A Service of The Arrow             Friday September 29, 2000

   Flathead High School has a new activities director this year, although he is not new to FHS. Instead of educating students in world history, economics, or coaching athletes, Mark Dennehy is coordinating 19 activity programs, school clubs and facilities, advising the student council, and helping out with scheduling and attendance.

   Even though he spends his days in meetings, checking attendance, scheduling this activity or arranging something for that club, Dennehy says he still misses "the strategy, planning, preparation and athletes of the football field." He also misses the interaction with the students in the classroom. He feels that it is easier for him to "get to know people in the classroom better."

   To Dennehy, teaching and coaching were in his comfort zone. Although administration is new and exciting, it will take some time to achieve the same sort of comfort. "It takes time to establish that," he said. He is also "getting used to working with community members."

   As compared to teaching and coaching, activity directing has a much "broader scope of activity, (including) attendance, scheduling of facilities, and game management," he said.

   As activity director, Dennehy plans to help keep activities and facilities running smoothly. With District 5’s "framework for the future" as a topic for improvement, Dennehy is finding ways of boosting activities as well and improving the facilities used by the students and community.

   As activities director, Dennehy said he expects himself to "do the best possible job and meet people’s needs." Of others, he expects "flexibility, willingness to work with other people, no matter whether it is students, staff, administration."

   He feels that you should always treat people well and with respect and decency.

   Dennehy chose to become the activities director back in July, because "number one I enjoy activities and I enjoying keeping busy and a challenge." Some of his challenges are dealing with glitches and scheduling bu ses.

   Dennehy, who will act as a link between the students and teachers, is uniquely qualified. In his career at this school, he has taught for eight years, coached football for nine years, and also coached wrestling for six years. Before all of this, though, he attended Carroll College in Helena for four years, where he studied social science and secondary education with a minor public administration. He graduated from Carroll in 1991.

   Although he knows the ropes around here , he did not always; he and his two sisters were raised in Butte.

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