Even after covering high school sports for over two decades, there’s still this different feeling in the air when I arrive to cover a big-time game.

Whether it’s a league championship, section title or rivalry game, there’s this tangible tension you feel when you’re on the sideline, in the gym or the dugout. 

That’s why covering sports has always been a passion for me and I’m thrilled to begin my new job as the Merced Union High School District’s new position – Program Manager Digital Media.

Hello, my name is Shawn Jansen. In my new role with MUHSD, I will be joining the communications team and will be collaborating with coaches, administrators and staff to help shine a spotlight on athletics, academic achievements, district events, programs and other great things happening in the District to compile stories that will be posted to the MUHSD website. I will also be producing a weekly digital newsletter, highlighting district news and sports.

Prior to coming to the district, I worked for over 25 years as a reporter for the Merced Sun-Star, covering high school sports, education, local government and other topics.

My goal is to use my reporting background to share stories about MUHSD teams, athletes, students, programs and staff. 

One of the questions asked during the interview process is why do you want to work in the district?

For me, it starts with the people. I’ve been covering the schools in the district for over 25 years and during that time I’ve built some strong relationships with coaches, administrators and other staff members. There are special people working in this district who are doing what they do for the right reason. Their work is helping give students and athletes a memorable high school experience. 

Secondly, covering high school sports has always been a passion of mine, so working for a school district that values athletics seems like a good fit. 

MUHSD has invested a lot of money into the athletic facilities at the high schools. When the new football stadiums are completed this winter, all six high schools will have their own on-campus football stadiums. That is rare for a district this size in California.

We’ve seen new state-of-the art pools constructed at Merced and Atwater this past year. Golden Valley and Livingston have also seen recent additions of pools. The new gymnasiums at Atwater, Merced and Livingston are some of the nicest facilities in the Sac-Joaquin Section. 

We’re a couple weeks away from our fall sports teams beginning practices. Before we know it, the lights will be shining on Friday nights and it will be full steam ahead. We’ll be there with our notebook and cameras following our teams in their quest for league championships and deep playoff runs.

For us to shine a light on MUHSD, we are going to need your help. If you have an event, a story idea or an achievement you think should be highlighted, reach out to our communications team.

Good luck to all our teams out there. Let’s make this a great school year. I’m very excited to join the MUHSD team.

Shawn Jansen is the Program Manager Digital Media for the Merced Union High School District. He can be reached at sjansen@muhsd.org.

Listen on Spotify