Alton High School's Retiring Administrator Mike Brey Says Alton Will Always Be Home

ALTON - Mike Brey is proud to call Alton home and pleased he could help develop the town’s youth throughout his career.

Brey, who serves as an assistant principal and CTE director at Alton High School, will retire from the Alton Community Unit School District #11 at the end of this school year. He knew since he was a sophomore in high school himself that he wanted to be a basketball coach and athletic director. After achieving that dream by 32, he set his sights on new goals and went on to accomplish them all in Alton.

“It’s been a really good run,” Brey said. “Alton really has a lot of good things going on, and I think it's just going to continue to keep getting better and better.”

After college, where he majored in physical education and minored in math, Brey went on to teach in a few Missouri schools before he eventually transferred to Alton and took on the head basketball coach and assistant athletic director roles.

When the athletic director retired in April of Brey’s first year, Brey was named to his position and worked as the AD for the next nine years. He worked in the Alton High School athletic office full-time for most of his career in Alton. He was named an assistant principal when the new high school opened.

“I switched from AD to AP when we transitioned into the new building,” he joked.

He also took on the role of CTE director. In this position, Brey helps oversee the career and technical education department at the high school. Students can learn a variety of skills, from construction trades to industrial tech and more.

Brey, who went to a much smaller high school, is forever impressed by Alton’s offerings. The CTE department has expanded a lot in recent years, and he is proud to be a part of it and thankful to the other teachers and administrators who make it possible.

“It’s amazing to see some of the opportunities that our teachers and our classes are able to provide for some of our students,” he said. “We can show kids the things that are out there in so many different fields here at a bigger school than we could at a small school like I went to. CTE is such a diverse department.”

Though Brey isn’t from Alton originally, he quickly fell in love with his adopted hometown as both a teacher and a resident. He remembers a conversation in which his cousin, a principal in Collinsville, explained Alton’s culture to him.

“Alton reflects the real world. It’s a community that’s got a lot of history,” Brey said. “Towns like Alton and Collinsville and Edwardsville, they’re all big enough to have their own identity, but they’re also small enough to still have the small-town feel. And if we want all the things and all the attractions from the big city, we're only about a half-hour drive from being able to do any of that, but we only have to face that traffic when we want to.”

He has found that not only does the synopsis ring true, but it’s also one of Brey’s favorite things about the city. He loves that he has gone on to teach the children and grandchildren of many of his previous students and athletes. It means a lot to him to be a part of the community.

It’s a bittersweet feeling to know that he will be leaving Alton School District behind, but he emphasized that even in retirement, Alton is “going to be home.” Brey’s wife runs the nonprofit Feed My Peeps, so he anticipates he will be helping with this initiative after he retires. He also hopes to sell some of his baseball cards to fund a trip to spring training.

But through all of it, Brey’s passion for the school district and the town remain a central focus. He has nothing but positive memories of his career here and is proud to be a part of the Alton story.

“I wish I would have gone to a school as diverse in so many ways, both culturally diverse and departmentally diverse,” he added. “I wish I would have gone to a school that has as much to offer as this one does. And I’m glad that my sons were able to graduate from here.”

This Featured Article is sponsored by Alton Community Unit School District #11. To get your business or organization featured on www.Riverbender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.

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