Page 6 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2026 - Online Magazine

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Senior
Senior

Colin Madding

Administrator,

Mentor,

& More

by Deklan White

n paper, Mr. Colin Madding’s title is “principal,” has grown steadily over the past three years. What began
yet to me—and to many others—he is far more as a casual idea from three inexperienced students became
Othan an administrator. His roles extend beyond a full-fledged team that now competes at a high level.
managing a school: he is my soccer coach, a mentor for
our Kid Wind Engineering competitions, a spiritual Mr. Madding coached a novice group of teenagers
leader, and most of all, an adult role model who has with little soccer experience into a cohesive team that
instilled in me a grounded and pragmatic approach to made it to the playoffs in an unparalleled timeframe.
confront chaos in an uncertain world. What stood out to me the most, however, wasn’t wins,
losses, or even our improvement—it was his coaching
My classmates and I share a similar view that our philosophy. Instead of floundering in the face of failure or
relationship with him is distinctive. Mr. Madding came to criticism, he taught us to channel frustration into tenacity
our school as a technology teacher when we were eighth and composure rather than recklessness. Nearly every
graders, and his personality quickly won over everyone intense practice ended with one of his equally intense
in our grade. A year later, at the same time we entered motivational speeches. These were filled with lessons that
high school as freshmen, he entered as the high school transcended sports and applied to life itself. He taught us
principal. to maintain a competitive yet humble mindset, not only
on the field but also in every encounter beyond it.
Around the middle of freshman year, when the 2022
World Cup was underway, two friends and I became Another way I came to know Mr. Madding was through
captivated by soccer in a way we never had before. We our KidWind Engineering team, a club my friend founded
floated the idea of starting a soccer team to Mr. Madding, to design and build a model wind turbine for competition.
and to our surprise, he didn’t just nod and move on—he When we needed an advisor, Mr. Madding immediately
listened seriously. After gathering signatures of interest volunteered, despite his already busy schedule. He
and planning logistics, we launched a soccer program that encouraged us to think like engineers, which included

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