Athletic Director Michael Jackson was nominated for the Ted Damko Best Athletic Director Award Friday, March 28. District Seven councilors hand-selected Jackson, nominating him for the competition against 50 other schools in the district.
The Ted Damko award was established in 2022 and recognizes athletic directors with five or fewer years of experience who have made significant contributions to their schools, leagues, districts, and/or states.
“The connections that I’ve made with people over time, and the relationships I have built with coaches that I have worked with allowed me to open doors to our students here,” said Jackson.
The awards are presented at the MSSADA conference in March, typically in Cape Cod. The night is an opportunity for athletics administrators and athletes from all over the state to connect, celebrate, and learn from each other, with the award presentation being the highlight of the conference.
According to junior Mathaios Stamm, who is next year’s boys’ basketball captain, Jackson has served as a great mentor and overall supporter during his time in basketball at North. “When our coach got suspended, Jackson took up a bigger role. He’s always around our team, taking kids aside and teaching them,” said Stamm.
Jackson began working as North’s valued athletic director four years ago. Since his arrival, the athletic department has won the sportsmanship award, and multiple championships including girls’ volleyball three times, boys’ volleyball, girls’ indoor track, boys’ indoor track, girls’ outdoor track, and boys’ outdoor track.
Prior to his career at North, Jackson was a D1 men’s basketball coach for nineteen years. He spent four years at Providence College, one at Purdue University, five at University of Michigan, two at University of Dayton, two at University of Toledo, and five at the University of Detroit. He became Needham’s assistant athletic director in 2017,before becoming North’s athletic director. The skills and relationships he honed during his time as a coach continuously helped him to be a better athletic director, Jackson said.
According to executive assistant Chelsea Cedrone, Jackson prioritizes making every team feel loved and attends at least one game for every sport per season. “Mike shows up to show support for the athletes, making them feel included,” she added.
Stamm added that his most memorable moment from Jackson was when he pulled the basketball team aside after the NTA teachers’ strike last year to share encouraging words.
“Coming back from the teacher strike, he had a really good talk with the team, bringing everyone together, and saying how he was proud of us for getting back and getting a couple wins in the playoffs,” said Stamm.
Jackson added that he believes relationship building is the foundation to any successful operation, not just sports. His ability to act quickly and problem-solve has also helped him in his role as athletic director. Additionally, being a good listener and communicator, organization, and time management are also skills that have supported his achievements, according to Jackson.
Upon entering the job, Jackson prioritized conversations with North’s coaches and the overall athletic community. He learned what the community liked, what it disliked, what it needed, and what it wanted to change. Jackson said productive communication helped his understanding of North’s culture.
“My biggest goal was to create a really equitable and inclusive athletic department, where students of color, students with disabilities, and female students all felt included and had a safe place,” said Jackson.
Assistant athletic director Allison Manzella added that the most important thing is that the kids feel important, and she feels that Jackson does an excellent job at putting the kids first.
“At the January 2nd indoor track meet this year, a graduate from last year came up and hugged Jackson saying, ‘It is so nice that you come, it makes us feel so appreciated’,” said Manzella.
Vice principal Amy Winston, who works closely with the athletic department, said implementing consistent and effective communication with parents, teachers, and students on Parent Square has been one of the main changes the athletic department has executed. Additionally, the athletic department has also brought back 8th grade night to help incoming students learn about the different athletic programs North offers.
“Learning the governing body, then Newton North, the departments, the staff and people, and the community was the biggest challenge when I first came,” said Jackson. “I had to learn all of that while I was here, and I am still learning.”
According to Jackson, he maintains an optimistic view and sees no goal as unattainable. Looking to the future, he added that he would like to continue the progress of inclusion and equality in the athletic department and continue the growth of Ultimate teams and girls’ golf, recently established sports.
Additionally, Winston added that she hopes North will be able to provide athletics to students as an extracurricular or intramural sport in the future, further strengthening Jackson’s goal of inclusion and equal opportunities for all.
Reflecting on North athletics as a whole, Jackson said he ultimately hopes that all student athletes leave North better than they started, and for coaches to help them achieve that. “From a competitive standpoint, I hope they maximize what they have, which is different for every team,” he said. “I think if they focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves.”
