After retiring from 37 years in the education, Mr. Scott Brennan is finding every excuse to return to the school he loves.

Despite seeming to start taking it easy after stepping away from Triton as assistant principal and football coach, once again, Brennan is filling in for work as a janitorial assistant and took up a coaching position. He has been coaching for over 40 years and finds a great passion in being a leader, inside and outside of school.

Brennan had been playing football since he was 9 years old and at the time he played for a team called the Salem Packers.  He and his brother walked to practices and stuck to the sport with passion. He certainly didn’t get too many free rides in life with a family of six and three to four jobs on his plate. Brennan states that his positive influences are his parents and the late Ray Donahue, his former Salem coach. In his freshman year, Brennan attended St. John’s Prep, a school known for its proficiency in football. He ended up being captain of the JV football team at the Prep and in senior year he was the captain of the Salem High School football team after switching schools. When Brennan graduated high school and moved onto college, his parents didn’t want him to play football. His passion drove him to continue to play regardless of what his parents told him.

“I have always found that one coach or that one teacher that was an inspiration,”he said, “and I always wanted to be like that.” He felt inspired to achieve greatness and wanted to lift his “fellow Tritonians” up to do the same. Whether it’s in sports or in class, he sees athleticism and distinction at early stages and seeks to foster it. He believes that the students of Triton are special and that at their core, everyone can find common ground at least somewhere. After 17 years at Triton, Brennan stepped down as assistant principal of the high school last spring. He found what he did to be something he absolutely loved but needed to take it easy. 

However, taking it so easy didn’t last very long, as the opportunity for a coaching position opened up and Brennan contemplated whether he should take it or not. After talking it out with his wife, he ended up returning to Triton as a coach following this year’s victory against Newburyport. Before retirement, Brennan thought his biggest struggles were rampant unlawful activity in bathrooms and problematic students. After retirement, he states that there’s really no conflicts in his side hustles and he is happy with where he is at the moment. 

Those who worked with Mr. Brennan really admired his approach to things and his dedication he put into Triton. “Mr. Brennan was just kind of a fixture of everything that we did for years here at Triton.” says Principal Patrick Kelley. The principal holds Brennan to a high regard for his methods and being so pivotal to Triton’s standards of education and due to the fact that “he saw the best in every individual” according to Kelley. Main Office Secretary Theresa Karol also really admires Brennan’s approach to situations. “He would walk into every situation fresh and new, ” she says. “It didn’t matter if there was a huge blowout between two kids beforehand. He would never walk in with negative feelings.” Based on the words of Brennan’s colleagues, he carried himself with empathy and optimism.

 Along with his colleagues, the students really appreciate his unconditional optimism. Senior David Pugh says “He was always really uplifting,” and junior Jake Roberge says “Even though he was sometimes a stickler, he would always be able to put a smile on other people’s faces.” According to both the students and his coworkers, Brennan seemed to be a beacon of positivity.

Brennan was shaped by a hardworking life and positive influences to achieve greatness. He spent 37 years in the field of education and 42 years coaching for football. Through thick and thin, he really loved his occupations, he said, and he still finds his loyalties lying with THS.