Winstead thrilled to be the new Columbia HS athletic director

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Sjocquelyn Winstead did thorough research on the Columbia High School athletic history.

She found that the Cougars sports programs have achieved a tradition of success.

As the new CHS athletic director, Winstead strives to continue that rich tradition.

Winstead, whose first name is pronounced “Shock-wa-lin,” came over from Newark West Side High School, where she served as the athletic director for the past few years. She is the first female CHS athletic director.

In her first week after school opened last week, Winstead has been impressed by the coaches and student-athletes.

“I feel the Cougar Nation experience,” said Winstead in an interview with the News-Record in her office at CHS on Friday, Sept. 6. “I see that coaches are committed and eager to get involved and improve their sports programs. I’m proud to be part of a school district where there are teams that have won state championships and some teams that have made the state tournament every year. They are consistent.”

Winstead has an extensive and diverse background. She attended Hillside High School, lettering in basketball, soccer, cross-country and softball, before graduating in 2005. She was a two-year captain of the basketball team, leading the squad to the Sky Conference championship in 2003-04. She also was the class president and a member of the school’s National Honor Society.

Winstead attended Rutgers University, where she served as the team manager of the women’s basketball team, under Naismith Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Springer. Winstead experienced the thrill of Rutgers making it to the NCAA Division I national championship game against Tennessee in 2007 in Cleveland. She also said she was named the team’s “Manager of the Year.”

Winstead earned a nomination into Phi Alpa Theta, a history honor society, and received  prestigious honors as a Paul Robeson Scholar and Ronald E. McNair Scholar. She also participated in Rutgers’ study abroad program, where she attended the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Pietermartizburg, South Africa. During her stay, she not only collected preliminary information for a research project, but also embraced cultural diversity.

After graduating with cum laude honors from Rutgers with degrees in history and Africana studies, she earned a graduate degree in educational leadership from Montclair State University.

Winstead has been an elementary school teacher and a vice principal. She also was the head girls varsity basketball coach at Hillside HS from 2009 to 2017 and led the team to three Union County Valley Conference championships (2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2014-2015). She then was the head coach at West Side HS for five years, leading the team to the Super Essex Conference–Freedom Divisional championship in 2020. Winstead has coached several players who have gone on to play collegiately at the Division I, II and III levels.

Winstead said she wants to build relationships within the community, particularly with parents.

“Parents are significantly important to the success of athletic programs,” she said.

In addition, Winstead wants student-athletes to use their sports platforms to display their talents.

Facilities and resources are also important. Winstead is always looking for ways to improve in those areas.

She also strives to keep in alignment with the school district’s mission and to make sure things are equitable. 

The CHS teams consistently have been able to qualify for the postseason, but most of the time, they have come up short in their quest to win state titles. 

Winstead wants to help those programs go further in their state tournament journeys by identifying areas of improvement within those respective programs.

  Columbia High School athletics