New A.D. eager to help BHS and community
By JORDAN DAWSON/Bigfork Eagle
It has only been nine years since Matt Jensen, 27, graduated from Flathead high school, but he has made good use of that short time, and plans to continue to do so as the new activities director at Bigfork High School.
Jensen began teaching government-economics at BHS last year, and taught world history for his first three years at BHS. After graduating from the University of Montana in 2004, Jensen returned to the Flathead Valley to student teach at BHS with John Little, who was the government-economics teacher until he retired last year.
He has served as the assistant/JV boys and girls basketball coach, co-head boys and girls tennis coach, coach of the middle school track team and the fall events coordinator. Jensen took the last two years off from coaching to work on his Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision degree, which he will complete in August.
"When this job came open it seemed like a great opportunity to work with fantastic coaches and student athletes," Jensen said.
Jensen was a student-athlete himself, participating in track, basketball, football and soccer in high school. He attended Williston College in North Dakota where he played basketball, and after one year transferred to the UM where he ran track. Jensen credits participating in sports in school as one of the largest factors in shaping his character, second only to his immediate family. Jensen said he believes that sports give students an opportunity to build strong life-long relationships and the opportunity to learn life lessons.
"Most often sports are the impression we get about a school," Jensen said. "It is the most visible part of the school."
He has already started working with booster clubs and is looking forward to helping them facilitate matching their generosity with the need at BHS.
"I'm going to miss coaching, but it is a great opportunity for me because I'll get to be involved in all of the sports. I may even get to be more involved than when I was a coach," Jensen said.
Jensen is replacing Shannon Smith, who held the position for two years. Smith is leaving to take a teaching position at Glacier High School in Kalispell.
"From watching Shannon I learned that this is a very time consuming job, and a high energy job, and I know it will be a very rewarding job," Jensen said.
BHS principal Thom Peck said he hired Jensen because "he was the most familiar and adept to our questions." "He's the best fit to take over the program," said Peck.
"I'm really excited to work with the coaches we have," Jensen said. "They are the people that make sports happen. The time they put in, the energy and the sacrifices they make, and they do all that to give to kids. I think that until you've been around them that you don't have a firm grasp on what they're doing."
Jensen said he is also looking forward to working with the BHS and Bigfork community.
"I view this position as a way to serve student athletes, coaches and parents," Jensen said. "I have an open door policy and I want that open flow of conversation."