Mount Madonna School (MMS) will restructure the administration of its athletic program for the 2016-2017 school year, splitting its single athletic director (AD) role into two positions. This plan coincides with completion of the school’s new athletic facility. Longtime MMS Athletic Director Sidd McDonald has announced he will be stepping down from the AD position at the conclusion of the current school year, and that going forward the role will be divided into lower-middle school, and high school AD positions.“In conjunction with the impending completion of our new 10,000-square foot gymnasium we will double the size of our athletic facilities and broaden our ability to offer a variety of junior varsity (JV) and varsity sports at Mount Madonna,” commented McDonald. “We already have one fully-utilized gym,” he went on, “and the addition of our new gym will allow us the possibility of adding wrestling and/or basketball for the 2016-17 winter season, in addition to offering boys and girls volleyball, cross country and track and field during the school year. With this program expansion, we see a need to restructure the athletics administration to best support these additional offerings.
Alumni Elliot “PK” McDonald (’04) will become the high school AD and Erin Mitchell (’10) will be the lower and middle school AD.
PK McDonald, a current MMS faculty member and JV and varsity coach, has more than 14 years of experience coaching middle and high school, club and college volleyball teams. He has run summer volleyball programs for the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Colorado, Boulder. He currently coaches for Mount Madonna School and the Main Beach club volleyball organization.
“As an alumnus I’ve always cared very deeply about the students and community of Mount Madonna,” shared PK McDonald. “I look forward to making a positive impact on the entire high school athletic program. As someone who’s seen both sides of the bench – as a coach and an athlete – I understand the factors that shape students’ team and athletic experiences. I’ve seen the culture at both a high school and collegiate level and have a lot of ideas of how to support students and make their experience with our sports program a transformative and positive part of their lives.”
“We are so pleased when our talented alumni choose to return as adults and share their gifts and leadership with our students,” commented Mount Madonna Head of School Mary Supriya McDonald. “PK is a well-known and respected coach in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League and Central Coast Section. Erin has demonstrated inspiring leadership as a two-time state recognized setter and a DII starting setter and captain on her team at Cal State Humboldt. We are proud of her and warmly welcome her back to MMS to lead our lower and middle school athletic program.”Mitchell has coached for several volleyball clubs in Washington state and northern California, and is currently coaching with the Main Beach Volleyball Club. She is also a member of the Cabrillo College women’s sand volleyball team.
“The new gym is something the MMS community has been working towards for many years, and I feel so excited to accept the position as we are about to inaugurate this new facility,” shared Mitchell. “As an athlete myself and someone who understands the great value of physical activity, I look forward to guiding our young athletes in their involvement with our sports program. As AD, I want to ‘grow’ more excitement and booster support, hold pep rallies and help shape our expanding athletic offerings.”
