With one search concluded and two more are underway Saint Paul Academy and Summit School’s team will lose three members from the Athletic Department in 2015.

Middle School Physical Education teacher Carol King, Director of Athletics Peter Sawkins and Upper School Wellness teacher Kaitlyn Frenchick have energized SPA not only with great programs and solid leadership, but also with lively and laudable character.

King retires after 37 years

After 37 years on the job, King will be leaving behind her PE whistle, but not the memories and lifelong friends from her job at SPA. King has had a long and illustrious career as MS Athletics department head, US/MS physical education teacher, US advisor, and tennis coach.

“I love teaching kids. I think they’re goofy and funny just like I am,” she said.

King committed to her ambitions of PE teaching in ninth grade. In her yearbook at Derham High School (before it combined with Cretin and became Cretin-Durham hall) King stated she wanted to be a physical education teacher. A devoted tennis player and coach, King developed the boys’ and girls’ middle school, junior varsity, and varsity programs and established the SPA summer tennis program.

Although she began as the MS/US PE teacher, King’s professional responsibilities have changed over time. When the middle school was opened in the fall of 2000, King and her fellow educators had to choose between teaching upper or middle school. King chose middle school and has been preparing sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for upper school ever since.

King finds her fondest memories in the days she didn’t have to choose between grade levels.

“I loved having both because I’d have [students] in middle school then I’d already know them when I taught them in upper school,” she said.

King loved the way her job allowed her to follow students from 5-12 grade through physical education, advisory, coaching, and athletic directing. “I loved watching students grow up,” King said.

Despite losing her direct connection to the US after the department division, King continued to love her work: “I have really enjoyed team-teaching with Bill Ross. I consider him a mentor and a really, really good friend,” she said.

Why is this lively PE teacher leaving SPA? “It’s just time,” King said. “Thirty seven years is a long time.”

She plans to join her husband in retirement.

In retirement, King will prove how young she is at heart.

“I think I want to be a swimsuit model. After being a swimsuit model, I think maybe I’ll do the game show circuit! Then I’m gonna do some standup comedy,” King said about her plans for the future.

But she’s only partially joking: “Actually, I did stand-up while I was in college. That one is for real,” she concluded with a grin.

From sit-ups with the students to stand-up comedy, King has made many connections.

“I still keep in touch with a ton of my ex-students and I still see a ton of my advisees,” King said. “I’ve loved it here and I’ve made tons of lifelong friends.”

Sawkins returns to New York

After supervising Spartan and co-op sports programs grades 5-12 for four years, AD Peter Sawkins is looking ahead to a future with his family in New York.

The alumnus (‘81) concludes that SPA, “…is a wonderful community of caring faculty, students and parents.”

Sawkins’ mission has been for the teams and players to “gain the confidence, resilience and recognition they deserve for their hard work, talent and dedication.”

Sawkins has enjoyed his job’s opportunity to showcase how “Athletic teams and individual players achieve new levels of success.”

In just four years, Mr. Sawkins has whipped SPA’s athletic department into shape with visible leadership at games, noticeable presence at practices, and behind the scenes work emphasizing the co-curricular relationship between schoolwork and athletics. Sawkins instituted the Sparta Award, recognizing athletes who play three sports, and improved school branding on uniforms, adopting the letters SPA as well as a redesigned Spartan head.

Negotiating with the Minnesota State High School League, he advocated for transfer students to become eligible for varsity competition.

Sawkins also moved SPA into the new IMAC conference and increased visible recognition for SPA athletics by capturing and hanging pictures of athletes across the school. Although the entire athletic community has benefited from his leadership, Sawkins also reports a “positive and rewarding experience from SPA.”

The long hours at SPA have paralleled a lot of travel during Sawkins tenure: “I have been commuting back and forth to the New York City area where my wife and two daughters have been while I worked at SPA,” he said. “They were hoping to move out to Minnesota, but for various reasons that has not worked out, so I am returning to New York to be able to spend more time with them.”

One might wonder if Sawkins will be gracing another school as Athletic Director. “I plan to go back to New York and spend a lot of time with my family catching up and doing fun things,” he said. “I have nothing formal planned in terms of work but I have some exciting projects I plan to tackle while I explore the next phase of my career.”

Frenchick moves close to family

After graduating with a degree in Physical Education/Health and Exercise Sport Science from Hamline University in 2012, Kaitlyn Frenchick got a running start into the SPA athletic department as the assistant cross country coach.

This position put Frenchick on track for becoming the Upper School Fitness for Life instructor in 2013, a Middle School Physical Education Instructor, and a Upper School advisor. Altogether, Frenchick has been with SPA for almost three years. In those three years, the SPA girls cross country team won the first IMAC title and represented SPA on the state level. The fitness for life program was also revamped and new physical education electives were introduced.

Applying her own philosophy for life to her fitness for life curriculum, Frenchick loves to see her students move out of their comfort zone. Among Frenchick’s favorite memories at SPA are seeing her students “enjoy being active and try new things.” Sprinting ahead to new opportunities, Frenchick is leaving SPA to move closer to her family where she plans to continue coaching and teaching physical education and health.

“I had a great time at SPA. The teachers and kids are great. I will miss everyone at the school,” Frenchick said.
The Athletic Department has concluded the search for Athletic Director, hiring Dawn Wickstrum, who will take the position in July. Searches for an assistant Athletic Director and for physical education teachers are ongoing.