Sam Bernstein staff writer
I remember the first time I ever spoke to Mr. (Coach) Kessler. It was in the first grade, during recess on the tarmac next to the handprint wall at Horace Mann Elementary School. I was playing kickball and I had kicked a playground ball as hard as I could. Looking back, I probably should’ve gone easier on that ball. The ball hit Coach square on the back of his head. He was likely furious, but he didn’t show it. He calmly told me to knock it off and to play where others couldn’t get hit. This is just one example of Kessler’s good morals and big heart.
Kessler has been superintendent of BHUSD for the last two years. Prior, he was Horace Mann’s principal for four years, and before that he was a math teacher and P.E. coach there for over three decades. Like me, many other students who came across Kessler immediately noticed his charisma. Students like junior Evan Minniti have great memories of our retiring superintendent.
“From all my experiences with him, he’s always been super nice and super enthusiastic. I think that could be a big morale boost to kids at the school if they have a nice administrator like him,” Minniti said.
Minniti also writes for the school’s print publication, Highlights. He recognizes how generous Kessler has been to the publication, and how much Highlights adores and appreciates him.
“He’s a super nice dude. He’s super. He’s always been a friend of our publication. We really like him a lot,“ Minniti said.
Sophomore Jared Kurtz has known Kessler since Kurtz’s first day at Horace Mann.
“I love Coach, he’s a great guy and a great role model. I believe he’s impacted all of our lives in a positive way,” Kurtz said.
Sophomore Jude Binkley, who also plays JV boys lacrosse, is appreciative of his monumental efforts in helping the sports department grow.
“He really cared for all the students at BHUSD. All the sports programs were able to grow under him,” Binkley said.
Sophomore Sam Stahl also had kind words to say about Kessler. Stahl has known Kessler since his first day of kindergarten.
“Mr. Kessler was one of the greatest men I had the honor to meet. My only regret is that I wasn’t old enough to be taught math by him,” Stahl said.
Coach, we’ve all been lucky to have you in our school district, and we’ve all benefitted from your presence here at Beverly. You’ve been an integral part of our community for decades. This school district has been really fortunate to have you here for so long. Thank you for all the good work you’ve done for our town. We’ll all miss you. Happy retirement!