Derby High School’s beloved athletic trainer of several years leaves

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Photo by Gianna Akter ’25: Dan Perillo was celebrated and appreciated at his goodbye party.

By Gianna Akter ’25

Dan Perillo, who has been Derby High School’s athletic trainer for several years, unfortunately had his last day with the DHS family on September 27, 2023. 

Derby High School has a contractor for their athletic trainer services, who has decided to end their contract with DHS. A contractor is a business or company entity that agrees to work under the terms of a contract/agreement, supplying services and or personnel. As a result, Perillo did not get a choice whether to stay or go, as it was a higher-priority, business decision for the contractor. They are moving him to Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT to finish off the rest of the year. He hopes to return to Derby High School next school year. 

“Honestly, it’s really upsetting,” says Perillo. “This place has become more than a job for me, it’s been a second home; the kids, the coaches, the community itself, it’s like I’m leaving the family behind.”

Student-athletes may be wondering what this means for them in terms of athletic services, and what they will be doing for the time being. Jenn Moffat, Derby High School’s athletic director, states, “We are working now with Griffin Hospital to bring on either an athletic trainer or at least a physical therapist for now, to cover all of our game days.” She adds, “We may not have coverage for every practice, but we will have them for game activities. It just probably will not be consistently the same person, which is what we have grown used to.” 

While this information may bring relief for many student-athletes, it does not take away the sadness they feel, as they express what kind of person Perillo is and how he has helped them. “He is a really good trainer who connected with the athletes very well and always tried to get us back to our sports injury-free as soon as possible,” says Quinlan Gray ‘25, co-captain of the DHS girls’ volleyball team. “I love Dan and will miss him very much. He’s a very slay, helpful guy,” regards Savannah Harrold ‘25, a member of the DHS girls’ volleyball team. 

Perillo started at Derby High School as a student trainer with the former athletic trainer. DHS lost contact with Perillo shortly after. A year later, however, Perillo returned and became the new official athletic trainer, and has been for the past several years up until this point.