Matt Bastian Resigns from Milbank High School

Matt Bastian, Milbank High School math teacher and head boys basketball coach, resigned his positions. He plans to take the job of K-12 principal and part-time athletic director for the Florence School District.

Bastian began his teaching career in Milbank in 2001, and coached for 15 of the 16 years. He was the assistant boys basketball coach under Boyd Sussex, including the 2005 season when the Bulldogs captured a State Class A championship title. He took over for Sussex as head coach during the 2006-2007 school year and remained in that position.

Bastian graduated from Henry High School in 1996 – a class of two. His parents still reside in Henry, and his siblings live in Willow Lake, Volga, and Pierre.

He said, “When I started my career, I simply wanted to teach and coach. Years later, I discovered the cost and time of getting a masters degree was doable, so I pursued that, but still never with the goal of becoming an administrator. This opportunity became available, so after a lot of thought, I went for it. I’ve enjoyed the past 16 years of working with the great staff and many great kids that have roamed the halls of MHS.”

Matt’s wife, Melissa, is a teacher at Milbank Middle School. The couple and their three children – Harper, 7; Hadley, 6, and Quinn, 4 – will continue to reside in Milbank. Matt will commute to Florence. His resignation from MHS will be acted upon by the Board of Education at their May meeting.