Deer Park High School Joined by New Stag Athletic Director

New Deer Park High School Athletic Director Eric Sivertson has had to "hit the ground running" as he takes over the Stag athletic program and prepares for the fall sports seasons. Sivertson said he was hired on Aug. 21 and began work just three days later while still helping his former home, the Manson School District on the shores of Lake Chelan, begin their school year.

He was also their operations manager, which included being in charge of the district’s transportation. Sivertson comes to Deer Park after 13 years in Manson, which was preceded by a stint as an event center manag- er as well as a stop at Tacoma Baptist School, where he coached. After graduating from Eatonville High School in 1996, Sivertson said he spent two years in the broadcast journalism program at Washington State University.

After- wards, he transferred to Trinity Bible College where he played basketball for two years before ending up at Northern State University where he earned a marketing degree. His careers at Tacoma Baptist and Manson saw him undertake assistant coaching positions with the basketball programs. This experience, he said, provides him with empathy for the coaches he now oversees.

Sivertson said he was drawn to the Deer Park opening by the positive feedback he received from athletic directors he knew in the area. He also cited that, while Deer Park is growing rapidly, they have not lost the "small town feel." He emphasized "nothing is broken" when stating his goals of continuing to grow and build the Stag athletic program and brand, looking to build on the small town culture, and balancing athletics with academics. His wife, Brittany, is a kindergarten teacher and will remain in Manson this school year.

They have a son, Gabe, who is a junior at Purdue University in West La- fayette, Ind., majoring in nuclear engineering, and a daughter, Ameila, who is a freshman at the Uni- versity of Hawaii major- ing in marine biology