New Trier Hires New Athletic Director for 2016-17 School Year

This report is from the New Trier High School website.

Augustino “Augie” Fontanetta, a veteran suburban high school athletic director who began his career at New Trier High School, has been hired as the new athletic director for New Trier District 203 beginning July 1.

Fontanetta will succeed current New Trier Athletic Director Randy Oberembt, who is retiring June 30 after more than 25 years in education and nine years at New Trier. The District 203 Board of Education approved Fontanetta’s hiring at its January regular meeting following a national search.

“Randy made innumerable contributions to our athletic program during his time at New Trier and is highly respected among both coaches and fellow athletic directors,” said District 203 Superintendent Linda Yonke. “It was no easy task to find his successor. I am so pleased to welcome Augie back to New Trier, and I am confident that he has the passion and vision to continue our Athletic Department’s success in creating positive opportunities for all students.”

Fontanetta began his career at New Trier in 1994 as a Kinetic Wellness teacher, adviser, and coach before moving to Fremd High School in 2008. He worked as the Athletic Director at Fremd for five years and is currently the Director of Athletics and Activities for District 211, a five-high school district that includes Conant, Fremd, Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Schaumburg.

New Trier’s interview committee was impressed by Fontanetta’s compassion, leadership, and vision.

“Augie clearly loves working with student-athletes and coaches alike,” said Winnetka Campus Principal Denise Dubravec. “He has strong leadership skills and an impressive track record in areas such as student leadership, coaches’ professional growth, and facilities development.”

Under Oberembt’s leadership, New Trier’s athletic program has expanded to include new sports such as rowing, cheerleading, and bass fishing. Athletic participation among students also has grown, and New Trier has continued its extraordinary record of success at the state, regional, sectional, and conference levels across all boys and girls sports.

Oberembt established a highly praised evaluation and professional development program for coaches that includes input from surveys of student-athletes. Supported by New Trier’s Booster Club, he also led the effort to bring artificial turf fields to the Northfield Campus, a move that has benefitted both the athletic and curricular programs as well as local youth sports. For all of these efforts and more, Oberembt earned a 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois High School Association.