Sparta High School has a new Vice Principal!
Here is what you need to know about Mr. Shannon Benson.
A: Absolutely! I’m originally born in South Carolina and I spent 6 years in the United States Army. After discharging from the Army I moved to New Jersey which was something that was new to me. Shortly after that I got into education. Of course I went to school for my degree and then I started my teaching career in Newark. From that point I went into a dean role: Dean of Students/ Culture. From there I went into a supervisor Dean role and I did that for 7 years in Newark. For the last 2 years I was assistant principal at Butler High School and of course now I’m here.
I currently live in Butler with my wife (Kimberly) and my 2 kids: Julian who is 4 and my daughter Amina who is 18 months. My wife is originally from Sparta so she’s a Spartan alumna. I also have 2 dogs that are part of the family, Creed and Rosie. I am very excited to be here and just knowing that my wife came from Sparta, you know it has to be a great place.
Q: What made you want to start a career in education?
A: As I said, I spent time, 6 years in the army. Approximately 3 of those years I was a sergeant and so a lot of what I did as a sergeant was mentoring. A lot of leading, counseling, and teaching. When I got out of the army, I initially went into a job as a technician and I shortly realized that I just didn’t feel complete. And as I sit back and I reflect it all, what I realize I was missing was giving back. Just providing guidance and teaching.
Q: What brought you to Sparta?
A:There were a few main reasons.
I really have always had a great amount of respect for the town of Sparta as well as the school district and I think that the amount of pride that is demonstrated from the district and the town itself is something that I really wanted to be a part of.
Additionally, my daughter has down's syndrome and so with that, we know that there are a lot of resources and support that she’s going to need. And we really feel that the Sparta school district is something that is going to be able to support her better than where we’re coming from.
But I also think that there's a lot that the Sparta school district has that I can learn, as well as a lot of things that I feel I can support to help continue to push the great things that have happened here.
Q: How are you liking the environment at Sparta so far?
A: So far I haven’t gotten the benefit of the entire staff and student population, but from what I’ve seen and experienced, I’ve really enjoyed the idea of colleagues that support one another and the positive culture that is set here. I have had a lot of support and a lot of people that have reached out and been willing to help acclimate me with what's going on.
Q: What’s one thing that students should know about you?
A: There are 2 pieces. For me, the first piece is respect for all. The second piece, and there's a little more to it, is the idea of showing up. What I mean by showing up is showing up across the board: myself, staff members and students. It means showing up in your physical form ready to do your job and ready to give 100% effort. For me if you’re showing up and you’re showing that respect, then we’re on the right sheet of music.
Thank you so much to Mr. Benson for participating in this interview and we look forward to getting to know you!
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