New Interim Athletic Director Steps In

At the leaving of former athletic director, Tim Ballarent, Brian Patenaude has acquired the position. The duty of an athletic director is to be of assistance to the coaches and athletes as well as helping with the more technical aspects of sports.“As the athletic director at Samo, I support the athletes and coaches of the athletic program,” Patenaude said. “Some other responsibilities consist of reserving field space, scheduling referees, rescheduling games, requesting transportation for away games and helping to maintain and improve our facilities.” According to Samo Principal Dr. Antonio Shelton, the position that Patenaude has now is not a permanent position and in fact will only be held until the end of the school year.“Mr. Patenaude is an interim athletic director until the end of the 16-17 school year. The job has been posted for a permanent replacement.I am currently working on what the process will be and how we will proceed,” Shelton said.Patenaude is well qualified for his position, as he has had experience being a sports director before.“I was an athletic director, physical education teacher and coached boys and girls volleyball and cross-country at a charter high school prior to working at Samo,” Patenaude said.Samo track and field and cross country coach, Tania Fischer, believes that as the new athletic director, a lot of Patenaude’s responsibilities relate to the relationships he has with the athletes and coaches as well as helping them morally and economically.“He needs to be fair and keep all coaches accountable, promote our athletes and their programs in the community, and help with fundraising,” Fischer said.Patenaude has always been passionate about sports and this, along with his ability to work well with students and athletes, inspired him to become an athletic director.“I have liked playing and watching sports since I could remember and I enjoy working with students and athletes,” Patenaude said.Samo’s athletics department is one of its most impressive features and Patenaude is a firm believer in sports and the benefits that they have on the students who are involved in them.“I am very passionate about sports. I respect all sports, but my favorite are football and lacrosse, which I played in high school. Playing sports can help improve grades, overall health, ability to move, help form friendships and build community,” Patenaude said.Overtime, his passion paid off as faculty and athletics coaches have already noticed that he is doing well in his new position as athletics director. “Mr. Patenaude has worked very hard. He is doing well,” Fischer said.Despite having only lived here for a few years, Patenaude already loves Santa Monica and has many exciting hobbies that he enjoys during his free time.“I have lived in the Santa Monica area since I moved here from Connecticut about three years ago. I go out to eat, surf, kayak, bike, see shows [and more] in Santa Monica which has become my home,” Patenaude said. “I wanted to work in the city that I care so much about and try to make any improvement possible.”Although Patenaude has been doing a good job at his new position so far, there are definitely some obstacles that he will have to face. “His challenge will be to keep all Frosh-Soph levels in all the sports and to fundraise for those programs,” Fischer said.Patenaude also has identified some additional specific issues that he would like to tackle during his time here at Samo.“My goals are to improve the athletic locker rooms, get more fans at all athletic games, and provide adequate field/gym space for all teams during practices and games,” Patenaude said. Although Patenaude will only be spending a short time working here at Samo, he is doing the best that he can to accomplish the goals he has made for our athletics department and to improve Samo sports overall.