Our own Helena High School principal has won the Principal of the Year award for the 2022-2023 school year!

What is this, you may ask? This award is a recognition of AA principals in Montana. All the AA high school principals of Montana meet twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter. They vote for this award in the summer and the award is given in the fall.

Mr. Thennis was a teacher at our school before he became principal: He taught chemistry, biology, and Science Seminar. In total, he taught for nine years, was an assistant principal for ten years, assistant superintendent for one year, and building principal for eleven.

He also became the assistant superintendent for Helena Public Schools but only stayed in that position for one year. He didn’t like that job, so he came back to Helena High because he missed the students. “My passion is to work with kids and to watch them grow,” he said.

He explained that the sound of the school bell gives him adrenaline; it is when students fill the hall with their smiles that Mr. Thennis feels most happy.

Being principal comes with a lot of hardships and, as a result, it makes you carry a heavy burden. “Leadership is to remain steady but respectful,” he said. “You lose the ability to stay focused if running off emotions.” I’ll for sure remember that saying for the rest of my life!

Let’s celebrate all the hard work Mr. Thennis puts into our school.

“It’s very nice to be recognized by all the others,” he said, but pointed to the work of everyone in the school. “The only reason I get any recognition is because of the great work our school is doing.”