PLEASANT HILL – Pleasant Hill High School’s Assistant Principal and Athletic Director, Kyle McClain, told The Chronicle on Friday that he would not be returning to Pleasant Hill next year.
He would instead be fulfilling a long-overdue dream of living in a lush, river-flowing, snow-kissed mountain environment: Wyoming.
“I’ve always wanted to live in one of those Big Sky states,” McClain said on Monday. “I love to fly fish and be outdoors. It’s a beautiful area of the country that I always wanted to live in. Also, it’s the right time in my life and in my career to spread my wings and see what’s out there.”
McClain accepted the position of activities director at Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyo. Star Valley is a bigger school that has about 1,000 students compared to Pleasant Hill’s 500. He also leaves behind his managerial roles of attendance and student behaviour, and instead adds a pay raise and a centralized focus on athletics.
“I’ll be solely focused on my passion,” McClain said. “The scope is bigger, but I feel like I’m going to excel in it, because I will have the time to really focus on what I feel is important.”
‘Ready for this’
McClain leaves after three years at Pleasant Hill, where he worked to build a local foundation from nearby area schools. It started in 2015, when he began his journey as the head wrestling coach at Class 5A Springfield High School. There, he worked under current Springfield Athletic Director Audrea Shelley until 2019.
“I think he’s ready for this role,” Shelley said Monday about his new position. “I think he’s pretty dialed in on administrative and athletic director work.
“I think he’ll rock it over there. I’m excited to see him grow and see him do great things. I feel like he got a start here at Springfield and kept growing and bettering his career,” she said.
“That was another experience that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” McClain said about Springfield. “I’m still in contact with a lot of those kids, ranging from going to their weddings to hanging out with them in social settings.”
In 2019, McClain moved to Class 1A North Douglas, where he “wore many hats,” including PE teacher, head wrestling coach, dean of students, and athletic director until 2022.
“That’s kind of where I began my career as an athletic director,” McClain said. “Then, Pleasant Hill gave me the opportunity as an admin that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Pleasant Hill is where I began my career as an administrator.
“I’ve learned a ton of lessons from this position and from this experience that I’ll bring with me to my new position. But ultimately, I’m very thankful for my supervisors and for my mentors. They really helped mold me into the professional that I am today. I’ve been very fortunate and very thankful for where I have been and the experiences from these positions.”
Pleasant Hill Principal Chris Reiersgaard has known McClain only for a year and a half. However, he acknowledged the profound loss that McClain will have on Pleasant Hill and also shared that he was always privy to McClain’s dream.
“It’s gonna be a huge hit to Pleasant Hill High School,” Reiersgaard said. “But it’s what he dreamed of. It’s something that he talked about a lot before going there. It wasn’t a surprise to the people who are close to him here.”
Reiersgaard listed the biggest aspects they’ll miss was McClain’s rapport with students, his school spirit, and coach support.
“It’s gonna be a huge void for the kids,” Reiersgaard said. “The fact that the kids have written some very heartfelt goodbyes to him already. … Kyle has a talent for drumming up school support and bringing it up to a level where kids have fun – they really respond to him. If you watch him on the court, you’ll see him lead cheers, bring out the T-shirt cannon, and shout from the stands. He’s also a coach’s athletic director first. He’s always available to the coaches and holds his preseason coaches meetings. He’s a big coach supporter.”
Similar environment
Although McClain is a little nervous about his transition to a bigger school in a state where he is unknown, he is ultimately excited for the “new beginning, to know new people and to be a part of a new community.” Reiersgaard also mentioned the fact that although Star Valley High School is bigger, it is a similar environment to Pleasant Hill. Despite the size, Star Valley is the only high school in Afton, which has a population of 2,300 residents.
“It’s very much something he’s used to,” Reiersgaard said. “He’s going to a smaller environment again, so I’m sure he’ll build the relationships super fast. I think he’ll make it fun. Obviously, we don’t know who the athletic director was beforehand and what shoes he’s filling, but if he just continues to be Kyle, the kids are going to love him.”
Though sadness will be felt, McClain made one thing certain to tell Pleasant Hill:
“These aren’t just colleagues. They’re friends, and I know that I’ll continue to stay in touch with them. And for the coaches, I’m always going to be there for them, whether it’s a text message or a phone call or trip out to Oregon to watch them play.”
Biggest Accomplishments
■ Creating the Student Athlete Leadership Council
■ Sustaining a well-rounded program
■ Hiring a well-qualified pool of coaches
Biggest Highlights
■ 2025 3A Pleasant Hill basketball playoffs
■ Pleasant Hill volleyball
■ Building relationships in the Pleasant Hill community
