For some BHS staff, Homecoming is daily

Last week's Homecoming celebration gave students at Bigfork High School the opportunity to show off their school spirit and athletic skills while welcoming back former students to their alma mater.

No such welcoming back was needed for several Bigfork graduates, who have already returned to the school system where they spent their formative years. Three of those alums, Matt Porrovecchio, Tracy Wicklund and Jake Hill, are not just back at the school, they are impacting the students of BHS in some of the most memorable activities of their own high school careers — sports.

Matt Porrovecchio

Last year, Porrovecchio was asked to assist Matt Jensen with his inaugural year as the BHS activities director when Jensen was selected to take on the assistant principal duties as well. This year, Porrovecchio, a 1994 graduate, took over full-time in the position, but he has been a big contributor back at BHS since 2003, when he was hired as the librarian. Since then, he has helped coach football, basketball, track and tennis, all of which he participated in during high school.

Porrovecchio, now 33 years old, first moved to Bigfork from California when he was in the sixth grade. After graduating from BHS, he attended Carroll College for one year before transferring to the University of Montana, where he got his bachelor's degree in elementary and special education in 2000.

After graduation, Porrovecchio stayed in Missoula until 2002 working as a bartender at Stockman's Bar.

"I had a really good time and I met a lot of great people, including my future wife Lacey," he said.

Lacey was from Columbia Falls and the two decided that they wanted to return to the Flathead Valley, which worked out when Matt was offered a job by Lee Burrington at Questa Mortgage.

"He was a great mentor, but I was horrible at mortgages — prolifically horrible," Porrovecchio said. "It was no fault of his, just my own. I wasn't good at it."

So Porrovecchio moved on and found himself a job at Sliters Ace in Bigfork, leaving the mortgage business after about six months.

"I enjoyed working at Sliters tremendously," he said. "I worked with some of my friends from college and guys I'd gone to high school with. But I knew I wanted to get into teaching."

Then one day it all fell together for Porrovecchio. He was working at the drive-through lumber pickup window when BHS shop teacher Les Saari stopped by to pick up some materials. He mentioned to Porrovecchio that the school's librarian Rick Baird was planning to retire at the end of the school year and suggested that he apply for the job.

"At first I went through all the self-doubt stuff, but then I just committed to the idea that I was going to do this," Porrovecchio said.

He started spending time in the library with Baird, and learning the job. Soon he was selected for the job, which he still holds.

"It's been absolutely wonderful," Porrovecchio said. "I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I love being here and working with the kids."

Porrovecchio said he is happy to be back in Bigfork too.

"I love Bigfork," he said. "It has its quirks and it can be a little weird, but I'm quirky and weird too."

Porrovecchio is not only a familiar face at the school, but he has also worked at the Garden Bar for more than 10 years as well, which he said makes him enjoy the people of Bigfork to an even greater extent.

"Having worked at the Garden Bar and at the school for so many years, I feel like I know a really wide range of people in multiple capacities," he said. "It makes it so wherever I go I know the people there. It's comfortable and I like that."

Lacey and Matt have two children, Andrew, who is 5 years-old, and Dylan, who is 3.

"I feel good that I'm going to have a family here," Porrovecchio said. "People look out for you here. They know your kids and you know theirs. It is a real tight community. I came here from California and it was a great experience. I want my kids to have that same comfortable environment and I want do that same thing for the students as well."

Porrovecchio is definitely putting in the effort and time to ensure that the students at BHS have a memorable experience. In fulfilling his duties as activities director, he goes above and beyond to make sure all of the coaches and teams are organized, serves as line judge at the volleyball games, assists at other games with keeping the floors clean, getting water and towels for the teams, and he keeps the students under control, but still having fun.

"It's been great," Porrovecchio said. "I have so much fun. It's what I wanted to do and I really enjoy it. It's a great way to get to know some of the kids and get to know others better. In the library, you get sort of isolated and don't get to know all of the kids because not all of them are readers. With sports, you get to see another side of the kids. It's the competition and the drive."

He said that part of the reason he enjoys helping the athletics department at Bigfork is that those activities were where some of his fondest memories were made from high school.

"I really want the kids to look back and have great memories from these times," Porrovecchio said. "For a lot of the kids that participate in sports it is a time for them to learn about themselves and to have to learn to get through obstacles and fight for what they want. For me, my time in sports taught me so much and left me with some of my best memories."

Porrovecchio's job is definitely a time consuming one, though. Attending every home event, with hours of set up and tear down before and after can make for a long work day coupled with his librarian duties.

"You get tired sometimes, but the kids make it manageable," Porrovecchio said. "We do have a great group of kids. I really believe in our school and it's a great way to show everyone else that."

However, he said that the time he puts into the school wouldn't be so easy if it wasn't such a good fit for his family, who attend most of the home games.

"I wouldn't do this if I didn't think that it was a good thing in the long run for my family," he said. "My wife is super supportive. This is one of those jobs that you can't do without the support of your family. You have to have a wife that is supportive and likes sports. Luckily, Lacey is both."

Porrovecchio doesn't plan to go anywhere any time soon. He recently earned his master's in administration from the University of Phoenix, which he hopes to use to continue his role in helping the students at BHS.

"In high school you don't have a clue," Porrovecchio said. "Everyone is so worried about perception. Adults are screwed up too, but you have more clarity. You can see things differently."

What isn't different for Porrovecchio in his transition from Bigfork student to faculty is that he still finds the same enjoyment in extracurricular activities and for about the same reasons.

"I had fun back then, and I have fun now," he said. "For me, sports were a way to hang out with my friends. We had a great class. It was a social thing mostly for me, but I did like the competition too."

Tracy Wicklund

Tracy Wicklund, the Valkyries assistant volleyball coach and 1986 BHS graduate, still enjoys the competition as well.

"I feel like I'm part of the team when I'm coaching them," she said. "We are all part of one big family. We don't get to go out and get it done. We have to give advice on how to get it done. I've never been one to sit on the bench and watch, but now I have to contribute in other ways."

Wicklund, whose maiden name is Hanson, played volleyball, basketball and ran track when she attended BHS.

After coaching her daughters'— Kianna a BHS sophomore and Kalia a BMS fifth grader— younger teams over the years, Tracy was asked to assist former head volleyball coach Yvonne Peck last year. This year's head coach Tammi McDaniel asked her to return as the assistant.

"I think I bring something to the table having played on that court," Wicklund said. "Especially since we are in Class B again and I played in B. I've helped the girls know that it's not a bad thing to be in B. I'm pretty familiar with all the teams in B too. They are pretty scrappy."

As a Bigfork athlete, it wasn't Wicklund's plan to stay around and coach, but she was always interested in it.

"I think I always wanted to coach," Wicklund said. "When I did go to college, I wanted to specialize in being a P.E. teacher and a coach. But, when I didn't finish college, I thought I'd have to settle for coaching my girls on their younger teams. But Yvonne gave me the opportunity to come up to the high school and I really am thankful for that."

Wicklund doesn't mind juggling her family, work and volleyball coaching duties because she likes helping the kids.

"I appreciate the opportunity to work with the kids because they are a great group," Wicklund said. "I think it's important for kids to stay in sports and stay active."

Jake Hill

Jake Hill is the youngest coach at BHS right now, but the 2002 graduate brings a wealth of experience to his position as assistant football coach.

Hill played football all four years at BHS before signing to play at Montana Tech in Butte.

He red shirted his freshman year and played for the Orediggers his sophomore year.

He transferred to the University of Montana the following year and has since earned his EMT license from Flathead Valley Community College, his Fire Rescue Degree from the University of Montana School of Technology in Missoula and is currently enrolled in the paramedic program at FVCC.

Hill, who also played basketball, tennis and golf as a student at Bigfork, is coaching for the first time this year after being invited to do so by head football coach Todd Emslie.

"I never thought that I would be back here coaching," Hill said. "I always wanted to coach, but I never thought I'd coach at Bigfork. But if there was ever anyone I wanted to coach with it was Emslie."

Emslie coached Hill and his friend Danny Day as far back as the fourth grade on the Swan River School basketball team and on through their years on the Vikings football team.

"He was always really good to me and Danny," Hill said. "He taught us some good values."

Hill said he is enjoying his new role in Bigfork's football program.

"I like it a lot," he said. "It's good working with the kids and being back in that sort of atmosphere. The rest of the coaching staff is great to work with too."

Bigfork's football program had a more winning tradition when Hill was in school, but he said he is enjoying helping build it back up.

"You see a lot of potential among the players and you try to mold them to where we think they should be," Hill said.

Now that Hill is a coach, and a few years older, he said that the biggest change is perspective.

"It's funny to look at how much you grow up since then," he said. "It's a lot different being on this end of the spectrum. I really enjoy it and hope I can continue coaching in the future."