APPLETON — Appleton is a sleepy little community with a small school full of eager students and a dedicated staff of professionals. The town is not often in the news — as residents tend to go about their lives, stay out of the mainstream and the public eye, and are happy to do so.

However, there is one teacher, and coach, at Appleton Village School who has made many in the community not only take notice, but speak up about his coaching, as well as his character. The good thing, is for a change it is all good. We hear so much about bad coaches, and there is even a new television show coming out this season about the subject.

Jared Todd is a second-grade teacher at Appleton Village School. He is also the coach of the school’s boys basketball team. When you meet Todd for the first time the very first thing you see is a smiling man. And once you talk to him you start to understand why everyone feels the way they do. A genuine nice guy that is not as new to the work world as his very youthful looks would would make you think.

“This is my 13th year of teaching. I began teaching middle school at Chelsea Elementary School, where I also coached boys basketball and girls soccer,” said Todd. “After five years at Chelsea, I married my wife, Kristi, and I was hired at Camden-Rockport Elementary School during the same summer. I taught seventh-grade social studies for two years and coached soccer, basketball and track. This is now my sixth year teaching second-grade at Appleton Village School and there is no place I would rather be. I love teaching second-grade and the staff at AVS is outstanding. Linda Blackler, the AVS first-grade teacher, and I share students. I teach first- and second-grade math, while she teaches first- and second-grade language arts. At AVS, I have also coached girls’ basketball, co-ed soccer, and this is my second year coaching boys basketball.”

Todd takes the classroom very seriously, but he teaches as he coaches — with respect, understanding and a desire to help his students, and his players grow and learn. He is a person that members of the community are very happy to have in their school.

As Sarah Conant, a lifelong member of the community and mother of one of the players said, “he is a role model” — you don't get much higher praise than that in life.

“My greatest responsibility as a second-grade teacher at AVS is to know and understand each of my students,” said Todd. “Every child has different talents and needs. I work to create a classroom that is responsive to all of their unique learning styles. Children need to feel safe to take risks and ask questions, so I am responsible for establishing a classroom environment where they feel safe as learners. I am also responsible for using data to see where students are performing and use that information to give them the instruction that they need. Each child learns differently and achieves at his or her own pace. Students need to be provided with engaging opportunities to practice and build upon the skills where they are already secure. The challenge for me is to identify where each of my students is achieving academically, and help move them ahead to the next level. It is really the exact same responsibility that I have as a middle school coach.”

Watching these young children grow and become responsible people is important to Todd. Both in the classroom and on the court. Being a teacher gives him an advantage on the court with the older middle school children as well. Not only does he start teaching these children in the second-grade, but by the time they are in sixth-, seventh- and eight-grade, he can be teaching them again on the court of the game he loves himself.

“My favorite thing about teaching is observing my students growing in confidence and maturity as they develop new skills,” said Todd. “I am energized by seeing my second-graders challenging themselves, persevering through difficult tasks, and finally celebrating when they know they have done their best. I get a lot of high-fives and fist bumps from kiddos as they see themselves making progress. There is nothing more rewarding than being approached by a child who is excited to share that she has just worked through a difficult problem and wants a new challenge.”

Even role models need help and for Todd working at AVS, help comes in many forms, both in the classroom and in the gym. Funds for different things teachers want and need are always a challenge, but at AVS, Todd has found the parents and community members more than willing to help out in both the classroom and the gym.

“Appleton is a very special community. Parents and community members are always asking how they can help and they step up wherever they can fill a need,” he said. “Some of the things we provide for students, like field trips, would not be possible without the help of parents. When we host basketball games, we rely upon parent volunteers to keep the score book, operate the clock and supervise the concession stand. In my own classroom, for example, I have a parent who volunteers her time during math class every Tuesday. Another parent recently helped set up a Skype discussion between my students and her brother-in-law, who was doing scientific research in Antarctica. Earlier this year, I asked for an expensive classroom rug. A parent got it for me. There are countless other examples throughout the building of parents and community members having a positive impact on our school. Visitors frequently comment on the positive energy and friendly atmosphere at AVS.”

That kind of community makes it easy for anyone to come away with a positive outlook and Todd exemplifies it in everything he does. His players speak very highly of their coach and across the board in talking with them his positive attitude, and his willingness to support make him a coach that they want and desire to play for.

“He taught me how to become a good offensive player,” said eighth-grader Cooper Twitchell. “I think coach has done a really good job with what we have. Seven players and we have done good because Coach Todd is a good coach and knows what to do with us.”

Justin Twitchell, Coopers’ dad, praised Todd for the work he has done not just for his son, but for all the players on the team.

“I think he has made them all realize it is a team, not just a couple of good players carrying everyone,” said Twitchell. “He has made them realize they need everyone and that is what makes a team.”

Cooper Twitchell is an exceptional basketball player with exciting skills for someone his age. He also is one of the most giving players on the team. For his dad, it is what Cooper has learned from Todd beyond the game that really matters.

“By all means, this year I have seen him become more unselfish than most players with his skill level and height,” said Twitchell. “He is probably the first on the team to give up the ball, even when he has a clear open shot. He has, I think, learned the value of his team and knows that when he helps his team that his team helps him.”

Todd, who graduated from Cony High School in Augusta, himself had a teacher and coach that inspired him when he was in middle school and hopes he can do the same for someone. He has at this time reached his goal of wanting to be involved with middle school age children for that very reason.

“When I was in middle school, I had a teacher at St. Mary’s School in Augusta who had an enormous impact on my life,” said Todd. “Mr. Hickey was my social studies teacher for three years and he helped coach basketball. He was an outstanding teacher and role model. He also inspired me to become a teacher. My adolescent years were really important in my development as a person. I was fortunate to have a very loving and supportive family, as well as teachers who cared deeply about me. Because of these positive experiences during my most formative years, I have always wanted to be involved at the middle school level. My hope is that my players have a positive experience and one day they are motivated to give back to their communities.”

Todd went on to say he has always been inspired by the words of Coach Al McGuire, who once remarked, “Help one kid at a time. He'll maybe go back and help a few more. In a generation, you’ll have something.”

Todd appears well on his way to accomplishing just that.

Another player on the team, Ethan Ford, had nothing but great things to say about his coach. He has played for Todd for two seasons now and like everyone else, relates to the positive attitude Todd brings to the court.

“I like how he always has a positive effort,” said Ford. “He never yells at the refs, he is always positive and I like his work ethic, it’s all fundamentals.”

When asked how he would rate his coach, without a blink of an eye Ford said, “A 10 on a scale of 1-10, no question.”

Too many people coaching and teaching are looked at as two different things. That is until you do both and then you realize how much they are alike. As a teacher you are constantly coaching your students to get the best out of them. As a coach, you are always teaching either the game you are coaching or the life lessons that come from that sport.

“I am both a classroom teacher and a coach,” said Todd. “For me, the two are inseparable. I approach teaching as a coach, and coaching as a teacher. In both of these situations, it is important to use your observations to identify what students need and how to challenge them to move ahead to the next set of skills. Students will rise to these challenges if they know that you care about them. I believe that you can accomplish a lot with children by believing in them, being enthusiastic and showing that you are passionate about the things you are teaching.”

Seventh-grader Myles Kelley may have said it best when talking about his coach. Kelley started playing last year as a sixth-grader that had never played basketball before.

“It’s just different, barely any pressure,” said Kelley. “He is such a good coach, he never says anything bad about you, he just keeps helping you. He is so positive.”

Kelley also talked about two of his teammates, Twitchell and Ford, and how they have helped him and made him feel like he belonged.

“[Having them] is really good because they do most of the work,” said Kelley with a smile. “They give me a lot of confidence. It feels good.”

When asked what was more important to him, teaching the game or teaching the lessons from the game, Todd’s answer did not surprise.

“Research shows that children who participate in sports do better in school, are physically healthy and feel better about themselves,” said Todd. “Organized sports helped me to focus on school and stay out of trouble. They prepared me to collaborate with others and develop important life skills that simply cannot be taught through a textbook. Many of the successes that middle school athletes experience have nothing to do with winning games. It is really about working toward becoming your best and responding positively to setbacks. School sports provide an authentic context for adolescents to develop these skills in a fun and supportive environment.”

Todd continued, “I have a wonderful opportunity as a coach to share my love for the game of basketball with others. I enjoy playing, coaching, watching and reading about the game. I grew up watching the Celtics during the Larry Bird era and I have been hooked ever since. Growing up, my brother and I used to shovel our driveway in the winter so that we could shoot hoops. I still play on a men’s league basketball team at the Waldoboro Baptist Church. Through basketball, I have formed strong friendships and enjoyed some magical moments. Right now, my two sons are just getting interested in playing basketball. I hope that my own boys discover a sport, hobby, musical instrument or some other interest that captures their imagination and gives them something positive that they can connect with on a physical and emotional level for the rest of their lives.”

One of the most difficult questions asked of Todd was to talk about his players, yet the following remarks from him tell anyone that reads this just what kind of a coach and a man he is. His team went from last place last season to third place this season, something both he and his players are proud of. They did it by being a team, helping each other and believing in each other.

“The Wildcats have three eighth-grade captains who have helped the team come together: Dakota Deane, Cooper Twitchell and Ethan Ford,” he said. “The eighth-graders on our basketball team have provided phenomenal leadership and have helped the seventh-graders develop the confidence that they need to be impact players. Cooper Twitchell and Ethan Ford are the team’s two most experienced players and they have been well coached from a very early age. Dakota Deane began playing organized basketball in middle school and he quickly matured into consistent three-point threat. With only seven players on the team, no game is ever easy. The team understands that whatever success we achieve, we will achieve together.

He continued, “Cody Pascal, Colby Strout, Joby Byrd and Myles Kelley are seventh-graders on the team. As the seventh-graders have experienced small successes on the court, they have become more confident. The more confident they have become, the more they have been able to make meaningful contributions to the team through important defensive stops, rebounds, assists and made baskets. Every player knows that if he runs the floor and gets open, he will get a pass and a chance to shoot. Last year, a lot of those passes were dropped or resulted in turnovers. Nobody got discouraged, however, and now those same situations result in made baskets. I know a lot of middle school players would have a hard time passing the ball ahead to a teammate who might struggle to catch the pass. These players, however, continued to make those passes so that others could improve. The result is that our team started becoming more competitive. Throughout the season, the eighth-graders have been the constant, while the seventh-graders have improved dramatically. Teams used to specifically focus on stopping Ethan and Cooper. If they try to do that now, the other players on the floor have the skills to make them pay.”

In Appleton, seven very lucky players are coached by a man who feels he is the lucky one. The kids respect him, trust him, are grateful for the time he spends with them and what he teaches them. Someday they will understand that it is what he learns from them that makes him be, as Miss Conant said, “a role model.”

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Ron Hawkes can be reached at hawkesnews@gmail.com.