In the early morning chill, Seth Faulkner stands in the parking lot of Mason County High School (MCHS). As the sun rises, students start to flow out of the parking lot. He bumps fists with students as they walk into school. Some, he congratulates on a big volleyball win. Others, he reminds to wear a coat with the changing seasons. Shouting to parents in cars, he comments on recent football games. When the first bell rings, he quietly makes his way inside.
Seth has been the principal of MCHS since 2017. His time at the school began in 1996, when he was a student. He played football, basketball and baseball, then went on to Georgetown College to play football and study math and sociology. In 2004, he returned to the school to teach math and serve as assistant coach of the football and basketball teams. Four years later, he helped his students win the men’s basketball state championship.
As principal, Seth plays an active role in the development of his students and faculty. During the day, he makes regular rounds through his school, stopping in each of his teachers’ classrooms to check in on their daily needs. “Instead of being a thumb-on-top-of-you disciplinarian, I would rather be the guy that develops a relationship where you are willing to run through a brick wall for me,” he said.
Shannon Roberts, a family and consumer science teacher, has watched Faulkner’s style of teaching and leadership grow over the years. She credits Seth with assisting in creating a career and technical education pathway at the school. “He doesn’t get flustered,” she said. “He puts our school first.” Shannon remembered one charity fundraiser football game that MCHS lost to a rival school. Seth had to face the punishment, kissing a pig. Despite the smell, he did it with a smile, she said.
Outside of work, Faulkner is engaged with his family. Weekdays, he drops his daughter off at school and waits outside for her drop-off in the afternoon. With his wife, Paula, he runs a small business, putting up celebratory yard signs for customers around town.
At home in the evenings, Seth exchanges his jacket for an MCHS sweatshirt and plays with his dog, Zeke. His dad waits for him in his driveway, and together they take a three-mile walk to catch each other up on their days. On their walk, locals honk and wave as they walk along a main roadway. They wave or shout back.
