for athletic directors to discuss best practices and daily challenges. Moderated by MIAA Board of Directors members/athletic directors Tom Arria (Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) and Jim Quatromoni (Hingham High School), the panel included:

• Jen Gouvin, Clinton High School
• Mike Jackson, Newton North High School
• Kevin Karo, Brockton High School
• Cameron Molinare, Manchester Essex Regional High School
• Christian Schatz, Bishop Feehan High School
• Matt Trahan, Old Colony Regional Voc/Tech High School
• Lindsey von Holtz, Mount Greylock Regional School

Following the panel, participating athletic directors led individual breakout sessions that allowed attendees to discuss the Successes, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats relevant to their individual schools and daily roles.