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Washington High School Athletic Director Will Tyson is enjoying his current job but may not want to stick with it forever. So he’s been making sure his future is secure and following the steps of something his wife also did recently.

He and other teachers recently completed Dr. Matthew Cheesman’s Superintendent Leadership Cohort. As Tyson described it, it’s a way to gain leadership experience that can be used at a level if he’d like to be a principal or an even bigger position within the school system.

“It just basically is a way to kind of open up doors for people who want to get into a leadership role,” Tyson said. “Luckily for me, I’m already in a leadership style role, but this is just an opportunity for me to see it at a higher level and to figure out if there’s something at the next level that I want to do.

“It’s just a way to open up doors for the next step of the potential career, whether it be something at a central office style job or something maybe higher with the school or whatever the case may be.

“It’s kind of like that leading step that most of the leaders here in the county have taken. If you look at the principals and look at the assistant principals that are in the school system today, a vast majority of them came through the leadership cohort.”

Tyson and the other teachers received their certificates during Tuesday’s Beaufort County Schools meeting. Tyson has coached many sports at Washington but is currently focusing more on his roles as athletics director and head baseball coach. He also helps swimming coach Steve Raper, among many other duties.

“If you want to get to the next level, you’ve got to put yourself out there and go through some things that are going to get you there,” Tyson said. “And this was the next logical step for me and kind of puts me now on Dr. Cheeseman’s radar that, ‘Hey, I’ve done your cohort. I’ve got the skills.

“If an opportunity presents itself, hopefully, he will look at me before he looks at others.”

Tyson’s wife, Erin, has already completed the course. That only enhanced his interest in the course and what it could offer.

“My wife actually went through it a couple of years ago, and after she went through it, I was like, man, she’s moved up quick,” Tyson said. “She’s already had an opportunity to get her master’s, and the school system was able to help put her through that.

“And so now it’s like the next logical step for somebody who wants to get into a leadership role with the county.”