Schools

Former WHS Coach Named AD in Canton

"Dee" Stephan will lead athletics in Canton.

Diane "Dee" Stephan of Avon has been named athletic director for Canton schools, Superintendent Kevin Case confirmed Wednesday night. 

Stephan started Wednesday, Dec. 7. She has more than 20 years of coaching experience and has been a physical education teacher in Avon, Simsbury and elsewhere. Most recently, she was director of athletics for Ethel Walker in Simsbury.

Stephan left Ethel Walker in June of 2010 after three years as the director of athletics and five at the school.

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After that she stayed active, coaching field hockey at Windsor High School, coaching at St. Joseph College in the spring and keeping up with her responsibilities with the Connecticut Dodgers Lacrosse program.

But Stephan found semi “retirement” wasn’t for her.

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“I quickly discovered I wasn’t really ready to be retired,” she said. “Once you teach and coach and work, it really gets in your blood.”  

Stephan, an Avon resident, is a certified K to 12 teacher in health and physical education. She has taught in Avon and Simsbury.

Her husband Chris owns Sartorius Sports in Avon.

The couple has four children. Alexis, 19, is a sophomore at Gettysburg College and Ashleigh, 18, attends Hamilton College. Sandra, 15, attends Westminster and Christopher, 12, Farmington Academy.

All are involved in sports so it is an active family.

In addition to her other activities, Stephan also sits on the board of directors for U.S. Lacrosse.

She said the part-time job really fits her family life well.

Through coaching and her penchant for following sports, Stephan said she is familiar with the town and excited to work here. She said it’s a good opportunity to build on Canton’s “rich" sports history.

She said she’s excited about Canton’s varied sporting opportunities and had fun at her first game as AD in Canton. Wednesday, the girls basketball team worked well with a new coach and had an exciting win, she said.

The team, led by coach Michael Jessie had a “third-quarter rally to beat Gilbert 47-42 in season opener,” the Collinsville Press reported via twitter.

Stephan comes in at a time when there have been some sports issues in town. For one, during the last budget process, most interscholastic matches at the middle school were eliminated. 

The district is also doing an athletics study and the last permanent AD, John Bement, who resigned in the fall for a private sector job, was highly praised by Case and liked by some members of the public but not others.

Stephan just started this week, but she acknowledged that there will be tough choices at times and hopes people give her a fresh start. She said her philosophy is the students’ best interest, both athletically and academically, has to be in the forefront.

“You have to do what’s best for student athletes,” she said. 


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