You may see these people in the halls or in the classroom, but do you really know them? Here are some fun facts about some of your favorite VHHS staff!

Mrs. Collins

What is Mrs. Collins’s favorite hobby?

“My favorite hobby is running. Just getting outside and being able to get some exercise is a great way to relax,” said Collins. 

Collins said she started running when she was 9 years old and one race in third grade sparked her passion. 

“We ran our first mile and I beat everybody except for one boy in the class… So I finally found something I was good at and just stuck with it,” said Collins.

What is Mrs. Collins’s hidden talent?

“When I was a little kid, I found out I was really flexible. Ever since kindergarten, I was doing this one thing where I used to do a triangle and touch my toes to my head,” said Collins.

This realization of her flexibility led her to try gymnastics. She was a competitive gymnast for 10 years until her senior year of high school. 

Mr. Benton

What is Mr. Benton’s morning routine?

“I wake up at five, go downstairs to drink water, and then I do this yoga meditation for 10 minutes. Next, I play my guitar until six o’clock and work out until seven o’clock. To end, I have breakfast then come to school,” said Benton.

Benton finds joy in this routine because it is something that helps him clear his mind.

“It’s so fun for me. There’s no one else involved, and I love it,” said Benton.

What is Mr. Benton’s favorite childhood memory?

“Some of my favorite memories are with my family on the boat. Since I was like eight, I learned how to water ski, and we would go on our ski boat and go water skiing,” said Benton.

He has not endured any major injuries from this recreational activity but described the painful feeling of a “header.” 

“One time I hit the wake and before I could close my eyes, my head was in the water,” Benton said. “It happened so fast and you get the wind knocked out of you… it feels like someone just punched you in the chest.” 

What is something most students don’t know about Mr. Benton?

“One thing I really like to do is bullet journal. I write down one thing that happened from the last day that I’m going to try to remember and three things that I’m thankful for. I have to be unique and can’t repeat,” said Benton.

Bullet journaling helps Benton feel thankful for any experience, no matter how small. 

“Something I’m very thankful for is spell check. That makes the list a lot. Could you imagine your life without spell check? It’d be so hard,” said Benton.

Al Frank

What are some of Mr. Frank’s hobbies?

“I do woodworking, work on cars and love taking photographs. More specifically, photographs of World War II airplanes, especially at air shows,” said Frank.

Frank’s passion for photography was sparked in grade school through a photography club. He continued this passion as a “self-taught photographer” after high school.

“With some of the photos I’ve taken, I’ve entered them into contests and had publications in worldwide magazines by winning various contests,” said Frank. 

What is Mr. Frank’s favorite family activity?

“I would say the family gatherings during the holidays, and traveling with the family throughout the state trips that we took during the summertime…we traveled throughout the United States,” said Frank.

In fact, Frank has traveled to all 50 states in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Mrs. Powell

What is Mrs. Powell’s favorite stress reliever?

“Running is probably my favorite stress reliever because I like to run to show tunes. I get on my Peloton, put my headphones on and run. I sing loudly and badly. My children are like, ‘oh my God, this is horrible,’” said Powell. 

Along with running, Powell enjoys knitting to clear her mind. 

“Knitting is one of those things that I do, and I actually think I’m pretty good at… I’ve made a blanket, a sweater and a poncho. It’s really a great stress reliever,” said Powell.

Who is one famous person Mrs. Powell has met?

“As badly as I sing, I was also in a choir in college. It was a gospel choir, so we actually got to back up Al Green, who was famous way back when,” said Powell.

Powell stated that Al Green, a famous gospel singer, was doing a reunion tour and their college choir was asked to be his background singers.

“He was super nice, but [kind of short], and it was a very fun experience with my friends,” said Powell.