By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Aaron Male’s choice to pursue a career as an educator was influenced by the positive role models that filled his life throughout his academic and athletic careers.

Field athletic director Aaron Male

He felt the positive impact they had on his life, and he watched how they did the same for those around him.

Now it is his turn.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher and a coach. I always enjoyed working with kids, and growing up, I always enjoyed school,” said the new Field High School athletic director. “I want to have the same positive impact on kids that role models had on me.”

Male, who was hired in May, graduated from Ellet High School in 2012 and Walsh University in 2016.

He played football and baseball at Ellet, earning a football scholarship as a running back at Walsh University.

His coaching resume includes stints in football, basketball, track and field and strength and conditioning. Before being hired at Field, Male was a math teacher at Marlington and most recently Mogadore.

Male is already familiar with the Falcon community, with his parents residing in Suffield and his wife, Marysa, being an intervention specialist at Field Middle School.

“I have been fortunate to already have a sense of the community, and I never had a bad experience so I knew it was a great school, with a great staff, community and coaches,” Male said. “I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of.”

Since joining the district in May, nothing has changed Male’s opinion.

“I am excited about the opportunity and to be part of an athletic department that has so many coaches with a lot of experience,” Male said. “I am excited to learn from them and to get to know them better.”

Male replaces Brian Misanko, who is remaining in the district as the shared assistant principal at the Brimfield and Suffield elementary buildings.

He said his philosophy begins with putting academics first.

“Playing in a sport should be an extension of the classroom. There is something to learn every day, and we want to encourage our student-athletes to be lifelong learners,” Male said. “There are life lessons no matter what sport you play, and I am a firm believer that every student should get involved in some kind of extracurricular activity that fits their interest. That is where you can learn how to deal with adversity and learn how to put things into perspective.”