Two Danbury High School athletic coaches have been recognized as National High School Coaches Association finalists this year. Jackie DiNardo, who leads the Hatters’ girls’ basketball team, and Kathy Boucher, who coaches the girls’ golf team, are one of eight coaches in their respective sports heading to South Dakota this summer for the award presentation.
After coaching the team for more than 30 seasons, DiNardo has recorded more than 460 career-wins and had led the team to several FCIAC and state tournaments. The Hatters became one of three teams to win a triple championship under her guidance.
DiNardo was inducted into the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2015. DiNardo is the administrator of the district’s REACH and Endeavor programs, an alternative program for at-risk students.
Boucher, a social studies teacher at DHS, started the girls’ golf as a club sport in 1998 and it became a varsity sport in 2003, winning the FCIAC and state championships in 2004 and 2005. Boucher was the FCIAC Girls Golf Coach of the Year in 2015 and received an FCIAC Coach of Excellence Award in 2016.
