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38 | June 20, 2019 | the tinley Junction sports<br />
tinleyjunction.com<br />
Doede ready for a new chapter at Joliet Central<br />
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor<br />
She was an athletic<br />
camper at Andrew High<br />
School in the late 1980s.<br />
She was a student and<br />
athlete at the Tinley Park<br />
school. She also was a<br />
teacher, coach and administrator.<br />
Jennifer Doede was almost<br />
as entrenched at the<br />
school as the Thunderbolt<br />
logo.<br />
Now, she has left the<br />
building.<br />
Doede accepted the position<br />
of athletic director at<br />
Joliet Central High School.<br />
The Orland Park resident<br />
had mixed emotions<br />
about leaving her beloved<br />
school on her last day on<br />
the job on June 5.<br />
“Whenever you are<br />
somewhere for 16 years,<br />
it’s always difficult to<br />
leave,” Doede said. “But<br />
I’m also very excited<br />
about the opportunity to<br />
become an athletic director,<br />
especially at Joliet<br />
Central because it feels<br />
like I am meant to be<br />
there. I really like the people<br />
and I feel very comfortable<br />
there.<br />
“I have so many memories<br />
here, but this is a new<br />
chapter.”<br />
She left the school as<br />
the division chair of physical<br />
education, health and<br />
driver education. She was<br />
far from an administrator<br />
that just sat behind a desk.<br />
She was out and about, especially<br />
on Friday mornings<br />
as a part of High-Five<br />
Friday, which saw her and<br />
FIND YOUR NEXT<br />
GREAT<br />
HIRE<br />
other staff members greeting<br />
students at the lobby<br />
with high-fives. The tradition<br />
started in spring 2018<br />
during finals week and<br />
continued this school year.<br />
It is a simple and oldfashioned<br />
idea in an age in<br />
which it might not be cool<br />
to enjoy simple and oldfashioned<br />
gestures.<br />
Doede said this was<br />
something important.<br />
“I feel like I am going<br />
to do it anyway,” she said.<br />
“The naysayers who don’t<br />
think it’s cool or don’t<br />
think it will work, that’s<br />
fine. That’s your opinion.<br />
We’re still going to do it.<br />
And if it brings a smile to a<br />
kid’s face, that’s the whole<br />
point of it.<br />
“Some kids come to<br />
school and their home lives<br />
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to learn more about recruitment<br />
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n.pavlina@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />
are rough. If they can get<br />
that positive energy and<br />
feel welcome when they<br />
walk in, it’s worth it. Some<br />
kids dart the other way.<br />
They don’t want to give a<br />
high-five. That’s fine, too.<br />
It’s OK. There is so much<br />
negativity and cynicism in<br />
the world that I just choose<br />
to flood it with positivity.<br />
I’m not saying it’s Pollyanna<br />
all the time. But I<br />
don’t choose to go down<br />
the rabbit hole of negativity.”<br />
She is already tweeting<br />
to the world that High-<br />
Five Friday will be a part<br />
of Joliet Central’s culture.<br />
It might be a little different<br />
at the home of the<br />
Steelmen. The high-fives<br />
will have to come after<br />
students are screened by<br />
metal detectors.<br />
Doede, who also taught<br />
and coached at Reavis, has<br />
a friendly and easygoing<br />
personality but is ready<br />
to show a tough-guy side<br />
if needed at a school that<br />
has a reputation of being<br />
rougher around the edges<br />
than Andrew.<br />
“It’s a different school,”<br />
Doede said. “I’ve dealt<br />
with altercations here. I’ve<br />
had altercations at Reavis<br />
where I’ve had to jump in.<br />
There are no worries with<br />
that. Is is a different socioeconomic<br />
area? Yes, of<br />
course. But kids are kids<br />
no matter where you go. If<br />
you build that relationship<br />
with them ... I feel that’s<br />
one of my strong suits. It<br />
will be fine. Kids have a<br />
lot more obstacles these<br />
days, especially with social<br />
media. It’s getting<br />
back to that face-to-face<br />
interaction and letting<br />
kids know that we care<br />
about them and want them<br />
to have success and we’re<br />
here to help them.”<br />
Doede will be missed at<br />
Andrew.<br />
“I have known Jen<br />
for 15 years and she has<br />
worked with me on our<br />
leadership team for the<br />
past 10 years,” Andrew<br />
Principal Robert Nolting<br />
said. “Jen is a driving force<br />
for our positive school culture<br />
and has initiated so<br />
many things that help create<br />
a sense of community<br />
among our students. She<br />
is a leader who is well respected<br />
by students, staff,<br />
parents and others within<br />
our community. A few<br />
years ago, Jen wanted to<br />
shift her focus to athletic<br />
administration. I am proud<br />
of what she’s done to prepare<br />
for this challenge and<br />
believe that Joliet Central<br />
is going to benefit from her<br />
leadership.”<br />
Doede has seemingly<br />
done it all in education and<br />
this is a challenge she is<br />
embracing.<br />
“I love sports,” the former<br />
volleyball player said.<br />
“I knew eventually this<br />
could be and endgame as<br />
far as a career aspiration<br />
goes. Now, that dream is<br />
becoming a reality.”<br />
Jennifer Doede, a former student and longtime employee at Andrew High School, has<br />
left the Tinley Park school and is now the athletic director at Joliet Central.<br />
JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
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