One evening in the fall of 2006, then-Redmond High School athletic director Annette Duvall was having dinner with Bainbridge High School athletic director Neal White, a longtime friend.

Unexpectedly, White told her that he was leaving at the end of the school year to pursue a possible career on the senior golf circuit.

Duvall was astonished. She had long set her sights on being AD on an island with one high school. That vision certainly limited her options, especially without moving far from the area in which she had grown up.

Yet Duvall’s career has always been characterized by what appears to a great deal of kismet during an 18-year tenure in education, the last 15 as an AD.

A 1980 graduate of Newport High School, Duvall received her undergraduate degree from Western Washington University (where she played soccer) and her master’s degree from Seattle Pacific University.

She began teaching at Cedar Park Christian School in Bothell, where she eventually became athletic director. Her next move was to The Bear Creek School in Redmond, working as AD.

In 2003, her oldest daughter wanted to attend Redmond High School. By coincidence, the AD job at Redmond opened up at the same time. It continued a particularly fortuitous personal streak.

“For 14 years I aligned parenting with the school where I worked,” she said.

After her memorable meal with White, “I immediately locked in to Bainbridge as a high school, as a community, and as an island. By April I knew I had the job and bought a house in Fort Ward to get acclimated to island life, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”

Her arrival coincided with a major facilities renovation, which has resulted in somewhat cramped quarters for administrators.

The 2008-2009 school year began with another disruption – the resurfacing of the football field and track–and the challenge of scheduling games while workers worked to finish the project in time for the O’Dea football game last month.

“The completion of the stadium is a huge step for our kids on a regular basis,” she said. And there may be other projects in the offing as well. “Upgrading the baseball and softball fields is on the horizon from my perspective,” she added.

She noted one large difference between her previous position at Redmond and Bainbridge.

“The Lake Washington district (of which Redmond is a part) is so big and there are so many options. There’s a school every two miles and they’re packed. The sense of identification isn’t as automatic as it is here. Everyone here knows that they’ll feed to Sakai to Woodward to Bainbridge High School. That offers a sense of continuity and family.”

There’s another difference. While enrollment at Redmond was similar to here, ninth graders there were still in junior high.

“Here the ninth graders are housed at the high school,” she said. “That gives them the chance to become part of a developing sport. They may not be ready for varsity, but everybody knows they will be a Spartan.”

One ongoing debate within the school is the league affiliation. With the WIAA evaluating school enrollments every two years, and possibly making reclassifications, changing leagues is always a possibility.

Based on current WIAA enrollment numbers, the chances of Bainbridge going up or down in classification are virtually non-existent.

“We’re right in the middle of 3A,” Duvall said. “Our numbers are not likely to fluctuate. The geographical area is defined for us, so it’s a predictable number for us within a hundred or so.

“We explore and evaluate every option. We’re driven by geographical proximity, which is unique to say the least. We’re always looking for the best experience for out student athletes.

“There’s not 100 percent agreement among the coaches, as their lens can be specific to their experience. We keep asking and listening to everybody’s viewpoint, then make a global decision.”

She believ es there are several advantages to remaining in the Metro League.

“The competition is healthy and it’s motivating for coaches and student athletes. It’s also very visible, an opportunity to get noticed by colleges. And it’s healthy to experience the diversity of Metro.”

Duvall is well-versed in diversity.

“Every place I’ve been has been perfect at that time,” she said. “They prepared me for being here, and I’m very thankful for that.”

That preparation has included developing her perspective serving as an AD. “Providing a healthy, positive experience is my underlying philosophy,” she said. “I hope that people will be supportive if the outcomes aren’t going our way. Of course, if we win that’s always good but we can’t control that.”