Teachers thrive on interacting with kids, watching them grow and learn. When you are sitting behind a computer screen you will not get this experience. That’s why our new Assistant Principal Aidan Callahan decided to join the staff at Vandegrift.

“I coached for a little over a decade,” Callahan said. “I was used to having those relationships and having a more direct impact. I enjoyed the last couple years at UT, but I missed that part of it. I haven’t really had any significant interaction over the last couple years with young people and I missed that.”

Callahan was formerly an Assistant Principal at UT High School, and decided to come to Vandegrift because he enjoys being involved in school culture.

“I wasn’t around kids,” Callahan said. It was a completely online high school. I decided I wanted to get back to a school where there was a school culture and I get to see kids.”

Callahan said he enjoys being around kids, especially his own two.

“I have a wife and a five year old boy and a two year old girl,” Callahan said. “They’ll be six and three in a couple months.”

Outside of school, Callahan can be found watching a sports game or outdoors.

“I was a head basketball coach for a long time, but my true love is actually baseball,” Callahan said. “I also love camping and any kind of outdoor activity. I’ve been known to climb mountains before and a lot of snowboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, and stuff like that.”

Callahan said it was difficult to leave UT High School, but he is excited to start a new journey here at Vandegrift.

“It was tough,” Callahan said. “I had some really good friends and a really good workplace and people that I worked with. All of the kids I’ve met so far [at Vandegrift] have been great.”