Education:
- Went to Michigan State University to earn his teaching degree
- Worked in Michigan as a science teacher and coached football
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Athletic director
- Facilities
- PRIDE group leader for the English and health/physical education departments
Starr’s Mill welcomes assistant principal and athletic director Rick Fontaine to the Panther family.
Originally teaching in Michigan as a science teacher and coaching football, Fontaine moved to Georgia in 2017 and recently got hired for his position back in May of this year.
“I enjoyed being around students and enjoyed the coaching aspect and began coaching football and substitute teaching when I was 23 years old, right out of college,” Fontaine said. “I enjoyed the life so much that I went and got my teaching degree. The rest is history. I’ve been coaching football and teaching chemistry for my entire career until I started this job.”
After moving to Georgia, he worked as a science teacher and football coach at McIntosh High School. Fontaine originally wanted to become a doctor, but when he started teaching, he changed his ambitions.
He believes as an assistant principal it is important to be fair and help students grow as individuals through discipline, not just to punish them. A role model of his is his old co-worker Sue Young who was the AP chemistry teacher at the first school he worked at in Michigan.
“I think it’s important to be fair and discipline is not to necessarily punish students. It’s to correct behavior and improve them to be adults one day,” Fontaine said. “There’s a fine line between making students get in trouble and punishing them. Then they don’t learn their lesson. I think that’s not getting anywhere. We need to make sure students are growing as individuals through discipline.”
After a long day during the school week, Fontaine enjoys playing golf and spending time with his two kids. He enjoys being their number one supporter when it comes to their soccer schedule. Furthermore, he likes to relax and sit by the pool when he has free time.