The Multifaceted Mr. Leonard
Jay Leonard, a new addition to our teaching staff at Worcester Academy, was born and raised in Brattleboro, Vermont. Mr. Leonard went to High School in New Hampshire at Hinsdale High School where his love of math was sparked. Mr. Leonard was able to stay busy during his high school years as he played two varsity sports, soccer and basketball. He was also involved in theatre, was a drum major in the school’s marching band, and was in the Dungeons and Dragons club.
After graduating high school, he continued his studies at Suffolk University where he studied political science. Mr. Leonard took a couple years off before he joined the AirForce. With the AirForce he went to Texas for a year and then Alaska for three years. After retiring from the AirForce, he stayed in Alaska and continued his college studies at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Mr. Leonard studied electrical engineering and physics in college and took philosophy in his junior year. He then started a philosophy club called the Socratic Society, where he was able to get Richard Dawkins as a club speaker. Mr. Leonard graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a degree in Math and Philosophy. He then moved back to New England and worked at a golf course and as a long term sub in New Hampshire, while going to graduate school. Mr. Leonard then moved to a small census- designated place in Hawaii called Waimea, where he taught math in the local school and was the assistant boys basketball coach.
After teaching for awhile he decided to come back to New England, where he soon landed the job on the Hilltop. He loves being back in New England and says he missed it while he lived away. He says his favorite part about Worcester Academy is that they provide all the resources you need to succeed. He also loves coming into work every day, he enjoys working with all his colleagues, and loves seeing the kids grow in the classroom.
Mr. Leonard is also the very successful Girls Junior Varsity Basketball Coach. His initial thoughts coming into the season was that it might be rough as the previous year the JV team did not win one game. As tryouts came along he did not expect the turn out that he got; he was able to establish a pretty good team. During the first couple of practices he was able to identify some great players. Those players helped lead their team to a blowout in their first game of the season. With the Worcester team 1-0, Mr. Leonard was still a little unsure of what to except for the rest of the season. Northfield Mount Hermon was their next opponent and they were able to smack them 43-29. At that point, Mr. Leonard knew that his team was going to be very successful, he suspected that the top seven girls on his team could play at the varsity level. He realized that not much fundamental coaching needed to be done and that a lot of the basketball skills were already in place. Mr. Leonard enjoys teaching them about the game of basketball and he feels they look out for one another and he is just there for positive support. He says, “The girls deserve all the credit for the amazing season they are had” and that he is just lucky to walked into such a great team. The girl’s junior varsity team ended their season 14-1.