Chase Rost, sports and activities director for the Methow Valley School District the past three years, has resigned to pursue other professional goals, Superintendent Tom Venable announced last week.
“Chase leaves the district’s athletics and activities department in good shape with a stable budget, numerous upgrades to the facilities, and strong coaching staff,” Venable said in a statement on the district’s website. “Most notably, Chase leaves the district having established one of the highest rates of student participation in athletics in Liberty Bell High School history. We wish to thank Chase for his commitment to serving our students, coaching staff, and community.”
The school district has initiated the hiring process to replace Rost, Venable said.
“As a first step in the process, the district is interested in seeking interested parents and community members to participate on the interview team,” the superintendent said “This may include screening, interviewing, reference checking, and/or participating in small group stakeholder conversations with each of the candidates selected for an interview. We are also wishing to solicit input from student-athletes, coaches, parents and community members as to the qualities and qualifications you believe would be essential to a person’s success within the role of the district’s next athletic director.”
Anyone interested in being considered for a position on the interview team or offering input can contact Drew Simmons, director of teaching and learning and interview team Leader, at dsimmons@methow.org.
For information about the job, visit www.methow.org/district/employment. Applications are due by May 21.
Progress in programs
Rost said Liberty Bell’s athletic programs have made progress during his tenure.
“Numerous facility upgrades are continuing to create a sense of pride that inspires participation and provokes a sense of community,” he said. “While working closely with a great team of people, we have been able to stabilize the athletics budget, which had previously shown to be difficult. As a result, nearly every team has been outfitted with new uniforms during my three-year stead and pay-to-play fees have been reduced by 36 percent, a reduction of $20 per sport, making co-curricular activities more accessible to our students.”
Rost noted that Liberty Bell has won several state academic and athletic titles in the past few years, “which I believe are indicative of an outstanding team of teachers, coaches, parents and administrators.”
Rost said that a consistent challenge has been finding coaches and volunteers to support athletic programs.
“At times it’s been very hard to find coaches and volunteers .. even though Liberty Bell coaches receive high compensation when compared with neighboring districts,” Rost said.
“I also think that it’s a constant challenge to align people’s expectations with the goals of athletics within a school system, and that it’s easy to lose perspective on exactly why we, as a government organization, have the privilege of offering athletics to our students,” he said.
“It’s been a privilege to work with such a dedicated and talented team of coaches, teachers and administration,” Rost said. “High school athletics faces many challenges while moving forward into the future, but I think that the Methow Valley School District has been prepared to weather those changes. I’m confident that the district will find a quality athletic director to replace me, and my hope is that they can continue to move Liberty Bell athletics into the future with integrity and community support.”
