Chief Sealth Athletic Director Sam Reed is leaving his post for a position in the Tacoma School District. In January of this year, Reed was named Washinton Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) District 2 Athletic Director of the year. WIAA District 2 includes all the schools from KingCo 4A, KingCo 3A, Metro 3A, Emerald City 1A, and SeaTac 1A and 1B leagues.

Here is the letter Reed send to staff, students and parents of Chief Sealth International High School.

Dear Sealth Community,

I hope this e-mail finds you well and that you and your families are enjoying your summer to date. I’m writing you say that I have made the difficult decision to accept a new opportunity that will take me away from Chief Sealth International High School.

At that time I will begin my next challenge, this time as the Assistant Director of Student Life for the Tacoma School District. In that role, I will oversee athletics and ASB for the District’s 5 comprehensive high schools and 10 middle schools. Ultimately the lure of a new and larger challenge outweighed the reality of losing that day-to-day contact with the students – and for those that know me well, you know how hard of a decision this was.

In my absence I have left my recommendations for a short-term succession plan with building leadership. I trust that people will be in place come the start of Fall sports and the beginning of the school year.

I cannot express enough how special my six years at Sealth were. This was so much more than a job for me – and many of you and your children played a large role in that. My family and I live (and will continue to live) in this community and we have genuinely enjoyed out time as Seahawks. The kids and this community continually amaze me, and they have given me far more than I have given them. Still, I am very proud of the work that we have done together, and leave with confidence that a strong foundation has been laid for the next generation of students and athletes.

The world works in strange ways. Six years ago this summer, I left a good job in Tacoma, made a career 180 and headed into Sealth as a raw, untrained teacher. Today I’m headed back to Tacoma, taking with me boxes filled with pictures, letters and cards from countless students and parents. It’s been a heck of a ride, and something tells me that many of us will cross paths again, either professionally or personally.

I can be reached personally on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Please continue to follow and support the Sealth Athletics facebook and twitter pages as those will continue to stay active.

Thanks for everything,
Sam Reed