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By ERIC AYRES
WHEELING -- Wheeling Central Catholic High School's Donnie Murray has not only faced challenges over the course of his career, he's counted on them.
They say you can't make diamonds without pressure, and Wheeling Central Catholic's athletic director and high school mathematics teacher sees a person's bouts with adversity as their opportunities to shine.
Murray, 42, a veteran Ohio Valley high school athletic director, has served as Wheeling Central's AD since July 2017. More recently, he's also taken on a new role in the classroom as a math teacher.
"My day-to-day responsibilities in this position are to oversee the successful progress of 20 athletic programs here at Wheeling Central Catholic," he said. "This past academic year, I have taken on the role as a member of the mathematics department, teaching Intermediate Algebra 1, Algebra 1 and Intermediate Algebra 2."
For Murray, a typical workday involves coming to school in the morning and preparing the classroom, lectures, content and examples for the assigned classes for the day.
"Our school runs a block schedule where we have four 75-minute classes a day rather than the traditional 40-- to 50-minute class-per-day layout," Murray explained. "While we still have the same amount of instructional time a week as the previous schedule, we find this way is much more suited in preparing our students for the next step of education at the collegiate level.
"While math -- at any level -- is not a fan favorite amongst the disciplines, trying to come up with ways to keep the kids engaged is always a challenge."
But having your back to the wall often helps bring the path to success into focus.
"As a baseball guy at heart, the motto 'live life like a 3-1 count' resonates strongly with me," Murray said. "If you are a pitcher with a 3-1 count, it creates a pressure within. If you miss the strike zone, you give the batter a free base. You must throw a strike in this count and if you throw the wrong pitch and leave it in the zone, it could result in disaster."
When you live life like a 3-1 count, it is known as the "hitter's count," Murray said.
"In the game of baseball and in the game of life, if you approach anything with this mindset, you put yourself in a position to be ready to be successful," he explained. "Whenever you face adversity, if you face the challenge with confidence, you are ready to be successful, you expect to be successful, and you are humble about the success when it is earned."
Murray was appointed to his first position as a school athletic director in 2007, and the pressure of being a first-time AD -- and some sound advice -- stuck with him.
"I remember having a conversation with my wife's grandfather and expressed to him my concerns about taking the position without any experience in high school athletics beyond that of coaching football, volleyball, basketball and baseball," he said. "What he said to me that day, I have carried with me on the field and in the classroom. He told me that I may not have the answers all the time, but the most important thing I can do is treat people well. Decisions I will be asked or required to make will come and go and, in many cases, will be forgotten, but the way I treat people with respect and integrity is something they can and will remember for a lifetime."
Murray said he could still hear him saying, "Remember, the best thing you can do in your position is treat people well." Over the years in both athletics and in education, Murray said he has come to learn that treating people with respect and integrity can build character and accountability in young men and women.
"Sometimes when we look back in our personal histories, we sometimes forget certain events and happenings, but we always tend to remember the moments when people have treated us with decency and respect," he said.
Looking ahead, Murray said he hopes to continue to see the integration of technology in learning.
"From my days as a high school student in the late '90s to today, there has been so much growth in technology, giving students a wealth of information at their fingertips," he said. "I'm excited to see what developments lie ahead for these students and those students to come."
And Murray shared his own words of advice to students who soon become young adults entering the workforce.
"Find a job that inspires you every day and motivates you to be the best version of yourself," he said. "Show up every day, give the best of your talents and ability to that job, inspire people through your attitude and effort, and always treat people well."
These practices helped him return to a place that is very close to his heart -- and to do so in a leadership role.
"I had the chance to come back home to work at Wheeling Central Catholic where I was fortunate to go to high school," Murray said. "I was born and raised here. I cannot imagine calling any other place home other than the Ohio Valley."
The efforts of many local organizations to grow and reinvigorate the communities they serve help pave a promising future for the area, according to Murray.
"There is a lot of time and effort invested in bringing pride and esteem back to the Ohio Valley for people of all ages and communities," he said.
In addition to his work at CCHS, Murray is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie 1891. He is the husband of Amanda Timko Murray and father of three children: Drew Tanner, 17, a senior at Wheeling Central Catholic; Civin David, 16, a junior at St. Clairsville High School; and Olivia Grace, 8, a second grader at St. Mary's Central School in Martins Ferry.