VILLAGE SCHOOL OF NAPLES NAMES NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

VILLAGE SCHOOL OF NAPLES NAMES NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR; JOHN EGAN WILL OVERSEE FUTURE GROWTH OF SPORTS PROGRAMS

The Village School of Naples, an independent school serving students in Preschool through 12^th grade, today announced that it has appointed John Egan as its new Athletic Director. In this role, Egan will focus on building the Knights athletic program into one that attracts top student-athletes across Southwest Florida and abroad.

Egan comes to The Village School from Trumbull, Connecticut, where he has served as the Athletic Director at Christian Heritage School since 2012. He also has served as the school’s Varsity Girls Soccer Coach, turning the program around from a 3-15 record the year before his first year to winning a New England Championship in just six years.

In his prior position, Egan also started girls tennis, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, and swimming and diving programs. At Village School, Egan succeeds Cassie Barone, who left after five years to become Athletic Director at her alma mater, Naples High School.

“We are thankful to Cassie for introducing varsity competition as we added ninth through 12^th grades and we are further excited to see John take these programs to the next level,” said Dennis Chapman, Head of School for The Village School of Naples. “His vast experience and knowledge will help ensure that we continue to attract families who are committed to a great athletic experience, a great education, and a great arts program.”

Before his tenure at Christian Heritage School, Egan served as the Athletic Director and Boys Soccer Coach at Portsmouth Christian Academy in Dover, New Hampshire. He also has experience coaching collegiate men’s soccer at the NAIA and Division III levels.

Egan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Gordon College and a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on Athletic Administration from Springfield College.

Located at 6000 Goodlette-Frank Rd., The Village School of Naples originally began as The Caring Place Preschool in 1985 as an outreach at North Naples United Methodist Church. In 2000, the church relocated to the present campus location and added The Village School, beginning with K-2 and 37 students. In 2006, the school was accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Florida Kindergarten Council.

In 2009, parents asked The Village School for a middle school to be added and soon after added the middle school one grade a year to complete the eighth grade. Four years later, the Board of Directors voted to add an upper school division in the fall of 2017. A capital campaign followed, and the new division opened in August 2017 with 17 students.

In June 2020, The Village School celebrated its first-ever graduating class of seniors with a class of 12 students. The school projects to have more than 100 upper school students in the fall of 2021. For additional information, visit www.villageschoolnaples.org.