Jasper Vinnett said he was blessed to grow up with some very strong mentors in his life, including teachers and coaches he very much looked up to. That said, he never planned on becoming an educator in his early days.
“Their impact on me was huge and I had a desire in me to have that same impact for others,” Vinnett said. “But I didn’t go to school for teaching. It took me a little while to find my way to this.”
He had an eye on working at a local plant, but along the way something told him that wasn’t his correct path.
“I think God was pulling me away, letting me know I don’t really want to do that,” Vinnett said. “I really wanted to teach and coach young people.”
He made a call to Jason Madere – who is now principal at Destrehan High School and coached Vinnett when the latter played football at Destrehan – and Madere helped guide him into a new field of study. Vinnett attended Southeastern University and began to focus on teaching.
Vinnett has no doubt he made the right choice. He has been an educator for 14 years, including 12 years at Hahnville and the past two at Destrehan, where he now serves as an athletic director, study skills teacher, head bowling coach and an assistant football coach.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s good work,” Vinnett said. “I’m honored to work with some of the greatest coaches and players, administration and community you can ever ask for. Those coaches, the job they do and hours they put in, day in and day out. We have great kids here who work hard in athletics and in the classroom … both are so important. Success is about a lot more than just winning games.”
As a study skills teacher, Vinnett works with middle school students to improve performance on the LEAP test.
“I spend time with them and help them develop a set of skills,” Vinnett said. ”I’ll go into algebra class and pull them aside when they need some one-on-one attention with certain skills, see where they might be having trouble and giving that extra support. Sometimes, it’s a matter of not having confidence.”
Vinnett said that’s a role he loves – being able to lift students up is what he envisioned when he began his journey into teaching. Ditto for being an athletic director, as he enters his third year on the job.
“I get to go watch sports all across this great state – I love it,” said Vinnett. “I understand the value sports has in the lives of our kids. And I also get to stand up for them and make sure people are treated fairly and treated right.”
Just as importantly, Vinnett holds his student-athletes accountable.
“If you want to play sports, you need to make the grades,” he said. “You need to do the right things between 7 and 2:30 each day.”
Bowling, meanwhile, has been a new challenge. Th e bowling program is relatively new at Destrehan but it’s quickly gained footing – the Wildcats were district champions last season.
“It’s a way that students who aren’t into the more popular sports can experience a lot of the same things – building teamwork and cohesion, accountability … we’re growing the program. I have
a great group, and what we’ve been able to do has been a testament to their hard work,” Vinnett said.
As special as anything else for Vinnett has been the opportunity to do all of this now at his alma mater.
“Destrehan High is a great place to be. The kids come first here,” Vinnett said. “I know a lot of the parents. I see them at church, see them when my daughter is going to dance practice. It’s a trust built when you see one another in the community. They can know they have somebody that has their back. I’ve been blessed by God to work where I work.”
