A true triple threat, Leigh Block encases passion for coaching, teaching, and athletic directing. For the past 21 years, Block has worked in Athletic Administration, five of which have been at FWCD as the Athletic Director (AD). He also has 30 years of coaching and teaching experience.
Block was 14-years-old when he knew what he wanted to be in life: a basketball coach and a teacher. Not quite having the skills of a “pro baller,” yet impassioned about the sport, Block decided that he would coach basketball. Block has loved basketball ever since 1990, when Magic Johnson played with the Lakers. Johnson’s love of the game and apparent team skills caused Block to become besotted by the game. After this he knew he always wanted basketball in his life. When talking with his coach about which class he was going to teach—Block had originally decided on PE—his coach advised to make sure that he was teaching out of desire and not just because he wanted to be a coach; the teacher/coach rule- all coaches must be teachers- was very much intact during this time.
When faced with the challenge of deciding a course to teach, he looked towards two departments: English and math. Block ultimately decided to go into English because it is the biggest department and he would never be out of a job because English is in high demand.
“I know a lot of people go to college and don’t know what they’re going to do, which is great,” Block said. “But I’ve always been driven towards a singular goal and never really had any doubts. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t work in a school.”
Secure in his decision, Block went to Clemson University to get a degree in secondary education. He then furthered his knowledge by attaining a masters degree in English from the University of Florida. With all the skills needed, Block began his journey. Prior to FWCD, Block worked in Pennsylvania and Atlanta for a collective 27 years. It was during this stage of his life that Block found the position of AD.
One of the previous schools he worked at offered for Block to take on more coaching to reduce his class load. But to maintain proper teacher/coach job balance, Block and the head of school had to think of new possibilities. The head of school came up with the idea of AD, which gave Block more time to work on basketball and reduce his class load. Ever since then, Block has sustained a position in teaching/coaching/AD (minus his first year at FWCD, in which he did not teach).
After many years in other places, Block decided it was time for a change, which brought him to FWCD. He wanted to stretch himself professionally and personally. He had always had an underlying fascination with Texan music and food, anyways.
“So we kinda just rolled the dice and came out here, not knowing anybody. There’s a lot of learning anytime you take over an admin position, but I would say that the transition was pretty smooth,” said Block.
Since starting at FWCD, Block has made many contributions to the Country Day community. In the athletic department, some of the most noticeable changes are with the facilities. Facilities cover a lot, so for convenience there will be two categories here: big and small changes.
Big changes consist of the new stadium field, field hockey field (both of these being turf makes things more manageable), and the track. Smaller changes consist of graphics in the weight room, new square gym curtain that lowers from the ceiling, and monitors in the hallways that have highlights of students. Block made these changes because he believes that small things can go a long way. All of these things have helped to reimagine how the school can be better to serve the students and faculty.
Other than the facilities, he has also increased fundraising money for the booster club—the money from this goes to the teams or equipment—and he has increased student recognition: highlights sent to faculty and parents, athletic newsletter, and monitors with highlights. Decisions like these help to show his Falcon pride.
All of these changes have been made because Block believes in a healthy balance between academics and athletics. This is because he favors the teacher/coach model, and believes that this model has helped him to better understand what students are going through. This is especially shown through the nine teams and 40 individuals which have won SPC championships under his guidance.
“I like the teacher/coach model, where every coach that you had was a teacher, and you got to know them in a different light. We only have a handful of people in the high school that coach. I think that’s a real loss,” Block said.
However, Block’s outlook on this also stems from his belief in the students.
“He makes English class exciting and engaging,” said Trinity Contreras ‘27.
He wants students to excel in both academics and athletics. Colleagues describe Block as student-centered and committed to excellence.
“I was absolutely blown away after our first meeting about how passionate he is about literature, how passionate he is about teaching and writing, and how committed he is to his students and their success,” Catherine Collins, a fellow AP Literature and Composition teacher and chair of the English department, said.
But whatever Block is focusing on at the moment, he excels at it, which is why for the next year, he hopes the same excellence for students. He hopes to surpass last year’s performance in sports (even though there were great results all around) and to have students hone their writing and communication skills.
Block also hopes to leave a strong foundation for the next AD, so they can immediately do great things. He believes that this can become possible if the FWCD community works together towards a common goal.
“We have a really strong coaching staff that makes sure every sport is achieving the highest level it can, but to raise the bar, you need the whole school to be more involved in athletics and support it,” Block said.
