News and Updates

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Jay Shepherd as Head Girls Soccer Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Coach Shepherd is originally from Houston, TX. but, moved to Jacksonville in 2003. He grew up in St. Johns county and was a graduate of Nease High School in 2009. Shepherd embraces the overall approach of “student before athlete” and will continue to hold his players to high expectations in the classroom while challenging them to be better every day on the field. During his time at Nease, he played for the men’s’ soccer program winning two FHSAA state championships in 2007 and 2008 and one FHSAA state runner up in 2009 for the Panthers. After high school, he went on to play soccer at DePauw University and finished his education at University of North Florida graduating with a degree in Educational Development. During his time at UNF, he helped found the men’s club soccer program and now currently teaches at Patriot Oaks Academy here in St. Johns County, teaching middle school physical education.

Coach Shepherd has been coaching for Jacksonville FC for the last 8 years. During that time, he has coached girls’ soccer serving as an Academy coach, a Pre ECNL coach, a NPL coach, an ECNLR coach, and an ECNL coach. His high school coaching experience began with the girls’ soccer program at Nease High School and helping lead the program back to the FHSAA State Playoffs after a 7-year absence. He currently holds a United Soccer Coaches National diploma and Director of coaching diploma, and a USSF D coaching License.

In the interview process, Coach Shepherd spoke about setting goals, having honest conversations, allowing for team discussions, and that the players voice does matter to being key ingredients to the success of a team. His local ties make him familiar with the World Golf Village community and will help him set the new traditions and vision for “Toro” Soccer as we build this program for success in the future. He expressed that the challenges that lie ahead will only motivate he and his staff to prepare the players of TCHS for future success on and off the field.

TCHS Principal, Jay Willets shared, “that we are excited to have Coach Shepherd building the foundation for Toro Soccer for years to come. He will bring an exuberance that will be shown through the spirited play of the team and set an example in the classroom that all will want to reach for.”

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm in a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Shepherd and his vision for TCHS Soccer.

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Mike Kolakowski as a Physical Education Teacher and Head Football Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Mike Kolakowski will be leading “Toro” Football for Tocoi Creek HS after a long career in collegiate football as a head coach and defensive coordinator. Coach Kolakowski has roots in Northwest Ohio as he played his college football at Ohio Northern University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and began to shape his coaching philosophies of “team above self”. During the interview process Kolakowski showed an enthusiastic knowledge to teaching sound fundamental football that led to player execution within the game and instilled a passion for success with the players. “Toro” offense, defense, and special team’s will have “sound teaching progressions” that will be simplistic in nature that are based on “alignment, keys, responsibilities and techniques”, coaches will be patient and not short cut fundamentals for schemes. He stated, “that he is a true believer in playing to the strengths of our personnel schematically. Players will outweigh the scheme 100% of the time and the coaching staff will mold our scheme to fit our players.” He will build the TCHS Football brand of “PLAY HARD and PLAY PHYSICAL”.

Coach Kolakowski joins us from Findlay University where he was the defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. In 2019 his defensive unit allowed just 21.9 points per game and saw seven players earn all-conference honors and he coached the G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year. During his career he has coached at the D-I to D-III levels of college football and has had players earn regional “Player of the Year” and four “All-American” awards. Prior to his time with the Oilers, he spent six seasons as the defensive coordinator/linebacker’s coach at NCAA Division I FCS program, Mercer University where he helped coach one of the top defenses in the Southern Conference. Prior to his time at Mercer, Kolakowski has filled or shared the role of defensive coordinator at Youngstown State University (2004-06), University of Cincinnati (2003), California University of Pennsylvania (2002). He also spent five years as a head coach at the NCAA Division II level, coaching for California University of Pennsylvania from 1996-2001.

Coach Kolakowski will build the initial football staff with like-minded, diverse members that will include people with high character, a strong work ethic, and are reliable. The coaches will prioritize character/athletic/academic development with the players, while getting these players involved with the community and to prepare them for post-secondary opportunities. “. He has tremendous enthusiasm, football experience, he will bring a high energy approach, and a sound knowledge base of the game of football to TCHS and the World Golf Village community. His foundation of “team before self and holding players accountable to a high standard” aligns with the vision for our school. The program will be able to adapt to the ever-changing society but remain committed to our core values. Our players will graduate as hardworking student athletes, great citizens, and champions on and off the field. “It’s a great honor to be named as the first Head Football coach at Tocoi Creek high school. What an exciting opportunity to be on the ground floor of a new high school program. Our players and staff will embrace the challenges ahead “We will build a program not just a team.” TCHS Principal, Jay Willets shared, “Coach Kolakowski will be a wonderful resource leader and educator to TCHS and the World Golf Community! I am excited to see how our young men and women respond to his energetic personality, collegiate experience and positive vision on developing strong athletes of character”.

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm in a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Kolakowski and his vision for TCHS Football.

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Bryan Hinman as the Head Girls Golf Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Bryan Hinman is a 25-year St. Johns County resident and has served on numerous athletic boards within the county, including the Flagler College Saints Athletics Advisory Board as well as the Police Athletic League for the St Johns County Sherriff’s Department. The experiences through playing multi sports while growing up and coaching here locally has helped to shape his philosophy of coaching. He emphasized in our interview, that the TCHS golf program will create an atmosphere that athletes can flourish, and the experience will be second to none that enhances the time at Tocoi Creek HS. The athletes will have “fun” within the competitive atmosphere.

He is joining the Tocoi Creek Toro’s Athletic staff after stops at St. Augustine High School as an assistant baseball and golf coach, at St. Joseph Academy as head baseball coach and Athletic Director.
As a baseball coach, he saw his teams compete for four championships in six years. He was a two-time recipient of the Jeff Holt “Coach of the Year” Award for Pursuing Victory with Honor. Bryan served as the baseball commissioner for the St Johns County Middle School Athletic Association during its inception in 2008. During his time as co-Athletic Director at St. Joseph Academy, the school experienced great athletic success with multiple district championships and state finalists.

Bryan and his wife Kimberly, a St. Johns County teacher, have three boys. Thompson is a graduate of the University of North Florida and currently serves in the Army National Guard. Carter, a graduate of St. Joseph Academy, along with his wife Jillian, is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. Camden is currently attending the University of North Florida.

Outside of the golf course you will see Mr. Hinman involved in multiple events in and around TCHS and is looking forward to involvement with the World Golf Village community. He is excited about being one of the first to set traditions that raise the bar of success for athletes and coaches that come to TCHS.

TCHS Principal, Jay Willets share, “We are thrilled and fortunate to have Coach Hinman as our 1st Head Girls Golf Coach. His community centered experience and passion for athletic program development and will be an amazing match to our talent at TCHS.”

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm in a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Bryan Hinman for more of his vision for TCHS Golf.

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Tiegh Collins as a Teacher, Head Cross Country Coach, and Head Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Mr. Collins comes to Tocoi Creek HS after spending 11 years at St. Augustine HS teaching Social Studies, as the Head Cross Country and Track coach. As an educator Mr. Collins has taught many different levels of Economics, Government, and World History. The past 6 years he has enjoyed focusing on economic literacy and helping the students begin to navigate the world outside of high school. His ability to communicate effectively with his students and bringing a wealth of knowledge from his real-world experiences has led him to be one of the most effective teachers and coaches in the area. His consistency in day to day operations of his team or classroom along with his ability to hold his athletes to a high standard, while earning their trust and confidence, aligns with the vision for Tocoi Creek HS. This effective teaching/coaching ability was recognized by the SAHS faculty and administration as the 2011 “Rookie Teacher of the Year” and he received the “Jeff Holt Victory with Honor” Coach of the Year for SAHS Athletics.

Tiegh Collins came to running through the sport of Triathlon. While swimming in high school, he found that he could also be competitive in the running realm. Soon after high school he made the transition to distance running where he ran for Flagler College (2003-2005). After graduating with his B.A. in secondary Education/History, he started a personal training company focused on sports performance and general wellbeing. In 2001, Mr. Collins became an active beach lifeguard and he still competes in lifeguard competitions along with local 5ks.

Coach Tiegh Collins has led his teams to numerous district, regional and state tournament appearances. Winning district titles in swimming at Menendez in 2007 and 2008. At St. Augustine his Cross-Country teams, while competing against the top competition in the state, still flourished by winning districts titles in 2013, 2019, and 2020. The SAHS teams had three top ten State finishes, the Girls team was the regional champion in 2019 and ended the year as the FHSAA Class 3A State Runner-up. This success led to multiple recognitions like All St. Johns County and All St. Johns River Athletic Conference runners and he was voted by his coaching peers as the SJRAC Cross Country “Coach of the Year” in 2019.

Mr. Collins is extremely excited about the opportunity to build a community full of new traditions and experiences that will take all Tocoi Creek students to the next level both academically and athletically. His goal is to be a positive force that helps turn TCHS into a place the community is proud of.

TCHS Principal, Jay Willets shared, “I have had the opportunity to both work with Coach Collins as well as see his leadership in building quality athletic programs in the St. Augustine community. I am excited to have the opportunity to work beside Tiegh again in building our Toro athletic program.”

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm in a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Collins and his vision for TCHS Cross Country.

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Alaina Porcellini Teacher and Head Cheerleading Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Ms. Porcellini is coming to TCHS after a two year stay at Nease HS where she taught English and Speech while also coaching the Pep and Competitive Cheerleading teams. She has been involved in sport all her life and began building her passion for cheerleading while at Bishop Moore HS and that passion carried on to Flagler College. During her high school years, she was a four-time State Champion and a National Champion in 2012 for the BMHS Hornets’ cheer program. She then progressed to Flagler College, where she continued her love for cheer as a member of the team and had a chance to get involved in the community as an ambassador for the Saints. These opportunities opened the door to work with the Universal Cheerleaders Association for the past 8 years. Ms. Porcellini remarked in her interview that this opportunity gave her much insight into a different side of cheerleading and led her to have the privilege to work with countless numbers of high school cheerleading programs that gave her an understanding of different teams. Currently, she is a Head Instructor at UCA, where she not only works hands on with each team, but also with coaches and really gets to understand different programs through all of Florida. She credits working with UCA, with helping her to learn, grow as an instructor, and really understand all the aspects of coaching cheerleading. While leading the Panthers, Nease Cheerleading has not only grown on the competitive side, but also in game day cheerleading. The program was able to grow and build a family aspect. Ms. Porcellini said, “Cheerleading for me is not just about the competition, but it is also about the comradery and the family dynamic that comes with it. It is important to build the sideline and gameday aspect of cheerleading and then grow the competitive side from that.” The Panthers placed 8th nationally at UCA in 2020 and have back to back top 4 finishes at the FHSAA State Competitive Cheer Competition in 2020 -21, both finishes set new school marks for the program.

In the interview process, Porcellini showed her excitement to start this journey with Tocoi Creek Cheerleading and to be the leaders of “spirit” for Tocoi Creek HS. Having the opportunity to start a new cheerleading program and establish school wide traditions that will enhance the overall TCHS student experience will be a challenge that she is looking forward to. “Cheerleading has always been a very important part of who I am, and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for Tocoi Creek Cheerleading, get involved with the World Golf Village Community, and have this program moving in a positive, upward direction.”

TCHS Principal, Jay Willets shared “We are truly excited to have Coach Porcellini’s passion and talents for our inaugural cheer program. Her experience and focus on character development will be a valued addition to our TCHS community”.

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm in a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Porcellini and her vision for TCHS Cheerleading.

Tocoi Creek High School is excited to announce the hiring of Robert Bruns as Social Studies Teacher and Head Swimming and Diving Coach for the newest high school in St. Johns County Florida.

Mr. Bruns is coming to Tocoi Creek with an extensive background in education, this is his 24th year teaching and is coming to us from Bartram Trail HS where he has taught AP History classes. Mr. Bruns is a seasoned teacher of academics as well as in the swimming and diving venue. His vision for TCHS Swimming and Diving aligns itself with the overall school vision of Tocoi Creek HS. He is bringing a tremendous amount of successful coaching experience and an acute ability to bring the best out of all levels of athletes in his program. He will set the expectations high for all students and athletes that will challenge them daily to work for success.

Coach Bruns is a former high school, USS, and collegiate swimmer. He has competed on the national level and still competes in master’s swim meets in Florida. He has been coaching high school, United States Swimming, and NCAA Division III swimming and diving programs since 1984 and has been fortunate to coach numerous National, Jr. National, All-American swimmers and divers within his programs. He was chosen by the National Federation of High Schools as their “Coach of the Year” for the Southeast in 2017 and has been “Coach of the Year” for the St. Johns River Athletic Conference numerous times. He led Bartram Trail High School men’s team to a 3A- State Runner-up award in 2018 and his women’s teams were the 3A – State Runner-up in 2015, 2017, 2018 and won the 3A State Championship in 2016.

In the interview process, Bruns showed an excitement for starting a new swimming and diving program, also being involved with the local youth swim programs in the World Golf Village community and having the opportunity to be the first to set traditions that raise the bar of success for athletes and coaches that come to TCHS. TCHS Principal, Jay Willets shared “Coach Bruns deep experience in academic and aquatic program will bring amazing opportunities for our Toros in both the classroom as well as on the swim deck.

We are inviting all Tocoi Creek HS families to join us in the March 25th “Toro Pep Rally” beginning at 6pm via a zoom platform to hear more from Coach Bruns and his vision for TCHS Swimming and Diving.

View the HHH Community Second Meeting PowerPoint

Parents, Students and Community Members,

Thank you to all parents, students and community members who completed a survey with their suggestion for HHH naming and mascot.   We had 572 completed survey’s submitted and our HHH School Naming and Mascot Committee met on Tuesday evening, the 21st to review all survey suggestions.

We will now move forward with a survey to ask each committee member to select their top 5 school names and mascots which will then be reviewed and top 5 – 8 school names will be submitted to the St. Johns County School Board for approval at the December 2020 school board meeting.