Andrew Skari remains a necessary member of the Thomas Jefferson community with all that he does for students. photo by Emanuel Morales-Gomez
Assistant Principal Andrew Skari temporarily shifts his focus back to Athletic Director.
Many would agree that making sure students feel comfortable and safe while at school is essential to any level of education. In addition to this, athletics are a very big part of the high school experience. Making sure that the Thomas Jefferson community has programs that can help students develop as athletes and young adults is essential. Andrew Skari initially came to TJ as an Athletic Director in 2013, and he learned in those four years that many students choose schools based on the athletics offered and the reputation of those athletic teams. Skari’s goal was “to try to find coaches and teachers that were the type of people to connect with kids,” so that these adults could help students reach their goals, both academically and athletically.
With this in mind, Skari tried to choose the best coaches who could build a positive team culture and help teach, “great lessons from athletics, like working together as a team, how to deal with failure, how to handle success, setting goals and working towards them.” Taking lessons learned from his experience as a baseball coach, Skari took a lot of pride in “developing a really positive team culture that really made the students feel like they were a part of something bigger.” He wanted to make sure his players had a reason to stay out of trouble and do well in school, and has reportedly built lifelong friendships from that experience.
Even with a successful career in directing athletics, Skari shared that he never set out to be an Athletic Director or Assistant Principal in the first place. He initially got an associate’s degree in telecommunications and had a job within that field, but began to feel like he chose the wrong path. While still working full time, Skari went to night school to get his teaching degree. He loved teaching and coaching high school baseball as much as he believed he would. His first school, Bruce Randolph, retained a grant to employ a full time Athletic Director for three years, and his coworkers thought he’d be perfect for the job. After serving in that position, and getting his master’s degree in the meantime, the same position opened up at TJ and he was once again recommended to apply. Skari recalled going into the interview very happy with the concept of going back to teaching if rejected because, “there’s nothing better than being someone’s favorite teacher and favorite coach.” Even so, Skari found it in his family’s best interest to take the position when offered the job.
Despite his dedication to the Athletic Director role, Skari found himself bringing a lot of his work home when the day was over which is why, in 2017, Skari made the decision to shift his responsibilities to make more time for his family. He stepped into a more academically focused position, Assistant Principal,where he spent more time handling student safety, discipline, and restorative practices, staying in that role for the last eight years. However, when Athletic Director Anne Rice went on maternity leave for the second semester of the 24-25 school year, TJ was lucky to have Skari step up as a natural substitute. When Skari moved to the office next door, administration found themselves with another perfect substitute, Azadeh Fathi as Principal Resident (to learn more about Fathi, please visit Emanual Morales-Gomez’s article here.) Skari finds himself enjoying this role more the second time around, finding the most joy in helping out student athletes he made previous connections with through his Assistant Principal role.
Outside of work, Skari spends time grilling when the weather calls for it, cooking in general, and often finds himself doing his son’s favorite activities of playing Call of Duty and seeing movies. A baseball enthusiast at heart, as conveyed by the many bobbleheads and baseball cards in his office, Skari manages a fantasy league while keeping up with his favorite teams. He enjoys traveling with his family and staying active through walking his dog and the occasional bike ride. Andrew Skari continues to be a valuable member of the TJ community, as seen through the hard work and dedication he puts into everything he does for the student body.
