By Sophia Shubatt

Of the Gleaner

For the past four years, Mr. Aaron Behnke and pink-shirt Wednesdays have been a staple of the Wahlert music department. But, he has actually been around longer than many may realize.

When Mr. Behnke graduated from Wahlert in 2008, he didn’t expect to be back so soon. After earning his undergraduate degree at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, he was ready to move back home and begin his job as choir director at Wahlert. “As much as I was ready to be done with high school for a while, Wahlert is still a really special place to me,” said Mr. Behnke.

Aside from the changes in dress code and renovation chaos, Mr. Behnke says that not much is different between his initial four years and his past four years here. “It’s interesting to be on the other side of the rules that I might’ve complained about, but now they kind of make sense.”

Mr. Behnke also enjoys being able to work with teachers he had when he was in high school, especially Mr. Jim Killoran, Ms. Barb Ressler and Mr. Tom Stierman.

But, above all, Mr. Behnke values the people at Wahlert. “The best part of my jobs is seeing kids with different interests coming together to make something that is bigger than any one person,” said Behnke. “Kids always surprise you and that’s fun everyday.”

The graduating class of 2016 were freshmen when Mr. Behnke came back to Wahlert, and they are the first class that he saw all the way through their high school career. “He’s not only a teacher; he’s just someone I can go to,” said Maddy Hilby. “He’s really helped me grow as a singer and has been a great influence in my life.”

“I’m super thankful to have had kids who were excited about me taking over and who stuck with me through all the mistakes I made and the stupid things I say,” said Mr. Behnke with a smile. “There’s no better kids I would’ve wanted to spend my first few years with.”