Athletics

My name is Andre’ Sargent and I am  originally from Chicago, IL, the Cabrini  Green neighborhood, located in the downtown area. My early childhood and middle school education years were spent at Edward Jenner School and St. Joseph in Chicago, IL. I attended Mather High School in the Rogers Park neighborhood where I played football, boys’ softball, baseball and basketball. Post high school, I received a baseball scholarship at Lincoln College in Lincoln, IL. I  graduated from Lincoln College with an associate degree and later transferred to John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH to play basketball. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication.

After graduation I moved back to Chicago where I began my career in education. I worked as a summer and after school counselor at the YMCA which was in LEARN Charter School’s Romano Butler Campus. Building relationships with the students and staff members was important to me and midway through the school year I became a teacher’s assistant. I was in this role for two years which opened other opportunities for me to grow professionally as a physical education teacher and athletic coordinator at LEARN Charter School’s Hunter Perkins Campus. I was hired by the Principal, Anik Zampini, who became a mentor and friend of mine as I took the next steps in my career. I became a founding teacher at the next two LEARN Charter School campuses; LEARN North Chicago and LEARN 8 Middle School. I developed before and after school athletic programs at both campuses. The athletic programs gave students and staff members’ opportunities to build positive relationships through athletics and for our students to grow socially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

In the summer of 2016, I moved to Grand Rapids, MI and accepted the position as the behavioral specialist and the principal substitute at Glenwood Elementary School in Kentwood Public Schools. After one year at Glenwood, I was hired by Mindy Westra and Troy VanderLaan as an athletic director and behavioral specialist at Valleywood Middle School. After my first year at Valleywood, I went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in education and graduated with a master’s degree in education with Distinction. I spent six years at Valleywood, creating a culture of respect and restoring the pride in “The Valley”.  We were able to give students opportunities to grow through youth clinics and summer programs. We added girls and boys soccer to a diverse community that was in need of a sport that binds them to their home countries. We taught our student-athletes how to be resilient and celebrated their accomplishments on and off the athletic fields. We gave the community something to be proud of and named it The Valley. 

August 2024, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools presented me with an opportunity to become the next athletic director of the school district. This opportunity was the perfect match for myself and Godfrey-Lee because it allows me to help provide guidance for students and student-athletes as they continue their educational and athletic journey, the ability to grow our athletic programs, facilities, and relationships with the community and to help create a culture of respect while restoring the Legends pride in Godfrey-Lee and the daily opportunities to “Be Legendary”.