After a day of being active in the classroom, many teachers replace their formal work clothes with t-shirts and athletic shorts to coach a school sport.

“I ran track for a little while in high school, and it was something I really enjoyed,” math teacher Amy Leaver, who coaches track and field, said. “I thought it would be a good experience just to see that from a coaching point of view and hopefully see that happen in students as well.”

Golf, basketball, cross country and badminton have all enlisted teachers to coach their teams.

Junior Sarah Hong, having participated in both badminton and basketball for her freshman and sophomore years, has been coached by four teachers. Her current badminton coach is history teacher Sarah Garlinghouse.

“If it was a teacher that I didn’t like, that would be terrible,” Hong said. “But this year with G-House (Garlinghouse), it’s really been great.”

Even though more off campus coaches are enlisted for school sports, teachers are encouraged to help coach a sport they are interested in, according to Athletics Director Elena De Santis.

“If teachers have an interest in any sport, we invite them to coach,” De Santis said. “It’s great that they are already in line with our school’s mission and Goals — and to have our teachers see their students in a different light.”

Having teachers as coaches allows athletes to form stronger connections with them both in and out of practice, as well as the opportunity to ask any questions pertaining to the sport during school hours, according to Leaver.

“Initially there might be a little more trust when you have a teacher-coach because you know what to expect, you know that they’re always going to be there,” Leaver said. “They’re not going to leave all of a sudden, and if you have any questions you can talk to them during the day, not only at practice.”

While some students may find new coaches daunting due to lack of mutual recognition, those familiar with their teachers will already have more trust in the athletic relationship, according to Hong.

“It’s great having a teacher as a coach, especially a teacher that I’ve had, because you already know them,” Hong said. “I think the coach-player relationship should be based on a lot of trust, so it’s nice not having all of the awkward introductions at the beginning of the season.”