Tom Cassata last week left the year’s first Section 9 Athletic Council Meeting with a pair of mementos recognizing his service to Red Hook and surrounding schools.
The Raiders’ athletic director on Sept. 4 was given the Dr. William F. Moran Service Award, an honor Cassata said was “unexpected, but appreciated.”
Section 9 has given the honor each year since 2000. Moran was Section 9’s first executive director, serving from 1983-1999, after two decades as superintendent of schools for the Valley Central School District.
The award has never been given to the same person twice. It is presented to “an educator in Section 9 who has been universally recognized as representing the highest educational standards as established by Dr. Moran during his entire career.” Former Red Hook Athletic Director Andy Seidel, who Cassata succeeded in 2005, won the award in 2007.
In addition to his own personal award, a plaque bearing the names of each winner now sits in Cassata’s office. It will be passed to the next winner next fall.
Cassata, who was also named Athletic Administrator of the Year for Section 9 by the New York State Athletic Administrators Association for the second time in March 2024, prefers to shine the spotlight on his student athletes and coaches. Still, he said, “I do appreciate being noticed.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Warden said the district is lucky to have Cassata at the helm, noting his contributions to the district’s recent capital improvement projects renovating the high school gymnasium and replacing outdoor fields.
“He’s an exceptional administrator who places an equal emphasis on education as athletics,” she said. “He cares about every student and every program, and it’s evident each day.”
In addition to his contributions to Red Hook, Cassata serves roles within the section and helps with New York State Public High School Athletic Association events. He’s chairperson of the section’s eligibility committee and second vice president of the athletic council, and has in the past served chairperson roles for a variety of sports and other committees.
“I’ve been tapped to do a lot of things over the years, which is also fun work,” he said. “It’s fun to work with all the other schools and with my colleagues at other schools.”
While the Moran award, in particular, recognizes educational standards as well as athletic contributions, Cassata said it’s simply part of the job. The athletic department recently received its plaque recognizing Red Hook as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete School of Excellence for the third consecutive year in 2024-25.
“We look at athletics as the extension of the educational day. The overall goal of athletics is part of the educational process of everybody’s school,” Cassata said. “It’s not just, the school day ends at 2:20 and we play sports. It’s still part of the school community and educational process.”