Mr. Thennis and his wife (photo from Mr. Thennis’s Instagram page)

What makes a career fulfilling? Most would argue that a passion for your work should exceed monetary gain. Helena High’s very own principal, Mr. Thennis, has without a doubt led a career of service to the next generation.  

Mr. Thennis has announced that he will retire at the end of this school year. 

Mr. Thennis has worked at or with Helena High for a total of 32 years—nine as a chemistry, biology and Science Seminar teacher, ten as assistant principal, one as assistant superintendent, and 12 as principal. Mid-career, he had an opportunity to move into district administration, but he discovered that he didn’t feel the same passion after a trial year as assistant superintendent. When questioned about his path back to Helena High, Mr. Thennis stated, “I was here for a meeting, standing here in the hallway, and the simple thing of a class change . . . I still vividly remember feeling that adrenaline rush of being around students.” 

Mr. Thennis grew up in and understands Helena. Graduating from Capital High School, Mr. Thennis attended Carroll College while also coaching the football team at Capital and eventually doing his student teaching there. Mr. Thennis’s first teaching job was in Filer, Idaho, where he also coached football and wrestling, but it was not permanent. In the late 80’s a position would open up at Helena High, giving way for Mr. Thennis to return home. 

For many years Mr. Thennis taught sections of Science Seminar, biology, and chemistry. Anyone graduating between the ‘90s and early 2000s would tell you that the highest caliber science programs in the nation were not at prep schools on the east coast but on the south end of a little-known campus in Helena, Montana. 

A few teachers at Helena High have experienced Mr. Thennis’s teaching as well as his leadership. Claire Pichette was one such student. Ms. Pichette now teaches AP Environmental Science as well as Biomed 1 and Biology 1, has co-led science clubs and Green Group, and taken students to competitions and field trips. She describes Mr. Thennis as “super organized, super prepared, really smart,” and credits him for “part of the reason I majored in science and decided to come back and teach.”  Much of Ms. Pichette’s love for science was derived from Mr. Thennis’s senior chemistry class. 

Mr. Thennis’s goal has always been to maintain a standard of greatness at Helena High. When I spoke with Mr. Thennis, he told me he has always chosen HHS alumni to speak at graduation ceremonies, and there is no shortage of great HHS talent diffused throughout the world originating from these halls. Helena High has graduated governors, senators, artists, athletes, and more. 

Mr. Murgel, a longtime friend and former athlete under Mr. Thennis, has had an incredible run with Mr. Thennis as both an esteemed educator, loyal friend, and colleague. Mr. Thennis’s impact on Mr. Murgel was profound: As a senior at Helena High Mr. Murgel had no idea what he was truly passionate about and could not decide on a career. When asked for a statement that truly spoke to the character of Mr. Thennis, Mr. Murgel stated, “I will tell you this, the reason I am an educator today is because of Mr. Thennis . . . I wanted to make sure I could pay it forward to students because of what he did for me as an individual.”  

Mr. Thennis’s dedication to providing a deeper cultural understanding in our little community has taken him to some pretty amazing places. In February, Thennis traveled to Tamana, Japan, to meet with the people of Tamana and the students at Senshu University Kumamoto Tamana High School. Back in 2013, students from Tamana along with some teachers made the trip here to Helena and were lodged with members of our HHS band. Fastforward seven years and Principals Thennis and Watanabe signed an official sister schools’ agreement. The goal of the agreement is to increase both linguistic, cultural, and diplomatic relations between the schools.  

Since then, the relationship has flourished, and Mr. Thennis said his treatment as an honored guest and speaker in Japan reflected a deep admiration between the two educators: “I will go to my grave believing they had me confused for someone else.” The agreement works out perfectly because both Helena and Tamana are located around the 46.5 latitude line despite the 16-hour time difference.  

While we have experienced great triumphs at Helena High, our wins have been shadowed by struggles. Throughout Mr. Thennis’s time at the school, we have had to deal with a lot: Suicide, fire, the ever-present covid-19 pandemic, and enrollment and funding losses in just the last seven years. Significant among these has been the loss of student enrollment, consequently affecting funding. The creation of East Helena High in 2020 gobbled up millions in tax dollars ($4.4 million to be exact) and a mind-blowing 500 students. (See Nugget Editor Will Eaton’s “500 Students Fewer” article.) Because funding is allotted on a per-student basis, Helena High has suffered the loss of programs, people, and resources. 

When asked about this issue, Mr. Thennis stated that he “doesn’t focus on the rearview mirror.” One of the most important qualities in a leader, according to The Harvard Business School, is the ability to demonstrate resilience. Choosing to focus on the future has guided Helena High out of a rough few years. 

Trials like these bring out the best and sometimes worst in people, but as a leader Mr. Thennis has shown an unfaltering dedication to the well-being of his students and staff. Covid-19 certainly came with no shortage of its own challenges back in 2020, but Helena High is proving its resilience. To quote Mr. Thennis, it is evident that, “That rebound from Covid is starting quicker here than other parts of the country.” To drive home this point, he said that test scores are improving as we are exiting Covid. While that Covid year would certainly challenge the fortitude of Helena’s public schools, we endured and saw the end of it. 

Despite challenges, being “surrounded by great kids and great teachers” has given Mr. Thennis the tools to make Helena High a great place to learn and grow.  

Most students have their first interactions with Mr. Thennis in the halls at passing period. You can expect a warm smile and clearly enunciated, “Hello, how are you?” Despite one “cacti-wielding hooligan” (as Mr. Murgel remembered), students at Helena High value and respect Mr. Thennis for his humility and respect for those around him. 

Helena High has always prioritized people over programs. Mr. Thennis stated it is about a “60:40 split.” Keeping people close and in communication has been a clearly evident goal in Mr. Thennis’s agenda for Helena High. About 10 years ago Mr. Thennis established the PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings held on Mondays after school with the vision of keeping our curricula fair and equal across different classrooms.  

Despite retirement, Mr. Thennis intends to maintain some degree of an active role in the school district—what exactly that means is unclear at this time. His help is much appreciated as the district goes toe-to-toe with yet another budget crisis. 

As far as retirement itself goes, Mr. Thennis said he is excited to get outside. He mentioned wanting to enjoy Montana’s lakes and rivers while fishing. Enjoy the vast selection of natural beauty our state has to offer, Mr. Thennis! 

Helena High will forever be indebted to Mr. Thennis for his tireless work to better our school. A community is only as strong as its public schools, and Mr. Thennis has consistently worked passionately to implement his vision of a great school.