With the announcement that T.C. Williams director of student activities Kerry Donley will step down in July, it leaves a crater-sized void in the seemingly turbulent Titan athletic department. Principal Mel Riddle, a former football player at the University of North Carolina will now have to open the hiring process for one of the most coveted jobs in the City. Without most applicants even aware that the job is vacant, the “Gazette Packet” handicaps possible replacements.
<b>1. Martin Grimm, Edison director of student activities</b>
Grimm has the credibility, building Edison into one of the National District powers. He has both the administrative background and necessary basketball background having served dual roles as the director of athletics and men's basketball coach at Oxford College of Emory University before moving to Edison. Would he be willing to leave a good thing at Edison?
<b>2. Bob Eavenson, T.C. Williams assistant director of student activities</b>
The natural progression for Eavenson would be to fill the void created in the office. But the longtime field hockey coach just resigned to focus on administrative tasks. Sure, he has been a faithful T.C. employee, but would he have the support within the community to be seriously considered, given his age and prior experience?
<b>3. Mark Eisenhour, assistant principal at Minnie Howard School</b>
He’s already in with the Alexandria power brokers, having been at Minnie Howard for quite some time. An active member within the City, he’s reportedly expressed interest and more importantly has already has a current relationship with Riddle. But he’s been an administrator at the ninth grade center, and not a full-fledged high school. And there could be other candidates whose experience would trump him
<b>4. George Porcha, former T.C. Williams assistant director of student activities</b>
Whether Porcha would even consider would be a longshot, but you can can’t argue with his results as a girls basketball coach at both Washington-Lee and at T.C. Williams. After uprooting his family to Virginia Tech, he may want to settle down after parting ways in January. He’s still well respected within the community, but would he even consider the job, given that he’s more of a coach than an administrator?
<b>5. Bishop Ireton athletic director Bill Simmons</b>
Once the doormats of the WCAC, Simmons has revamped the Ireton program. In hiring Tony Verducci as football coach, he took the Cardinals to VISAA state championship for the first time ever. Simmons isn’t considering leaving Ireton, he said on Wednesday, but should still merit consideration alone.