Exeter Blue Hawks Welcome the New Athletic Director  

This school year is a new year, especially in the Exeter Athletics Department. After 26 years, long-time Athletic Director Bill Ball announced his departure from the position during the 23-24 school year. 

After that announcement, questions were forming about who would take on the role: some thought it would be someone already in the department while others believed it would be a completely new person. Soon after, it was revealed that Assistant Principal Cathy Clermont would be the new face.

Clermont has been an assistant principal at Exeter High School for 7 years, starting in 2017. Since the beginning of her career, she has been named the NHIAA Class S Athletic Director of the Year in 2007-2008 while at Linwood Public School as well as receiving the New Hampshire Teacher of the Year for Adaptive Physical Education in 2014-15 at CMS. Clermont has spent 28 years in education, for 21 of those years, she was involved in athletics.

Clermont is Ready to Go Back to Her Roots

Clermont is familiar with the athletic piece of teaching, before her time at EHS she started as a teacher and coach before becoming athletic director at Bethlehem, New Hampshire profile school. After that, she went on to Lincoln New Hampshire where once again she worked as an athletic director along with being a PE teacher, and health teacher.

“So I started my career in athletics and wellness. And I went to school to be an athletic trainer and then a PE teacher, and then I just always love sports,” she states.

What’s better than trying to understand what is to be brought to the table, than going to the source itself?  

Obviously, with a new director, there are going to be changes in the way things work and the way we all work with it. Clermont wants everyone to know that nothing has changed. Yes, a new person may be in the athletic department, but the door will open whenever you need something. She wants everyone to remember this message.

“I think that I work hard and that I'm here to be supportive of what people need and, just making sure that they feel like I think one of the big things about that athletic office is the door's always been open with Coach [Ball], always, always been open.”

It's a new year but with the same plan, it's about supporting the program and supporting the students. 

“What I want to accomplish is to continue to support the success of Exeter Athletics and student-athletes and continue to build on that pride that we have because, as I heard it described once, so these aren't my words, but someone said ‘we have really good bones.'” When talking about how she plans on helping student-athletes, Clermont said,  “I think that I can support and help balance [as well as] just being able to communicate with people.” 

When Clermont started working as the new AD she had the excitement of being back in athletics. 

“I didn't coach as an assistant principal. My last coaching gig, so to speak, was when I was at the middle school, and I haven't coached since I became an administrator and assistant principal. So being back into athletics beyond being a spectator is what I'm most excited about.” 

It's not about making any sort of history or mark at EHS. Clermont just wants to continue the legacy of the athletic director before, but also put her own spin on things.

Morrissette’s Support of The New AD

Clermont is not starting from scratch, as Coach Ball’s longtime “right-hand woman,” Kristen Morissette is continuing in the role of administrative assistant to the AD. Morissette has nothing but wonderful things to say about Coach Ball, but she is so excited to see the new things Clermont will bring to the table. Since Morissette is truly seeing the big chance firsthand, we thought it would be best to interview her and see what she has to say.

Morissette went to Somersworth High School and then Plymouth State College. She led the Exeter High School varsity Softball team to a 2019 and 2022 championship win. Along with coaching varsity softball, she is also the freshman volleyball coach for Exeter. She has lots of experience in sports, so it makes perfect sense why she is our athletic administrator and administrative assistant in athletics. 

Her job covers a lot of responsibilities with some very important duties.

“It's making sure schedules are correct, scheduling buses, getting paperwork for the officials to be paid, making sure athletes have their physicals in, are signed up on family ID, and then just the day-to-day operations, making sure the coaches are all set. We have workers for the games, helping Clermont with anything she needs. So, yeah, just helping out in, you know, day-to-day things with athletics, and that's a fun thing because no day is ever the same.”

Morissette is constantly helping Clermont with whatever she needs or wants. We asked Morissette what Clermont has brought to the table so far. She adds, “It's been enjoyable, working so far with Clermont. She has very good ideas. She's very good with the computer, and… I think we've formed a good team and, you know, working together and kinda getting things up to date and catching up.”

Morissette’s commentary on Clermont is all very positive. She can’t wait to see what Clermont will further accomplish as the new athletic director. Although she does have big shoes to fill up to Coach Ball's name, we all know she will also do great things alongside Morissette's help. 

The success of Exeter Athletics is one that we hope to continue. Clermont hopes that she will continue to be able to support the programs Exeter has to offer, the upsets, the success, and most importantly to support the students. Clermont wants people to know that “The door still remains open…come down and talk to Coach Morissette or myself or anybody down in athletics if you need anything…if you want to talk today, let’s do it.”