James Bennett took on a new but familiar role during the 2020-21 school year.
The longtime Washougal High School physics teacher became a “technology coach” for the Washougal School District, a vital position in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every school seems to have a ‘technology’ person, (someone who other staff members can go to and say), ‘I’m stuck with my technology, I need help,’ and I’ve kind of been that go-to person on the staff at the high school for a long time,” he said. “Moving to this new position, I was really freed up to do that for the staff (on a full-time basis).”
Bennett will adjust to another new role in the 2021-22 school year as the new president of the Washougal Association of Educators (WAE), taking over for Eric Engebretson, who retired from his position as a fifth-grade teacher at Gause Elementary School at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
“I’ve had a lot of people over the years wanting me to (become the president), so I knew there was a lot of support for me to have a leadership position. I think I do a pretty decent job of leading; at least, other people seem to think so,” Bennett said.
Bennett may be new to the president position, but he’s not new to the WAE. He served as the union’s Washougal High building representative for several years and was a member of the WAE negotiations team that participated in bargaining sessions in 2018 and 2020.