Dave Kelley has worked as a coach, teacher and athletic director for the CHS athletic department, and after 15 years of work, he will retire at the end of this year.
As of now, he plans to accept a part-time coaching job at the Soccer Association of Columbia, MD (SAC). He will mainly coach for their under-14 boys program, which is part of the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy.
“I decided to retire back in late fall,” Kelley said. “A friend of mine, John Ellenger, is a soccer director for SAC. It will be good to get back into coaching and work with a friend of mine.”
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Besides looking forward to getting back into coaching, which he refers to as his “love,” Kelley is drawn to SAC because it is part-time work. After working full-time at CHS for so
long, he looks forward to being able to slow down and relax.
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He also plans to work on fully recovering from the knee-replacement surgery he underwent in January, and is glad to have more time to play golf and not have to wake up early.
According to Principal Joan Benz, while the athletic department will not experience any drastic changes under the new director, who has not yet been chosen, the school will surely feel the loss of Kelley’s leadership.
“The school will adjust, but his knowledge and expertise will be hard to replace,” physical education teacher Don Higgins said. “Mr. Kelley knew what coaches needed, parents wanted and the support teams required.”
