Mr. Marshall has many experiences that have shaped the way he runs the Prior Lake High School activities department today. From 1997 to 2021, he taught English before becoming an AD at Burnsville High School and then serving as a building administrator for Edina High School.
“Being an activities director at Burnsville was very overwhelming because I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Marshall said. “Stepping into that role was very challenging.”
In 2021, Mr. Marshall became the Prior Lake High School activities director who students know and love today. Having many years of experience helped him prepare for the position at Prior Lake. Stepping into this role was tough yet very rewarding for Marshall.
“There is no such thing as a normal day at Prior Lake,” he said.
During the day, he tries to answer emails, set up meetings, and just get things done. He also makes great efforts to make an appearance at all school events that he possibly can go to. Mr. Marshall tries his best to balance his dad life and work life, and sometimes they overlap.
One of Marshall’s goals in the activities department is to make sure activities are an enjoyable, positive experience and something that students can look back on with fond memories.
Marshall said it’s important for him to provide the best possible experiences for our students.
Marshall’s motivation comes from trying to get more students involved because he knows that they will do better academically when they are involved in their school community. To accomplish this, he wants there to be a club, sport, or activity for everyone.
“We have solidified a debate team this year, and co-opt with Burnsville for badminton,” Marshall said,
Marshall’s goals of teamwork and dedication to Prior Lake positively impacts the staff throughout the high school. One of Marshall’s biggest inspirations is Prior Lake Assistant Activities Director Beth Fuller.
“Mrs. Fuller is unbelievable. She is so positive, at so many events, and is great at building relationships. She is just fantastic,” Marshall said.
Marshall and Fuller help each other create a positive activities experience at PLHS, constantly bouncing ideas off of each other.
“He inspires me by having a team approach to solutions. He finds an answer if he doesn’t know the answer, and he always tries to look at it from what’s going to help the students’ experience,” Fuller said about Mr. Marshall. “His willingness to connect with students is amazing. I think he has targeted improving our culture, and he puts things in place to make that happen.”
Marshall said that he is encouraged by the dedication that our coaches and advisors put in because they don’t get paid a lot.
“To me, that’s very inspiring because they are not doing it for the money. They are not doing to win championships. They are doing it because they understand the importance of making a difference in students’ lives,” Marshall said.
Despite the inspiration from his co-workers, coaches, and advisors, Marshall feels the most inspired by the students here at Prior Lake High School.
“I look at our student body. I look at the things we’ve created, Laker Leaders, super fans, and all these different activities that we have. I see all of the commitment and dedication that students put in to the things that they are involved in, and that’s inspiring.”
One of Marshall’s goals coming to Prior Lake was to do more leadership for captains and people in leadership positions. Expanding this outside of sports has included a whole new community of leadership.
“I felt that it was really important to try to bring together the athletics and the activities world,” Marshall said.
Mr. Marshall created the Laker Leaders group to build an inclusive culture for our school and community in order to leave a legacy of respect and unity. The club spreads positive leadership throughout the entire school district to set up a successful future for Lakers.
“One of our focuses this year is how can we continue to give back to the high school, what can we do here within our building to be able to help support,” Marshall said.
It is crucial to train leaders how to handle tough situations, and being in a leadership position is not a glorified position. It is hard, and it is work. Activities Director Mr. Marshall proves his dedication and commitment to Prior Lake High School through his genuine positive spirit throughout the work he does for the school.
