Brandon Legendre ’13
Brandon Legendre ’13, was raised in Waterford, Vermont, as an only child. He went to Good Shepherd Catholic School and grew up playing sports his whole life; however, he had never heard of running track or cross-country until the end of his freshman year at St. Johnsbury Academy. Little did he know how much of an impact running would have on his life.
Brandon describes his time at the academy as “an extremely positive experience. I managed to participate on six different athletic teams before fully committing to the sport of running in the later part of high school. Most of my high school memories are comprised of the teachers who made incredible impacts on my life and my overall positive experience at SJA. My favorite class was trigonometry with Mr. Craig Weston (former SJA Faculty). I’ve never met someone who could make math as entertaining as he did. A lot of how I teach today is based on my experience when I was taking his class.”
Many people had a positive impact on Brandon during his time at SJA, he says, “Arlan “Chip” Langmaid ’80, made the biggest impact on my life by inspiring my passion and interest in running and instilling a strong work ethic in everything that I do. The next person that comes to mind is Tom Lovett (current SJA Faculty and former headmaster). Since as far back as being my 3rd or 4th grade basketball coach, he has always been a supportive, kind, and generous person who seeks out the best in people, including me, from such a young age.”
By his junior year at SJA, Brandon was running cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track and was incredibly successful. As a result of his success, he and Chip had many long trips to track meets together. Brandon recalls a story about how Chip found someone to help fund their trip to a Junior Olympics meet where Brandon had qualified. They traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, together and Brandon missed out on an All-American medal by only five spots. Through many experiences like this, Brandon and Chip grew incredibly close, and their connection continued even after Brandon left SJA.
After high school, Brandon attended Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire, where he ran cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track while majoring in psychology. After he graduated college, he was considering going to Boston for grad school. While contemplating his decision he ended up back in
St. Johnsbury, where he accepted a job at SJA to teach physical education. He enrolled in a grad school and earned his graduate degree in sport and performance psychology from the University of Western States in his fourth year teaching here. He now teaches health and critical skills, exercise science, and physical education, while also coaching the boys’ cross-country team. When asked about his favorite part of his job, Brandon said, “I love being able to positively impact, teach, and potentially even inspire the future generation of the world, just as Chip did with me. I believe that this can also be the most challenging part of the job in that I feel a large amount of pressure to do my job in a way that exceeds expectations and creates above-average results.”
On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Chip Langmaid passed away unexpectedly, which left members of SJA and the surrounding community shaken and heartbroken. Chip’s passing had an immense impact on a lot of people, but because of how close they had become, it really affected Brandon. This past season, in the first year under the direction of Head Coach Brandon Legendre, the SJA boys’ cross-country team won the Vermont Principals Association Boys cross-country State Championship for the fourth year in a row, and the first year without Chip. In his first year taking over coaching the team, Brandon was selected as the Vermont Boys Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association, an incredible honor. “Chip definitely guided me during the start of my coaching career so that we could blend our styles to be as effective as possible as a team. I was always comfortable with coaching early on, but Chip giving me words of encouragement last year really helped me get through the season. He instilled so much confidence in me that I do know what I’m doing, and that I am a great coach. If Chip Langmaid says I’m a great coach, then I know I’m great, because he was a phenomenal coach. He taught me that everything is a learning process, that nothing is ever perfect, and to always strive for greatness.”
When asked for a piece of advice for current students, Brandon said, “Don’t be afraid to get involved and take risks! Complacency doesn’t breed success. Don’t be afraid to do something that you’ve never done before, because if you keep doing the same thing, you’re not going to get any better. Expand your comfort zone and take advantage of ALL of the things that SJA has to offer. You only have four years here, so why not make the most of it. Find somebody or something that really speaks to you and can inspire you to pursue something that you’re interested in. You never know where it will end up going!” He thought back on the first time he had met Chip during his freshman year, and how that meeting has turned into all of this. Everything that has happened during his track running and coaching career, came out of Brandon taking a risk and trying something new.
Brandon is a leader on the cross-country trails, the track, and also in the classroom. His perseverance, leadership, and dedication to the school and our students is so wholesome, and it deserves recognition. He is planning to continue coaching the cross-country team next season and is incredibly excited to see what great things the next year brings.
BACK TO SJA Alumni Spotlight