New Brentwood Assistant Principal Worked in Rockwood and City Schools

New Brentwood High School assistant principal and athletic director Stephen Ayotte is happy to be back in the same building as school kids.

He started out teaching and coaching in the Rockwood School District, and after getting a masters in administration, became an administrator at the district level for 10 years.

“It was great but it took me out of the classroom, and contact with students themselves,” he said.

In an effort to get back more in touch with kids, he went to Confluence Academy, in St. Louis city.

“These kids really need educators there,” he said. “Loved the opportunity, loved the kids, they had quite a few issues. I was there as an assistant principal for a semester, then they let the principal go, so I was the only administrator in the building.”

At the end of the year he was asked to be director for all five secondary Confluence schools. He said it fit his skill set, but again, it took him out of the school. He started looking for a position in a district similar to the small school he went to.

“I graduated from St. Pius,” he said. “I liked where your English teacher is your football coach, is your math club sponsor. So when I was looking this year, I was only looking at communities like Maplewood Richmond Heights and Brentwood.”

This is Ayotte’s first time as an athletic director. He’s coached football, track, baseball and his daughter’s softball teams. He said as long as everything is running smoothly and nobody notices him, it means he’s doing the job.

He told a story about his daughter grounding out in a softball game. She was ecstatic after the at-bat, and every girl in the dugout cheered her. That’s the attitude he likes in a team and community.

“My philosophy with athletics is, it’s up to our coaches to provide training to the kids, but the most important thing for them to get out of athletics are the intangibles that bring your kids and community together,” he said.

Ayotte and his wife, Stephanie, have two girls and a boy. The oldest is ten. He said expect to see them at games.

“We enjoy being parents,” he said. “We have a deep faith. We believe that the family is the unit you base that on. We do everything for them.”

Ayotte fills the spot left by Dr. Ed Johnson, who will become Brentwood's principal on July 1. Ayotte is currently working on a doctorate degree at Maryville University.