Retired Newark High School physical education teacher Bill Kirnie thought he was coming to NHS May 22nd to be a substitute for PE teacher Allison Trapasso that day.
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So, he didn’t think anything about it when Trapasso asked him to accompany her to the school’s early morning meeting where the PE teacher and her class sat in the front of the auditorium.
Kirnie said he wasn’t paying too close attention to the three yearbook editors seniors Camryn Tolleson and Isabella Carey and junior Addison Burgess talking about the yearbook dedication until he heard the words “coaching girls’ basketball.”
“And then I knew,’’ he recalled later. “When I heard the 2025 yearbook was being dedicated to me, I was totally surprised but elated. They handed me the microphone. I don’t remember much of what I said. It’s a big honor. I love those kids so very much. I told them that retirement is wonderful because I can get up in the morning when I want and do what I want each day. But my heart is still with the kids at Newark High School.”
Kirnie worked as PE teacher in Newark for 23 years before retiring in June of 2024. He began at Newark Middle School and his last two classes each day were at Kelley School where he met his future wife, Diane Abrey, who was the PE teacher there. She told him about open coaching positions, and he took the JV Girls basketball slot.
During his career, Kirnie coached other sports like Modified Football and all three levels of Lacrosse but continues as the JV Girls Basketball coach. Diane Kirnie, who is also retired after her award-winning career continues to coach NHS Varsity Girls Basketball. She will be inducted into the Section V Basketball Hall of Fame in November.
Kirnie began his career renovating houses in Philadelphia. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from St. Bonaventure University. He spent his senior year at Villanova University. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and his master’s degree in athletic administration from SUNY Brockport.
The couple lives in Victor with their son, Thomas, who attended schools in Victor until he attended NHS during his junior and senior years and graduated in 2024. He attends Tompkins Cortland Community College where he is majoring in business and playing lacrosse.