FEIA VP Bill Simmons Was an Elite Athlete
By Michael Clarkson
Uh, oh – is that Mr. Simmons coming down the hall?
If you ought to be in class, FEIA Vice Principal Bill Simmons is the last person you want to meet in the winding corridors of FEIA.
However, in the big picture he’s also looking out for you and has the best interests of students at heart.
“Originally, students may see you only as a disciplinarian, but I want to guide them in the right direction,” he says. “I want to help in their development. You have to assume that teenagers are going to make mistakes, and you have to have some sympathy. Sometimes educators forget that they were once teenagers themselves.”
He’s a big supporter of our school. “When the boys basketball team won the Ontario championship, I was jumping up and down at home, watching it (on YouTube). I love being surrounded by talented athletes who have a strong work ethic. I want to help in their development as human beings who benefit their community.”
In his younger years, Mr. Simmons was an elite athlete himself – he was inducted, along with the rest of the Owen Sound senior men’s fastball team, into the Ontario Softball Hall of Fame after they appeared in the Canadian championships from 1999 to 2003.
In 2002 in Winnipeg, he was MVP of the national tournament, leading Owen Sound to the championship with his hitting and fielding. Another time in Wisconsin, he was second team all-star in the world finals.
“I was a slap hitter, hitting singles mostly. But it wasn’t just about the wins, but the relationships I had with my teammates, the times in the hotels, the long rides all over the country.”
His athlete career was cut short when a wayward puck hit him in the head during a hockey game.
Mr. Simmons continues in sports, coaching single-A minor hockey in Haldimand. His son, Alex, won a lacrosse scholarship to the University of Denver and now plays for the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League. He was the league’s rookie of the year in 2023-24.
Bill has been a high school teacher for 27 years, specializing in English, and is just completing his first year at FEIA.
He loves the international culture and camaraderie of athletes and non-athletes at FEIA. “Everybody wears the same crest. I love going to the arena on Fridays and watching the hockey games. The players all sit together in the cafeteria.”
