This year is a big change for Proctor Jr./Sr. High School’s new PE teacher and AD: Makenzi Bellando. It is her first year at Proctor as well as her first year as a PE teacher.

When Ms. Bellando heard about the openings at Proctor, she knew the positions were in the field she wanted to work in, but the community of the town was what pulled her in. 

  “I heard awesome things about the community and the athletic programs and just everybody here at Proctor. It was really convincing that I would have a lot of support here and not only from the school, but the members of the community and so far, I think I made the right decision,”  Bellando said.

The PE teacher position and teaching role in general is entirely new to Ms. Bellando; she went to school strictly to be an AD but found herself looking for more of a full-time position. She was drawn to having the opportunity to make connections with all of the students inside of the school rather than just the student athletes.

“A lot of the classes that I took in college lined up with some of the physical education classes that are needed anyway and so it was a great blend between the two of them and here I am,” Bellando said.

Her schooling experience started at Carver Middle High School in the small town of Carver, Massachusetts. It was a small high school much like Proctor, and the school was close to Cape Cod. At her school she was heavily involved in sports. “Soccer was what I really enjoyed. I played basketball and I grew up playing baseball and softball and then I did track one year and I just love it all,” Bellando said. 

Ms. Bellando carried this love of soccer and sports into college where she played soccer in college and ultimately decided to keep her studies in the sports field. She went to college at Castleton University which is now Vermont State University.

In her time playing soccer for the Spartans, she said on average they would have an even record and a few times they won their conference championships due to them playing better and experienced teams in the regular season. Ms. Bellando was a good goal scorer and distributor of the ball; she claims she was a “heck of a playmaker” during her soccer career.

In Ms. Bellando’s free time, she enjoys golf and playing sports as well as running, doing art, hanging out with friends, and always doing something to keep herself busy. Her favorite football team is the New England Patriots and she is a season ticket holder. 

Speaking about her first school year here, she says, “So far it’s been a joy. It’s been fun and a little bit overwhelming.” She adds, “I want to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone else, not only myself. I want you guys to enjoy being in my class and want to learn more about physical activity and sports and what we’re doing.”