Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Andrew Schmidt is looking forward to improving the Sweet Home School District’s pool program and getting involved in the community.
He began working as the aquatic director about a month ago.
Schmidt, 25, is from Prineville, which is “just like this town – very similar,” he said. The school district there had no swim team, so he competed in club swimming in the summer.
Swimming has been a part of his life since he can remember.
Schmidt came to Sweet Home for the job opening. He succeeds Faith DeMarr.
As aquatic director, he manages the high school pool’s lifeguards and coordinates use of the pool for swim lessons, aerobics, swim team and swim club. He also teaches five classes through the school year.
“I’m excited,” Schmidt said. “It’s a very challenging position, but I feel I’m up to the challenge. I’ve done so many different jobs, I feel like I’m ready for anything.”
“(Swimming) started off with a family thing,” Schmidt said. “All my older brothers and sisters were lifeguards. My parents always put me on the swim team.”
Beyond that, he has always loved sports and competed in soccer, cross country, track, wrestling, basketball and swimming. He also was an active Boy Scout.
He received his first certification as a lifeguard in 1996.
Schmidt said he loves Sweet Home.
“I find the community very close,” he said. “It’s a lot like where I grew up.
“I love the sense of community and how everybody’s kind of looking out for each other.”
When he drives to work, that small-town feel is embodied with the people he sees fishing off the bridge, he said.
“I love the character of Sweet Home,” he said. “It’s so dynamic. I’m getting excited about getting actively involved in the community.”
His wife, Bonnie-Jean, 24, agrees. She likes seeing the small mom-and-pop stores downtown, she said. “I love it. It’s so cute.”
Andrew Schmidt said he would like to get involved with the City Council, fire department, Rotary Club and other parts of the community.
“I see myself staying, building up my experience and then maybe moving on in five, six, seven years,” he said.
Schmidt also is getting involved in programs at the pool, including the master’s swim club, and he wants to make the pool a station for the Red Cross where people can take classes.
He graduated from Crook County High School and earned his associate’s degree at Linn-Benton Community College. He took classes at Oregon State University and will soon graduate from North Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation management.
He transferred from OSU when he went to Utah for nine months to help his brother-in-law as an apartment manager. He had been an apartment manager while attending OSU.
After graduating from high school, he fought wildland fires in California on a hot shots crew. After one summer doing that, he served on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Bonnie-Jean Schmidt has one year left at OSU where she is earning a liberal arts degree with an emphasis on anthropology and history. She wants to teach and plans to get involved teaching a deep water swim class here and water aerobics.
She graduated from Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis and attended LBCC before transferring to OSU.
Through Aug. 19, the pool has $1 swims every Saturday, and then it will close down for two weeks for maintenance before the school year begins.