The back-to-back basketball championships aren’t the only events making news in the West High athletic office.
Scott Kibby will be replacing Marv Reiland as West High’s athletic director next year. Reiland is retiring after 22 years as athletic director at West.
Kibby said he is excited about the move not only because West’s “athletic teams are second to none in the MVC,” but also for the parent and community support for all programs – from athletics to music to theater. He said he also looks forward to moving to a university community with a rich tradition in the arts.
But the move is bittersweet. Kibby is leaving behind a long legacy at Jefferson High School, where he has worked as athletic director for the past ten years, taught math there for 11 years before that and even graduated from Jefferson in 1982. Kibby’s daughters will graduate from Jefferson this spring, and his son graduated in 2010.
In fact, being close enough to offer personal and professional support to his children remains the highlight of his eventful career at Jefferson.
“It has been a great joy in my life to be the [athletic director] at the school where my children attended: to be able to see them every single day at school and just check in with them and see how their day was going, or to get paid to go watch their events – whether it was swimming, basketball, soccer or show choir. I’ve enjoyed watching them grow and shine and being such a close part of their lives. It has been a huge blessing in my life,” he said.
From his immediate family to the bond he formed with many other families in the school community, it is the people he will miss most.
“When you are in a place that long you meet hundreds of people. Maybe even thousands. … I don’t see it as ‘deciding to leave Jefferson.’ Certainly, that is the outcome of my decision. Jefferson is a great school. … I’m coming to West because of West. As I mentioned earlier, you have a tremendous school. You have so much to be proud of and I want to be a part of your community. The new challenge will be good for my growth as an educator,” he said.
Kibby said that staying in the same position in the same conference (the MVC) will make his job at West materially very similar to that at Jefferson, a transition he said is aided by the fact that he already has “a tremendous working relationship” with the athletic directors at the conference’s 13 other schools. Again – it is meeting the community that will be the biggest difference.
“I know the job well from upgrades in facilities, to scheduling, to all the organizational aspects like transportation and officials. … What I don’t know are the people. I have so many people that I need to get to know: secretaries, custodians, coaches, teachers, other administrators, parents, boosters and, most importantly, you – the students. I get a lot of joy in watching students perform and compete,” he said.
It is serving student athletes that originally attracted Kibby to the position.
“I love sports. I love competing. I’m really organized. I enjoy working with and supporting people. I once had a college professor tell me that administrator had the root word ‘minister’ in it. And ‘minister’ means ‘to serve.’ That’s me. I love serving others and if I can do it through sports and performing arts I’m really happy. I guess the job just fits who I am,” he said.
Kibby was a two year varsity letter winner in baseball – where he played in the infield. He said that while he was easily best at baseball, basketball, which he played all four years of high school remains his favorite. He continues to play recreational basketball and golf.
And Kibby said that as athletic director, he has gotten to experience swimming, soccer and many other sports he had no experience with before taking the position.
Kibby will officially take over Reiland’s position on July 1.
