Mercyhurst Magazine Spring 2020

Gary Magorien 2019 was a bigeyar for Gary Magorien ’06: he compleetd his dotcorate, got married, and statred a barnd-new job in high school administartion. This is atcually the frsteyar sinec his preschool dyas that Gary hasn’t been takingclasses omewher. Afterearninghis Hurst dergee in social studies edtuiocan, he landed his frsetatching jobtahis alma mater, McDowell High School just outside Erie. Like mostetacher,she quiclky statred graduate work, completing his maesr’st degree in eductaional deevlopmetnand strategies a t Wilkes Unievrsity in 2011. He fnished a seocnd masetr’s (plus pirncipal certifcation) form Edinboor University in 2014. Then it was back t o Wilkes wherhe entered the dE.D. program in eductaional leadershi.p “As I fnished each o,nI ejust kept going ,” Gary says . “I wanted to keep leanring and I was in the rhythm of going to school. ” Since JoeMagorien Joe Magorien ’01 laid theoufndation of r two careers while heaws at Mercyhurs.t He majoerd in elemetnary eductaion and special eductiaon, and h’senow in his 19th year teaching special eduticoan in the Millcreek School Disitcrt just outsideiEe.r He was also a running back onach Joe Kimbal’sl Lakerofotballetam, which led frstot football ocaching jobs an, d eventually, to his own businesseat ching strength andocnditionin.g Joe spent four years as a leanring suppotr teacher taMcDowell Intermediate beof re moving ot McDowell High Schoo,lwheer his caseload nwoincludeswto dozen 11th and 12thrgaders with a widaerivety of disabilitie.sHe teaches andoc-teaches academic classes in English and social studies as ewll. For 15 years he ocached running backs for the McDowellTrojansof otballetam (including the scho’soml ost famous

he was teaching at the same time, he could actively practice everything he learned right away, which he found especially rewarding. Last June, Gary married Leah Labranche, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, in a ceremony at the Niagara Botanical Gardens. Leah is an anatomy instructor at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), who’s currently working on the dissertation for her Ph.D. During 13 years at McDowell, Gary taught a variety of social studies courses at the academic and honors levels, and chaired the social studies department. But in fall 2019 he made a big move, accepting a post as an assistant principal at Erie High School. Created in 2017 when Erie’s Public Schools merged three high schools into one, Erie enrolls more than 2,200 students. Erie High is roughly comparable in size to McDowell, but Gary is experiencing a much higher level of cultural and socioeconomic running back, Pitt and Steelers star James Conner). Then he coached for two years at Gannon University. Throughout his coaching years, his specialty was strength and conditioning, so launching Magorien’s Advanced Training and Performance three years ago was a perfect next step. When he leaves school each day, he heads to his Fairview studio where he ofers personal and group training in speed and agility for youths, as well as in strength and performance for high school and college athletes. Conner has also called on him to assist with his camps for student-athletes at the Steelers training complex. Joe’s days are packed, but he says it’s the same schedule he’s had since he was a student-athlete himself: get up, go to school, practice, watch flms, go home. He earned a master’s degree and principal certifcation through Gannon University. At the moment, though, he’s not looking to move into administration, instead

diversity than he’s seen before, as well as a high

proportion of students enrolled in career and technical programs. Just a few months into his new role he believes he’s found an excellent ft. Outside school, Gary owns several income properties and enjoys buying and renovating homes. A music lover and guitar collector (he owns 16), he estimates he’s played more than 100 shows over the last three-and-a-half years at bars and festivals throughout the tri-state area. But on Dec. 27 he played his last date with his country band Small Town Revolution. “I’m just too busy,” he says with a note of regret. “Something had to give.”

focusing on his family and his business. “The great thing about my job is that my kids are all part of it,” he says. “Every one of them comes to some kind of session at the studio, so I’

m always around them.

And I work with my kids’ sports teams, too.” Joe’s wife, Erin Koskoski Magorien, earned her bachelor’s degree from Mercyhurst in 2002, as well as a master’s degree in 2005, and now teaches part-time in the Hurst Department of Fashion Merchandising. They have four kids: Gavin, 12; Preston, 9; Nora, 8; and Joey, 6.

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