Meet the new P.E. Teachers: A four time state champion, Arizona Superfan, and Arizona State University wrestling team Alumni.

Help is just what Perry got. This year three coaches: Sam Duane, Carl Curtis, and Alex Pavlenko, were hired to help out the sports teams and to teach P.E. classes.

“You want to hire teachers that want to coach,” Principal Dan Serrano said. “We needed some help in girl’s basketball, we needed some help in wrestling and we needed a new boy’s basketball coach.”

Coach Sam Duane was hired to teach P.E. as well as become the new head coach for boy’s basketball.

“When I met with Mr. Serrano and Mrs. Burks, it was very positive and I was excited to be here,” Coach Duane said. Before he started teaching, he was coaching at Mesa Community College and obtaining his teaching degree. .

In the past, Coach Duane has taught and coached at Corona Del Sol high school, where he won four consecutive state championships in basketball.

With his brother taking the head coach of girl’s basketball position, Coach Carl Curtis came to Perry to help coach his brother’s freshman team and also coach Junior Varsity Football.

“I have always heard great things about the Chandler school district, Mr. Serrano and Coach Jones,” He said. Before teaching, Coach Curtis was attending Dakota State University and playing for their football team yet, he always knew he would be in the valley coaching and teaching somewhere.

“Teaching affects me as a person by being able to help young athletes discover their true potential,” He said. “And to pursue their dreams of going to college and playing at the next level.”

For the past three years, Coach Curtis taught at Payson High School where he coached football and basketball. While living in Payson, Coach Curtis was even voted “Arizona Super Fan” of 2014, where he won tickets for the games and also got to partake in a pregame interview before a Diamondbacks game.

Wrestling Coach Alex Pavlenko is also a new P.E. teacher this year. Coach Pavlenko wrestled all through high school and college.

“Before I was teaching, I wrestled at Arizona State University.” He said. After graduating in 2008, Coach Pavlenko thought he would be at his old high school, Marcos De Niza teaching, yet Perry’s wrestling program brought him here.

“Teaching is a big reward,” He said. “To see kids actually graduate and not only go on to college to pursue big things after high school is great.”

Teachers who want to coach, like Duane, Curtis and Pavlenko, are the teachers that truly put themselves out there to make a positive impact on student’s lives.