STANWICH ROAD/REMOTE – Sebastiaan Blickman has had bumps and bruises on the pitch but now will be ready to work in the classroom.

GCDS’s incoming soccer coach has always been a passionate player starting his career at Choate Rosemary Hall, continuing to college at Bucknell, and ultimately playing professional soccer in Denmark. 

His time in Denmark gave him a slight psychological bruise, as it resulted in about only seventy minutes on the field. However, his career and the various places it has taken him have allowed Coach Blickman to develop his approach to learning, teaching, and coaching. 

Coach Blickman will be taking another life- long love of his, history and instruction, to the GCDS ninth grade this coming Fall. 

“My love of history has existed for my entire life,” he said in an email interview.  “I’m driven by the process of inquiry, developing questions, seeking answers through research, considering sources and perspectives, and arriving at conclusions in order to engage in fruitful discussion to learn about our world.”

His interview day was one to remember: his demo lesson was cancelled because it was the first cancelled day due to the pandemic crisis before spring break.

“It was an odd interview day to say the least. At this moment, it is almost surreal to reflect and think that was the first day of our new normal due to COVID.”   

He had prepared diligently, but instead, his visit day was one with empty classrooms and halls.

“Classes had just been cancelled and students were off campus for break. A small group of faculty had congregated.”

He believes in development, competitiveness, and professionalism which he hopes will define GCDS’s soccer program and is really looking forward to joining the GCDS community and getting to know the students. 

“Pop culture, sports, my two dogs, people say I can talk about anything! I hope that my enthusiasm will help students begin to build a trust level in me so that together we can work towards our common goal of creating an enjoyable environment ripe for learning.”

Coach Blickman was drawn to GCDS by the promise of our soccer program as well as the opportunity to be a part of a new, innovative, and prestigious institution. 

“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something that I know is going to be incredible and lend a hand to that process,” he said.  “And the icing on the cake was the prestige of GCDS. Attending Choate Rosemary Hall and working at Loomis Chaffee, I had obviously heard incredible experiences from students who had attended GCDS. To get to be a part of this new journey is an honor for me and extremely humbling and exciting.”

Coach Blickman has been working to learn about the 9th grade program and officially joins the faculty this summer.

Ben Offit is a rising junior who enjoys classics in school and hockey outside of it.