AOP Spotlight Series: Christine Jenkinson, John W. Hallahan - Class of 1990
A new feature to the website, the Spotlight Series will include interviews with former AOP student-athletes who continued their athletic participation in one form or another after high school.
Christine Jenkinson, John W. Hallahan (
Class of 1990) 
- Participated in girls' basketball and cheerleading at JWH
- Member of the crew team at La Salle University
- Earned Bachelor's (Communications) and Master's degrees (Strategic Communcations) from La Salle University
- Worked in Graduate Admissions at Temple, La Salle and the Community College of Philadelphia
- Athletic Director, John W. Hallahan: 20019 - Present
- Also serves as the school's Communications & Alumnae Relations Manager
Your favorite memory from your time as a student-athlete at John W. Hallahan:
“The summer between freshmen and sophomore year, the entire basketball team all went to the [former Immaculata Head Coach] Cathy Rush Basketball Camp. We got to train and compete against different schools from different parts of the state. It was a lot of fun and good team building for us. But it was great to meet all these girls from all these different schools, to see how we stacked up against them. One thing I always loved…I was a cheerleader from the time I was little…being at Hallahan but cheering for Roman, for they guys I was friends with and my brother.”
What makes John W. Hallahan such a special place?
“For me it was a family thing. My mom and her sisters went to Hallahan. My cousins went to Hallahan. It was a family thing, it was a friend thing. When I got there, it was definitely the sisterhood thing. Meeting girls from all over the city, outside of my little Roxborough/East Falls circle, was amazing. The friendships that I formed…I am still friends with a lot of these girls today.”
The enjoyment you take from serving as the school’s Athletic Director:
“This is one of the best jobs ever. This has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had working in general. It combines my love of sports and athletics and the girls. Not even just working with the girls and trying to be a role model, and trying to help them, whether it’s with their athletics or their academics, when they come to me and just want to talk. Being their mentor…that is a huge thing. But also doing it for the girls from MY school. I look at them…they could be my children but they’re also my [Hallahan] sisters. They are going to be my future alum as well. So it being able to come back and do all of that, which I think is really important and amazing, but doing that for Hallahan, for my alma mater…I don’t think I could ask for a whole lot more.”
What traits do you look for when hiring head coaches?
“Beyond the obvious of knowing the sport, and the ability to show the skills that are needed…leadership is huge, but I think empathy is right there with it. Especially when it comes to girls’ athletics. Girls and boys approach things differently, and I think you have to have a different level of communication, understanding and empathy to really get the most out of your student-athletes. You have to try to understand their perspective, where their coming from, and maybe what some of their goals are. And while winning is important, there is more to it than that, to the development of that student. So being able to understand what their needs are and try to meet those needs, whether it’s emotionally or physically thru the sport itself, you’re going to get more from that student-athlete. I think someone who has leadership skills, obviously the intense knowledge of their sport, has that empathy, and willingness to know their athletes. Not just that they are a position but they are a person.”
What advice would you give to a young person who is thinking about a career in high school athletic administration?
“To look at beyond just playing the sport. What leadership skills can you develop within your own teams. Whether it’s at the high school level or when you get to the collegiate level. If it’s D1, D3 or club activity…join. Be involved, keep up with your athletics, take leadership roles. Find your own mentor and learn how to mentor others.”
Previous AOP Spotlights
Ryan Quigley, Lansdale Catholic (Class of 2016)
Denise Dillon, Cardinal O'Hara (Class of 1992)
Chris Mooney, Archbishop Ryan (Class of 1990)
Marc Jackson, Roman (Class of 1993)
Cindy Anderson Griffin, Bishop McDevitt (Class of 1987)
Ryan McNulty, Bishop Shanahan (Class of 2016)
Bill Zwaan, Archbishop Carroll (Class of 1972)
Lynn Henderson-Ford, St. Hubert's (Class of 1983)