Photo courtesy of Tracy Douglas
Tears are shed as goodbyes are said, but new opportunities come to light.
After 31 years at Hastings High School, Athletic Director (AD) Tracy Douglas will be retiring on June 30, 2026.
She is moving on to be the assistant AD for Hastings College starting in the fall of the 2026-2027 school year. Douglas knew she would eventually take this role at the college but did not expect it to be so soon.
“The change and doing something different is exciting but also a little nerve racking,” Douglas said. “I did not want to let it go by without knowing if another position would come up.”
Retiring from Hastings High brings back memories for Douglas. A picture of the student section at a basketball game from the 2018-2019 season sits on a cabinet in Douglas’ room — a reminder of her favorite moment at the high school.
“It was a great game with an awesome atmosphere and a massive student section,” Douglas said. “It was a lot of fun and I loved seeing our students come together like that.”
As a former basketball and volleyball player, and coach for the high school, Douglas has a love for sports and helping young athletes.
“Hastings High has shaped so many chapters of my life,” Douglas said, “From student to teacher, assistant principal, and Activities Director, each role has been meaningful in its own way.”
Douglas taught social studies for 12 years, assistant principal for six years, and has now been the athletics director for 13 years. Having been with Hastings High for so long, Douglas has made many friends, one of them being assistant Activities Director Lance Creech.
“I have known Mrs. Douglas for a long time… I am just a month older than her, so through sports we know a lot of the same people from our high school and college playing days,” Creech said. “She is the best ‘boss’ that I’ve ever worked for.“
She is passionate about being a female in her line of work seeing as there are so few of them in class A and B. In the last 13 years there has been an increase of females in athletic leadership positions. When she had started she was one of a small number of females in positions similar to her own.
“I think it’s pretty cool to look around the room at our board meetings and see so many females in these positions,” Douglas said.
Douglas is sad to leave, but she believes that it will be good for Hastings High to have someone new in the position with new ideas.
“It is hard for me to think about someone taking my place,” Douglas said. “But if I were to choose, just someone who relates well with coaches and athletes. I believe it’s important to have that relationship, as well as someone who is organized and communicates.”
The person stepping up as the new AD for Hastings High is Bryan Vetter, activities director and assistant principal at Hastings Middle School.
“I am excited to work with Mr. Vetter, our recently appointed AD, but I will miss working with T-Dougie!” Creech said.
As Douglas moves onto new opportunities, she remains grateful for the years she has spent at the school.
“I know a time will come when I walk out [of] this door, it’s gonna be really hard,” Douglas said with tears. “I know this is a good thing though, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”
