Mrs. Abbigail Blanchard is a math teacher here at Foran, she not only teaches in the classroom but also serves as a coach for both the indoor track team and girls’ softball at Foran.
Blanchard balances both the teaching and coaching at our school, and with doing so she makes an impact on many students.Whether they are her student, an athlete on her team, or both she tries her hardest to make sure that they do their best and while still having fun.
Mrs. Blanchard is a math teacher and when it comes to teaching, Blanchard states, “This year I am teaching both Honors and regular Pre-Calculus. I am also in the numeracy center where I have the opportunity to help students in all math subjects.”
For the indoor track team,. Blanchard makes most of the workouts for the sprinters and jumpers doing track. This really helped everyone on the team to achieve new personal records and improve. In indoor track during SCC’s almost every boy who ran the 300m achieved a personal record, showing how much. Blanchard impacted them.
Senior William Batts states, “Mrs. B taught me breathing techniques during practice that would help me during the race because I usually have a hard time conserving energy. From these techniques and the contact endurance training she gave me I was able to drop my time really fast.”
In a recent interview she states, “During the school day, my focus is on teaching, trying to make engaging lessons and help students with math. Right when the final bell rings, I shift to coaching mode.”
She also states though, “During the busy part of softball or track season it does get tough to manage my time, but it is definitely worth it.”
This shows that it can get hard sometimes with the balance she has to do but she manages through it and is happy to do so.
Blanchard’s ability to switch through both of these responsibilities is tough. Teaching requires lots of time, planning, and effort to make sure the students are on task, staying engaged, and doing what they need to be doing.
Coaching is similar as it involves workouts that she has to plan out, and motivation to help the team do as best as they can. With the similarities and differences, she still finds joy in doing both.
As a teacher and a coach,. Blanchard is constantly putting in hard work and such great effort in order to make sure that her students and athletes are their best self.
As the Athletic Director, Mr. Jeffrey Raucci finds the company of. Blanchard to be very impactful and valuable to the Foran community. He states, “Mrs. Blanchard has had such a positive impact on our athletics program over the five years she has been here. She has coached softball, indoor track, and has helped volunteer her time for the powderpuff team every November.”
Mrs. Blanchard’s dedication extends past her coaching, she always strives to have a positive environment where her students and athletes feel comfortable and motivated. Her commitment to the teams she coaches and the classes she teaches has made her a big part in the Foran community.
Raucci also likes how she has good relationships with students and athletes. He says, “She builds a great rapport with student-athletes and her knowledge of all the sports she coaches has truly benefited our student-athletes and helped them reach their maximum potential.”
Blanchard also does a club, pickleball club, and she helped a student to make the club.. Raucci also states, “In addition, she started a pickleball club with our student body based on the interest she received from numerous kids. She always puts students first and helps in so many ways.”
This really shows how. Blanchard helps our students and cares about their interests, making sure everyone does their best and has fun while doing whatever they are doing, whether they’re in a sport she coaches or in one of her math classes.
