Julie Arnold Sanders, a Fredonia High School graduate and former Fredonia star athlete, was recently hired as the district’s new high school physical education teacher.

“I know the impact a quality teacher and coach can have on a kid. The teachers and coaches throughout my time in Fredonia had such a positive impact on me. They are what contributed to me going into teaching in the first place,” Sanders said. “To have the opportunity to give back, it’s really an honor.”

Sanders will fill the position of her own former Physical Education teacher throughout high school, Lisa Johnston, who recently retired after 19 years with the district.

“She truly values and lives what she was teaching,” Sanders said of Johnston. “When you went to class every day, you wanted to do well – you wanted to do well for her. She helped you see why what you did mattered and the impact it can have on your life.”

Submitted Photos Julie Arnold Sanders was the catcher for a three-time state finalist softball team at Fredonia High School from 2007-09. Sanders will take over for her former teacher, Lisa Johnston, as a Fredonia High School Physical Education teacher this fall.

Sanders recalled how Johnston always put her students first, both in terms of physical and mental health – which included walk-and-talks, where classmates would share with their peers, and mental health and relaxation breaks in the auditorium before big tests.

“She really valued teaching the whole child, not just the physical part of it. Going into her class every day was a positive experience,” Sanders said. “She made you value yourself.”

Filling Johnston’s shoes has been mentioned by many members of the district as a tall task. But if anyone is set up to do so, it’s a Fredonia graduate through and through like Sanders is. Another Fredonia graduate, High School Principal Darrin Paschke, believes Sanders is the perfect fit.

“She knows our school. She has ties to a long tradition of what’s gone on in the phys ed department,” Paschke said. “She wants to be here, she bleeds orange and black. We say those things, but really she’s top notch. We’re just really happy to have her here.”

While Sanders appreciates the role she is set to fill, she doesn’t view it as pressure to live up to her predecessor. She instead views it as an opportunity for her to utilize her strengths in a familiar environment.

“There are certainly big shoes to fill – she’s had such a positive impact on the community. But every teacher has a different style. I’d like to take the foundation she has set and add my own twist on things. I want to stay true to myself and my teaching philosophy,” Sanders said. “A lot of what we value as an educator is similar – helping them understand what it means to be healthy, not only in Physical Education but in their daily lives.”

At Fredonia, Sanders is excited about the opportunity to work alongside Alex Conti, who she credited as another one of the people she aspires to be like as an educator.

“I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Sanders said.

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Having a former student return to the district as a teacher invokes pride from Paschke, who has worked at the district going back to when Sanders was a student at Fredonia.

“It’s a lot of pride. You work with these students who were amazing as students, and just left a mark when they were here and you think, ‘Wow, what a great kid,'” Paschke said.

Paschke said that definition fit Sanders, who he described as a hard worker with “huge integrity.” Paschke said she was “a standout nice kid.”

Sanders – then Arnold – was a star athlete at Fredonia as a catcher on the softball team that took three straight trips to the state finals in 2007-2009.

“There are kids who go through that are really good at academics, or they are really good with a sport … she excelled at just about everything she did,” Paschke said.

She then moved on to play collegiate softball at SUNY Brockport, where she graduated and later became a physical education teacher at Brocton Central School. She also served as the school’s varsity softball coach, and later served as Athletic Director.

Sanders continued her rise up the ranks in education, as she graduated from Canisius College with her Master’s Degree and Administration Certification. She then took a job at Williamsville North High School as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director.

In her free time, she has also won awards for powerlifting, and was featured in previous OBSERVER articles chronicling her success as one of the top weightlifters in Western New York.

She married Zachary Sanders, of Forestville, last August, and the couple now lives in Forestville. That was one of many reasons why she felt the urge to come closer to home, despite her success working up to administration.

“She went off and she did great things in teaching, as an athletic director, with administration. For her to think, ‘I want to go back to where I started and give back.’ … That’s really cool,” Paschke said.

After she worked in administration, Sanders decided she wanted to return to teaching, but she didn’t know exactly where that would be.

“The number reason was just to get back to having that direct connection with the students. You’re still working with students in administration but it’s different. I just feel from a professional standpoint, I’m at my best working with students every day,” Sanders said.

Once the position opened up at Fredonia, it seemed like a perfect fit for everyone involved.

“I’m glad that she decided to go back into the classroom. Administration certainly has its perks and positives, but when you have a really strong teacher that really keeps kids first place and does her best to make the kids their best, having her in the classroom is the best place,” Paschke said. “… It’s a win for all of us.”

“I’m happy to be back,” she said. “I’m ready to get started.”