Shocked by the sudden death of Brian Welsh last month, South’s teacher and coach, the WW-P district provided grief counseling and other resources to its students, staff, and other members of the school community in dealing with his loss.
But district officials also had to work out the details in covering his responsibilities as the new school year began.
Welsh, who taught social studies and served as the boys’ soccer coach at South for 28 years, died when he was killed by an Acela train outside the Hamilton train station on Sunday, August 29.
According to Gerri Hutner, the district’s director of communications, Welsh would have been teaching five social studies classes this year at South.
“There will be a certified substitute teacher in the classroom at the start of school, and then we will go through the interview process to hire a new individual for that position,” she said.
As the fall sports season kicked into gear this week, his coaching responsibilities have fallen to his assistant coach Bryan Fisher, who has been appointed as the interim coach for the season.
Fisher, a social studies teacher at South, has coached at South since 2000 as an assistant in soccer and basketball, and for the last two years, he has been serving as the varsity girls’ lacrosse coach, said athletic director Marty Flynn.
Flynn said Fisher will serve as interim coach through the end of the season. As for a permanent coach, Flynn said, “there is a protocol and a procedure for hiring staff,” he said. “We feel Bryan, because of his background, because of his daily interaction with the kids, and because of his soccer knowledge, will lead the program through the transition.”
Fisher’s experience with the district is even deeper: he is a member of WW-P High School’s Class of 1996. His mother, Leslie, is in her 32nd year in the guidance department at South, and his brother, Jeffrey, also a graduate, will serve as an assistant coach.
Fisher himself was a pupil of Welsh’s, as he played soccer for him from 1992 through 1996, and he began coaching with him when he became a teacher in 2000. “I’m stepping into a role I’m very comfortable in,” said Fisher. “Right now, really my goal is the kids and to try to make it easier for them each day. We’re all trying to get through this tragedy together.”
Meanwhile, Superintendent Victoria Kniewel called Welsh a “dedicated member of the WW-P school community. He challenged students to reach their potential in the classroom as a teacher and on the field as a coach. Our entire school community is saddened by his loss and sends our deepest condolences to his family.”
In her convocation speech to teachers on September 1, Kniewel addressed Welsh’s death. “Brian was a colorful teacher who engaged students every day and challenged them to be critical thinkers,” she said to them. “He was a highly regarded soccer coach at High School South and in the broader soccer community.
“As the ‘voice of the Pirates,’ he was the spirited announcer at football games and was very much a presence. Brian cared for his students and their learning, and Brian loved High School South.”
