North High School Welcomes Bandfield as New Athletic Director

Ben Bandfield has been on the job for just 10 days, but he's already impressed with the staff, coaches and students of .

"I felt very fortunate to get this job," said Bandfield.  "I'm very blessed.  North is a great school and everyone has been very welcoming and supportive so far.  I feel comfortable here."

Bandfield comes to North from Lawton Community Schools where he acted as athletic director and a teacher.  He will serve as an assistant principal and athletic director at North, replacing Carmen Kennedy who takes over as principal at South Lake High School.

Bandfield currently holds two degrees and is pursuing a third at Grand Valley State University for a master of arts in educational leadership.  He has a master of arts in education from Western Michigan University and a bachelor of science in physical education with a minor in health education, also from WMU.

"I was an athletic director at a little smaller school so I do have good experience," said Bandfield.  "But coming into North, with its massive amount of sports, to me, is just pure excitement.  From what I've gathered so far in my brief time here is that we have a really good coaching staff.  They are very experienced and are already helping me out."

Bandfield doesn't expect many changes to occur within the department.

"I feel like North has a good thing going right now," said Bandfield.  "The coaches are great and the students I've met so far are really sharp and focused on what they are doing.  Obviously there is always room for improvement in any situation you go into, but I'm taking the approach that I'm going to first learn the processes that are going on and then assess those and try to make improvements that I feel will help the program.  I'm glad to be part of the program and hope I can bring a few things to the table that can help as well."   

Bandfield is excited by the fact that his core values mirror those of the administrative and coaching staffs, ensuring a consistent message to the student body.

"Hard work and effort are the two biggest things I value in my personal life," said Bandfield.  "That is the message that I will try to send to our coaches and student athletes.  To me, sportsmanship is also a very good thing; being proud of the way you compete and the way you handle yourself on the court.  Each day I'm going to work hard and try to better myself in this position.  The administrative staff is very strong and we share the same core values.  The principals and teachers I have met have been very supportive so far and I'm looking forward to learning from them and working together."

Bandfield can't stress the importance of education enough and looks forward to working with the students, in particular.

"I think athletics is a huge part of the educational experience," said Bandfield.  "It can be very valuable.  Unfortunately, sometimes it can get too big in the minds of some people.  I'm one of the biggest proponents of athletics that you'll probably meet, but with that I believe that getting a good education is the way to success.  That is one thing I'm so excited about Grosse Pointe North.  This school is a highly successful school in terms of education and I know I'm going to meet some very bright kids and some brilliant teachers.  I'm excited about that opportunity just as much as anything athletically."