Ryan Norton has been named the next athletic director at Junction City High School, effective with the 2022-2023 school year. His hiring was approved by the Geary USD 475 Board of Education.
Norton has spent the past 12 years as a computer science teacher at Fort Riley Middle School, and has coached cross country and track at both that middle school and at the Junction City High School level. He has also coached wrestling at Fort Riley Middle School.
"My job is really to be the coach of the coaches. I have always wanted to be an athletic director, " said Norton. "This seemed like a good opportunity to jump in and get going with that position."
Norton enjoys school based athletics. "So I really want to focus on academics and also making students champions in life. Those are my two big goals and just how we can as coaches improve our crafts and becoming better coaches as well."
Norton grew up in Emporia and is familiar with the Centennial League and before that the I-70 League. The Blue Jays and Lady Jays competed in the old I-70 and now in the Centennial League.
At JCHS Norton will succeed Matt Westerhaus, who is stepping down after the current school year, to become the activities director at Great Bend High School.