Tina Downing
At the Shepherd School Board meeting on Wednesday, February 10, the Board voted to hire Tina Downing as the Athletic Director at Shepherd Schools in the 2021-2022 school year.
After a total of nine years as athletic director at two different times, Rich Hash will be stepping down but will stay on as the Middle School principal. “There were a lot of factors that went into the decision,” stated Hash. “This was a long year with all the COVID issues. I also have a son who is a sophomore, and I want to be able to go to his games and watch him play rather than dealing with AD issues.”
Mr. Hash also explained that sometimes “you take something as far as you can, and then you need a fresh look at things moving forward.” Hash plans to focus on taking care of his building and ensuring that the middle school students have what they need.
Hash stated that he enjoyed working with the kids, staff, and coaches. A highlight was the camaraderie between the other athletic directors at nearby schools. “Especially during the pandemic, we felt like we were on an island by ourselves trying to figure it out. We learned to be there for each other; when we had meetings together, we would often find each other afterwards to chit chat and bounce things off each other.” Hash is preparing to host the state golf tournament, and he will help to train the new athletic director as the school years winds to a close.
Downing is a Special Education teacher at Shepherd in her sixth year of teaching and 12th year with the school district. She has helped coach high school and middle school track, middle school girls’ basketball, and has been the concessions supervisor for the last three years. When asked why she chose to take on the extra responsibility, Downing said that growing up, athletics were huge in her life. She still remembers her favorite coach and the impact he had in her life. “Coaches interact with the kids in a different way, and they can reach them on a different level. I hope to make a difference in these kids’ lives.” Downing stated that she has had a great mentor in Mr. Hash and looks forward to working closely with him to learn the ropes throughout the remainder of the school year.
