At first glance, Principal Todd Bennett’s behavior may not seem very typical of a school administrator. Students often tip their heads in an amused reaction and watch as he communicates with their peers, mimicking the same tone and motion as a normal teen, or belts Elvis tunes from the doorway to his office.

Yet many may overlook one of his main reasons for working at school. Other than socializing with students, he fills up his days with activities that aim to help the campus.

In this article, the everyday activities and antics of Principal Bennett will be revealed.

Bennett arrives at school at around 7 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the first person to settle into the office. He first checks his e-mail, his schedule and the sports schedule.

“I have to come early because I have to do things. I never get bored; like I always say, ‘the intelligent never get bored,'” Bennett said. “There’s just too much to do to get bored. But I don’t like all of my work; people who do are crazy. No one can like every aspect of their job.”

The most entertaining part of his work is spending time with the people around him, he says.

“I enjoy the kids and people, just being around them during the day,” Bennett said. “It’s fun to work with the entire student body instead of just the [limited amount of] students as a regular teacher.”

Generally, his schedule then consists of three meetings, set about an hour apart.

“There are unpleasant things about my job, including the discipline of students and working out the budget,” Bennett said. “But it’s fun to watch people teach in class, and also to interact with the entire student body as a whole.”

According to Bennett, one of the highlights of the day is turning on his “funky” music and giving the announcements during second period.

“I like working with both Bree Ainley [’11] and [English teacher] Greg Stobbe,” Bennett said. “I usually choose the songs based on whether there is some event happening or a theme. If not, then I just choose a silly or fun song. It grabs the students’ attention.”

Along with working in the school, Bennett often tries to support the school’s sports teams.

“I like sports because they are entertaining,” Bennett said. “But I especially like high school sports because I get to watch kids I know play, and actually care who wins. I try to go to every home game, and I think it’s nice during basketball season because lots of times they are home games. And, because my daughter [Katherine, ’13,] is a cheerleader, I get to be with family.”

Throughout the day, Bennett works with both junior high and high school students. He finishes by teaching the junior high drama class.

“The kids are really talented and fun. I like theater, and if I didn’t have kids or a wife, then I would do theater,” Bennett said. “But when you have kids, they really take up your time after work. To be a good parent, I can’t spend so much time doing what I like, but rather what they like.”

After the students rush into the halls, depositing all unneeded books into their lockers and go home, Bennett continues to sit in the quiet refuge of his office and types away at the remaining portion of his work.

“I usually leave to go home about 5:30, just to make sure that my kids have gotten all their homework done. But on some days, because I go cheer or the sport teams, I won’t get home until 9:30,” Bennett said. “Because I’ve been in the administrative department for a long time, [my family is] used to it.”

Though Bennett says he loves his job as an administrator, his real focus is his family.

“Other than work, I spend the rest of my time with my kids,” Bennett said. “Mark [’14] and I go to at least one professional baseball game each year. With Katherine, because she has so many interests, I just try to support her in all she does.”

Before he took the job as the school principal and before he started a family, Bennett taught in an elementary school as a third, fourth and fifth grade teacher.

“Before Katherine was born, I was an elementary teacher. I loved that, it was a great job and I did it for eight years,” Bennett said. “Then after, I taught for another year; and then we needed more money. I got my master’s degree and, after becoming principal for several other schools, I came here.”

In addition to theater, Bennett has a special interest in baseball.

“I like baseball because any team can beat another on any given day. There are always random outcomes, variables and strategies,” Bennett said. “But in most other sports, like football or basketball, a good team will always or most likely beat a worse team. For baseball, one player can make a difference.”

One hobby which reflects Bennett’s interest in music is his ability to play the guitar, both acoustic and electric.

“I’m not good, but I play. I’ve always loved music, and growing up in the ’70s, every band featured a guitar,” Bennett said. “It was an easy instrument to pick up and play. Even today, I still pick it up and play.”

For more information, read the Aug. 24 article, Principal rejoins education after 2-year hiatus or e-mail Bennett.

For stories by Bennett himself, read the Oct. 21 article, Homecoming: Going all out or the Sept. 9 article, Relationships foster success.