Every time Ty Brown meets with middle school and high school student-athletes and their families, the Woodland Hills School District’s Director of Activities, Athletics, and Sponsorships is quick to claim that Woodland Hills has the best athletic department in the country.
Decades of success on the field, a lengthy list of college-bound student-athletes, and the steady pulse of Wolverine Pride that courses throughout the district gave Mr. Brown plenty of credibility to make that statement. Now, they’ll have some additional support as an indicator that their claim has merit.
The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association has selected the Woodland Hills athletic department as 2026 NIAAA Quality Program Assessment recipient. The NIAAA conducts a rigorous process to identify, recognize, and commend school athletic programs that demonstrate excellence in the implementation and administration of high school athletics. The application process lasts almost a full year and includes a thorough evaluation of 10 distinct categories of athletic administration, with districts required to provide presentations and supporting documentation to back their application.
“Anything that you could think of that has to do with an athletic department was part of the process,” Mr. Brown said.
The NIAAA will formally recognize Mr. Brown and the athletic department during a special ceremony on Monday, December 14 during the school day. According to a list of past QPA recipients on the NIAAA website, Woodland Hills is the first WPIAL school to receive the recognition.
Mr. Brown said that he hopes this honor reinforces a belief in the community that families can trust their middle school and high school students will be provided an enriching and rewarding experience.
“This is not about looking at recognition for Woodland Hills or myself or anything that we’re doing. We just want to make sure that we’re serving our kids at a high level,” he said. “If it’s not about the kids, I don’t really want to talk about anything else.”
The student-athlete experience has been Mr. Brown’s focus since he arrived at Woodland Hills in 2023. That emphasis isn’t just about performance, but about support, mentorship, and leadership development.
“I always tell our parents that how we care for our kids here is probably going to be a lot different than a lot of other places, especially places that you go to where you didn’t grow up in that community,” Mr. Brown said. “There it’s really like a transactional experience – if you’re good for us, we love you. If you’re not as good, we don’t really care for you. Here it’s more of a community experience.”
“I tell our parents, ‘We love our kids differently here.’ Going through that (NIAAA) process just kind of shows that we’re putting everything in place to make sure that our kids are having a great experience, a safe experience, and a rewarding experience.”
One area where Mr. Brown believes Woodland Hills shines is in providing leadership opportunities and responsibilities to its high school student athletes. From trips to Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy to mentor the district’s middle school students to visits to the elementary buildings to read with the district’s youngest learners, the student-athletes have become visible off the field as well as on it.
“I can bark at our kids all day, but if we put that ownership on them, then you can see it registering with them,” Mr. Brown said. “They’re going out there and these kids are looking up to them for guidance. That’s a good one for us.”
Mr. Brown believes assistant athletic director Jullian Turner and athletics administrative assistant Amanda Alhaj have had an immeasurable impact on the department.
“Jules is a pillar in our community. People look to him for answers all the time,” Mr. Brown said. “He builds those relationships with the alumni and the community at large, and he bridges the gap between our athletic department and the rest of the Woodland Hills family.”
Turner is instrumental in operating the athletic department’s transportation needs, as well as countless other tasks.
“We try to put a lot on his plate because he’s a tremendous asset to what we do,” Mr. Brown said.
“And our department doesn’t function without Amanda,” he added. “I won’t do anything without Amanda’s approval. She’s the heartbeat of our office.”
Under Mr. Brown’s leadership, Woodland Hills athletic programs are challenged to meet E.L.I.T.E. standards – to adhere to the core pillars of Energy, Leadership, Integrity, Togetherness, and Excellence. The programs and coaches may strive to meet those standards in different ways, but the goal is the same.
“That's the beauty of sports. You have so many people from different backgrounds and different beliefs and different walks of life that all are coming together for the same purpose, right?” Mr. Brown said. “The way that Coach Dan Schuller runs the tennis program is a lot different than the way Coach Brian Tarrant runs the football program. But you’ve got to be able to identify your kids and understand what works for that group.”
And now, thanks to the recognition from the NIAAA, Mr. Brown and the entire Woodland Hills athletic department can truly claim that these Wolverines truly are ELITE.