PWHS finds a gold medal director of athletics

Port Washington High School has found a new athletic director with remarkable athletic experience of his own.

The Port Washington-Saukville School Board on Monday approved the hiring of Nate Hinze, who as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball Team won a bronze medal in 2012 in London and a gold in Rio in 2016.

“I’m hopefully going to have the opportunity to represent our country and Port Washington High School at the 2021 Paralympics,” Hinze, a 2006 graduate of Cedar Grove-Belgium High School, said Tuesday.

The board also approved the hiring of Richfield Middle School Principal Jeff Carron as principal of Saukville Elementary School.

Hinze, in addition to serving as athletic director, will be an assistant principal at Port High.

Aside from his background as an athlete, Hinze, 31, has experience organizing scholastic sports and as a teacher. 

As a middle school athletic director in the Sheboygan School District, he spent two-and-a-half years organizing seven-sport athletic programs at each of the district’s three middle schools. 

He is currently a phy-ed teacher at Wilson Elementary School in Mequon and lives in Cedar Grove with his wife and two young children.

Supt. Michael Weber described Hinze as outgoing, organized and student-focused.

“He connected extremely well with the coaches and administrators on the interview team,” Weber said. “He talked a lot about how important extracurricular activities, in addition to athletics, are in the lives of students.”

Hinze said he followed news of the $45.6 million renovation and reconstruction of Port High and is looking forward to working in a school with state-of-the art facilities.

“It’s quite a place,” he said, noting he took a tour of the school during the interview process. “It gets you excited to work there and in a community that supports education and teachers.”

Hinze will replace Thad Gabrielse, who earlier this year was named Port High principal to replace Eric Burke. Burke is leaving the district at the end of June to become superintendent of the Rhinelander School District. 

Hinze and Gabrielse begin their new jobs on July 1.

Hinze will be paid $90,000 a year.

Carron, 34, has worked as a middle and elementary school principal for the last four years and was a member of the team that oversaw the consolidation of the Richfield and Friess Lake school districts into the Holy Hill Area School District in 2018.

Prior to that, Carron was an instructional coach, elementary school dean of students and fourth-grade teacher in the Wauwatosa School District.

Weber said Carron’s ability to connect with people stood out in the interview process. 

“People are really going to enjoy working with him,” Weber said. 

Carron, who lives in Cedarburg with his wife and two young children, was interviewed via video conference and has yet to see the inside of Saukville Elementary School.

“I’ve actually parked outside the school and peeked in the windows,” he said. “It was definitely an interesting interview process, but it worked well.”

Carron will succeed Chad Brakke, who is leaving Saukville Elementary School to become superintendent of the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District beginning July 1.

Carron will be paid $95,000.