This year, Etowah High School was blessed with new assistant principal Matthew Renney. Though leaving coaching and teaching behind was a rough adjustment for Renney, he found comfort in Christianity, his faith, and his church family.
“I loved building the relationships with all the young men I had the honor to coach and mentor. I believe in Jesus Christ, and I have placed my full faith in him. My faith is extremely important to me, and that is what brings me absolute joy and gets me through each and every day and helps me to become a better man on and off the field,” Renney said.
Christianity and his unwavering faith are what keep him going through the more challenging days. He wholeheartedly believes that the Lord will not give him anything he cannot handle. Renney ties these morals into his coaching style, believing that sports, especially team sports, are all about being a family. Mr. Renney has loved being active and playing sports from a young age. He shared that when he was little, sports were always on the television, and his mother was always talking about them.
“Every day, our goal as a team was to get at least one percent better than the day before. We focused on what we could control as a team and put in the work each day. I tried to encourage my players every day to be positive role models and be accountable in all areas of their life,” Renney said.
Renney is a firm believer in becoming a better version of oneself each day. Before he became an assistant principal, Renney used to teach math. In addition, he coached football and men’s lacrosse at Creekview High School. Renney feels extremely blessed to have made such a positive impact on so many children’s lives, and he is looking forward to impacting many more.
“Just thinking about how I got to play a small part in each of their lives brings me so much joy, and I pray they continue that same mission to the next generation behind them. Leaving a legacy is what it is all about,” Renney said.
Although Renney had to leave behind the coaching and the teaching world, he is looking forward to great new beginnings. Etowah is looking forward to having him as the new assistant principal.
