Major personnel changes continue throughout the WW-P school district. At its meeting on June 11, the Board of Education appointed Jean Marie Seal as the new director of athletics, replacing current director Martin Flynn, who is retiring after 15 years.
Board of Education President Hemant Marathe expressed his approval of Seal’s appointment. “She comes with a different background, an academic background in language arts and social studies, rather than an athletic director background. We were all very impressed with her during the interview. We have always had an excellent athletics program, but her background is what we need to get to the next level. As a district, we are always trying to improve upon our traditions of excellence.”
Currently Seal is the head coach for varsity field hockey at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, a position she has held for four years. She has been part of the field hockey’s coaching staff for 15 years. “I played field hockey in the 1970s, under legendary coach Sheila Murphy, at Neshaminy High School in Bucks County,” Seal says. “I learned so much from her. Rancocas’ field hockey program was struggling, so when I took over, I used what I learned from Coach Murphy to bring success and to build traditions.”
Seal did more than coach field hockey at Rancocas. She also taught social studies, and then became the supervisor for both the world languages and social studies departments, serving 10 years in the latter position. Currently she is the supervisor of English and the professional development coordinator.
“Working at Rancocas has been a fantastic experience,” she says. “It is a great district, both academically and athletically. I was a ‘teaching supervisor’ for many years, so that I taught alongside the teachers I was supervising. It was not a top-down style of leadership but a collaborative one. When I was asked to head up the English department for the past two years, I did less teaching, but I did teach a sports history course just for fun.”
“I see a parallel with the position of athletic director. I have just come from the coaching ranks so I am tuned in to what coaches and players experience. I think that is very important,” she says.
Seal’s educational background is not in athletics. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in secondary education with a minor in sociology, and holds a master’s degree from LaSalle in education. She has completed all of the coursework for supervision and principalship and will be applying for principalship certification.
“My love of education also comes from Neshaminy High School. All of the teachers there were phenomenal. My favorite subject was — and still is — social studies. I look at history from the ‘human perspective,’ not just at dates; it is fascinating to see how history has affected people’s lives, past and present. Twenty people that I was friendly with became educators. That tells a lot about the high quality of education we received.”
“I also have my parents to thank. I was an only child, born and raised in Bucks County, where my parents still live. My mother was a homemaker for many years, and then worked for an insurance company. My father owned his own packaging store. Both parents loved athletics as well. My father was always playing catch with me in the back yard, and we all watched sports together. I was the first one to go to college, and they were so proud of me. They have always been very supportive of anything I wanted to do.”
“I began my teaching career in Neshaminy, where I was a daily substitute teacher. My best friend began teaching English at Rancocas, and she suggested that I teach there. I started as a long-term sub, and then became a permanent teacher and a coach. Another friend told me about the athletic director position in the West Windsor-Plainsboro district, and I decided to apply for it. It seemed like a good way to further my athletic career,” said Seal.
Seal currently lives in West Hampton, New Jersey, with her husband, Kenny, who is the marketing director for the National Guard, as well as her five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.
“We are a sports-oriented family. But academics is just as important, if not more. I believe they go hand-in-hand. My philosophy is that kids who participate in sports have higher GPAs and SAT scores. In fact, I tell parents all the time that their children should be involved in extracurricular activities, whether it be sports, orchestra or band, acting, art, or scouts. They are busier, yes, but their time is more focused, they can concentrate on academics, and they learn valuable leadership and other life skills. They learn how to balance their time between activities and academics and do better because of this.
“Plus, I am a huge proponent of health and wellness, and being involved in outside activities such as sports helps with stress relief, better sleeping patterns, and stamina. I tell this to the kids I coach all the time.”
In addition to playing field hockey and coaching, Seal has played softball and soccer, ran track, and has coached three seasons of boys’ lacrosse. “I am a fan of college sports. I root for my alma mater, Penn State. But at home, we watch all kinds of sports — softball, lacrosse, basketball, hand ball, water polo, rugby — we watch it all!”
David Aderhold, incoming superintendent, notes that “Jean Marie Seal has 13 years of management experience and an impressive knowledge of athletics. She is a leader who understands the depth and breadth of an athletic program and its importance in the development of middle school and high school students, as well as the importance of working with student-athletes, teachers, administrators, and parents. Highly regarded in her current district, Jean Marie has strong interpersonal skills and believes in fostering collaborative relationships with student-athletes, coaches, teachers, administrators, and parents.”
Seal’s collaborative approach should appeal to district parents. Prior to her selection, the district sent parents a survey asking what qualities were important for the next athletic director, and the idea of collaboration was highlighted throughout the survey.
Says board president Marathe: “The responses ran the whole gamut from requesting someone who is completely pro-sports to someone who was collaborative, and focused not just on winning but also on team-building. We took the parents’ responses very seriously during the selection process. To district parents, I ask that if you do receive a survey from the district, please do respond, because we value your input in our decision-making.”
When asked about her “collaborative style,” Seal says, “I always strive for excellence, for success. As a coach, all decisions you make go towards that. But it is not just about wins and losses. Sometimes, no matter how well your team is playing, factors outside your control cause you to lose. That is part of life, and I think it is an important lesson for kids to learn — how to handle ups and downs. I believe that it is important to build a well-rounded program, where by working hard, and building teamwork, they learn how to brainstorm to solve problems and overcome obstacles. It isn’t just about building a winning team; it’s about helping the kids to become better leaders.”
“I have been looking around for different opportunities in athletics, and when the opportunity in WW-P popped up, I looked closely at the district and really liked what I saw. There are so many things about the district that impress me — the academic reputation, the wide variety of sports offered at the Group 4 level. And when I went on the interview, I had 12 to 13 people interviewing me, and I immediately felt that we had the same goals, the same outlook for an athletics program. And every time I visit the district, that feeling just gets stronger.”
Seal says she supports the district’s concept of having one athletic director for both high schools and middle schools. “This is very challenging, because usually each building has one — or more — of their own. But in WW-P, they believe that, although the schools do compete with one another, they are all part of the same central district. Having one athletic director oversee the schools means that both high schools are kept as competitive as possible, without one or the other feeling that they are led by a ‘better’ athletics director. Some competition and rivalry is fun, but not if one school feels that the other has more resources. We are all part of the same district, with the same opportunities. I applaud this approach to athletics.”
When asked what changes she would make to the district athletics program, Seal says “I am coming in to an exceptionally strong athletics program. Marty Flynn had done a phenomenal job, he is so well-respected, and he has set a very high professional tone. There is no need to fix that, which is such a blessing. I simply need to maintain the level of excellence and support the coaches to make sure they have the resources to do all that they envision doing.”
“To know the coaches and the students — that will be the focus of my first year. Marty has been helping me to become acclimated to the program. I am really looking forward to getting to know all of the stakeholders, and the whole community, and to working with all of the coaches,” she says.
“At the end of the day, we have to do right by the kids. Putting the kids first is the most important goal of all,” she added.
Other personnel changes at the June 11 meeting included the promotion of Shauna Carter from assistant principal to principal of Community Middle School; and the transfer of Janet Bowes, from Town Center to Dutch Neck, where she will serve as the assistant principal while Nicole Baldo is out on leave. In addition, math resource specialist Robert Krech was promoted to be the supervisor of K-5 mathematics. Math teacher Susan Totaro was promoted to the position of supervisor of K-12 curriculum and instruction. Both of these positions are new supervisory positions.
Finally, at the June 25 Board meeting, Chinese teacher Sherry Sizemore was promoted to the position of World Language supervisor, and Social Studies supervisor John NcNamara retired after serving the district for 14 years.
