Mrs Keough sits back at her desk, looking at the photos that adorn her walls. She’s gathered a plethora of pictures during her tenure at SCH, but her eyes linger on one specific picture for a moment longer from her time as an athletic trainer.

Despite being best known for her work in the athletic department as the Associate Director of Athletics, Mrs Keough served as an athletic trainer before she shifted into her current role.

Keough didn’t approach this profession through just pure chance; her sister was an athlete herself. “She was two years older than me, and she would get hurt all the time.” Keough added, “So I kind of saw a lot of the physical therapy side of things.”

But her path to becoming a certified athletic trainer wasn’t quite that simple. Mrs Keough’s venture into athletic training began during her senior year of high school, but it only occurred through a bit of chance.

Keough initially aimed to be a pre-med student, but during a college tour, she spotted an open house for athletic training.

“It was pretty much a new, newer profession, and there really weren’t a lot of females in the field at that time, so it caught my eye,” said Keough as she reflected on the moment. “And then I went into their open house, and I was like. because I was an athlete too, right? So I sported field hockey and basketball, and I swam. So, you know, it kind of caught my eye because I love athletics, obviously. And that was something I was like, stay in that and do it as a job … And I like medicine. And, you know, this is kind of a combo.”

Mrs Keough fully pursued that passion at Westchester College, and right after graduation began her career quickly. “I was a head trainer at Wagner College in Staten Island,” stated Keough, “and then Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, and then two, no one other high school in Connecticut.”

Keough then came to SCH, which was just the Springside School at the time. “I started as the only athletic trainer for the girls in Springside school,” said Keough, “and then until COVID,  basically that’s all I did.”

However, things changed during COVID-19, which disrupted the fall athletic season and Mrs Keough’s work as an athletic trainer.

“We had a shortened season in 2020, fall, and then when we were indoors, with basketball and everything else it was,” Keough reflected. “It was really crazy, and it was tough, I think.”

Despite the struggle, Mrs Keough took charge to try and make the most out of the season, being part of the COVID Health and Safety Committee for SCH.

“We basically came up with all the policies that the whole school followed in accordance with the Department of Health,” said Keough, reminiscing.

Despite the challenge, Keough helped to make the 2020 sports year a success, through her incredible hard work and effort.

She was very good about making sure that we still had games and that we were still able to practice,” said fellow athletic trainer Norma Wingate, “even if we had to practice in odd places occasionally.”

After the 2020 campaign, Mrs Keough’s job began to change. They had hired another athletic trainer, changing her job from athletic trainer to Associate Director of Athletics. On top of this, she was placed in charge of the SCH Athletics social media accounts.

But despite the job change, her goal hasn’t changed whatsoever.

“So, I mean, our overall goal is to make sure everybody has a great experience and everyone’s having fun and that we’re competitive,” Keough stated, “And hopefully we’re in the mix for championships every year, and we definitely are now, you know. And just keep it going, you know.”

Keough’s multiple jobs are integral to keeping the school’s athletics running smoothly, as she not only has to set things up for sports, but she has many additional jobs that require her attention.

“She’s a jack of all trades. She does it all,” said Maria Morrison, another athletic trainer who was hired during COVID. “She’s an athletic trainer and she also teaches school, too.”

 Mrs Keough is still greatly enjoying her time at SCH and still has goals to improve things, especially the school’s social media posts.

“But, of course, but it’s fun. I like it, and I don’t mind it,” said Keough, speaking on her job.” And I think everybody has fun with it, and they like seeing it and sharing [the Instagram] posts. And I think this year has been the best so far.”