Pinnacle Canyon Academy Press Release
Photo courtesy of Pinnacle Canyon Academy
Mark Stuckenschneider was named the recipient of the 2025 1A Coach/Advisor of the Year. The UHSAA Distinguished Service Award honors individuals for their service and contributions to high school activities. Mark was honored at an awards luncheon hosted by the UHSAA Executive Committee on Jan. 14, 2026.
Mark, known as Mr. S. or Coach Mark on campus, was born and raised in Salt Lake City. He is an avid runner and played rugby at Highland and Olympus High Schools as well as Southern Methodist University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and English in 1990. He continued his education, earning his teaching credentials from the University of Utah in 1993 and a master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Physical and Sport Education from Utah State University in 2023.
Mark began his teaching career in Salt Lake City and came to Pinnacle Canyon Academy in 2003. At Pinnacle, Mark has served as an elementary teacher and the elementary principal. During his years in elementary school, his alter ego, Professor Pocket Protector, made regular appearances, delighting his students. Mark is a master teacher who harnesses his passion for teaching by coaching student-athletes and mentoring teachers. Mark has coached Pinnacle’s high school track and field, middle school girls’ basketball, high school girls’ basketball, and middle school and high school cross country. Currently, he serves as the Secondary Vice Principal, Athletic Director, Coach of the high school cross-country teams, and Elementary Specials Coordinator, where he teaches physical education to students in grades K-5.
When asked about his service in high school activities, Mark stated, “I never set out thinking of my involvement as ‘great service,’ I simply enjoy working with and being around young people… I hope to model a love of athletics and instill the important life lessons that come with being part of a team. I recognize that the students I work with today will be tomorrow’s leaders. In the future, one of the kids on a former team will be the doctor I visit in the ER, one will be the mayor of the city I live in, and one will help me plan my retirement. I want our community to be better moving forward, and I am responsible for part of that development.”
Mark’s commitment to teaching young people is evident in his work as a teacher, principal, and coach. His passion for running inspires his cross-country teams. Mark’s high school girls’ cross-country team was Region 19 champs in 2015, 2016, and 2020, and the boys’ cross-country team was Region 19 champs in 2019 and 2020.
Mark summed up the importance of high school activities and his coaching philosophy by saying, “Success on a high school team helps prepare teens to be successful adults. They learn to show up on time, and that being prepared often means arriving early. They learn to get along with others, even if their personalities differ, to achieve a common goal. Perhaps most importantly, they learn to take direction and change their behavior for the better, often in very challenging and stressful situations. Coaching is a natural extension of teaching, and high school activities play a vital role in shaping teenagers into responsible, engaged, and contributing members of our community.”
Please join us in congratulating Mark for his well-deserved honor of being named the 2025 Utah 1A Coach/Advisor of the year.