Getting to know you: Ben Jones

Many in the area may recognize Ben Jones’ name because of his position as principal at Perkins County Junior and Senior High Schools. Rest assured, there is much more to Jones than his work life.

Jones, 32, grew up in Hastings, Nebraska with parents Gail and Karla Jones and a brother and sister. He said his life growing up was centered around sports, whether it was playing sports himself or attending his brother’s athletic events.

“I would even say vacations were centered around sports, whether it be going to the College World Series or catching a game in a pro stadium,” he said. “We definitely enjoy sports. Even when we get together now, it’s either watch sports or catch a game somewhere.”

He attended school at Adams Central, just outside Hastings. His parents always encouraged him in his sports, getting good grades and in general staying out of trouble.

“That definitely has molded me into who I want to be in education,” Jones noted.

Right off the bat, Jones said, he wanted to be a banker or an accountant because he liked the idea of owning a business. In fact, later in life he was a bank examiner for the comptroller’s office in Omaha, Nebraska for nine months. He ultimately decided, however, that it was not for him, and he made the move into education.

After high school, Jones attended Hastings College for his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Business Education, then received his Masters degree in School Administration from Concordia University.

Before moving to Perkins County, Jones was the Activities Director at Stapleton for two years and Blue Hill for four, along with teaching business classes.

Jones had a great high school experience, he said, so he wanted to contribute to other young people having a good time during their high school careers.

While teaching at Blue Hill four years ago, Jones met his future spouse, Rebecca, who was originally from Perkins County.

Less than a year before marrying Rebecca, Jones moved to Grant because Rebecca had family here and a job opportunity happened to open up at a convenient time for him. A year and a half ago, he and Rebecca got married and he has continued to work at PCS.

One of the things Jones loves most about living in Southwest Nebraska for the last couple of years is how welcoming the people are, and how much they want to include newcomers to the area.

As principal of Perkins County’s junior and senior high schools, a position he has held since moving to the area, Jones plans day-to-day activities, such as assemblies and semester testing. He is also in charge of managing staff and students.

He sums up his job with the phrase “instructional leadership,” which he describes as helping teachers use the best strategy in classrooms, and helping them get the resources needed to teach students as effectively as possible.

“The biggest reason I got into education was to play a part in the kids’ lives and help them take that next step to whatever that may be for them,” Jones said.

When it comes to community service, Jones said he is primarily involved in the Booster Club, and though he isn’t overly active at his church, he is still getting his feet on the ground.

Pick Ben’s Brain

One thing Jones believes people may not know about him is his love for travel.

“Every non-COVID year, I usually go on some kind of baseball trip,” he said. “Some college buddies and I have set out to go to every major league ballpark over a 10-year time span. However, unfortunately, COVID is going to make that closer to a 12-year time span. We’ve gone to 20 of the 30 stadiums at this point, and we hope to pick that back up this summer.”

His favorite travel destination is “anywhere there is college or professional sports to attend.”

When not traveling, he enjoys spending time at home with his wife, hanging out and watching television together.

Jones doesn’t believe he has any hidden talents, “unless you count grilling, I like to grill.”

Rather than having a particular favorite day of the year, Jones believes every day is a good day.

Jon Gordon, who writes books on the subject of leadership and positivity, is Jones’ favorite author. Some books of Gordon’s he recommended are “The Energy Bus,” “The Carpenter” and “Training Camp.”

Jones said his all-time favorite band would be the Goo Goo Dolls, but more lately he is into pretty much anything in the country music genre.

His drink of choice is Pepsi Max, and in fact he had a bottle of the soda on his desk as he answered these questions. His favorite home-cooked meal is steak, and his favorite food to order at a restaurant is sushi.

The snack Jones reaches for is chips and salsa, but when he wants something sweet he opts for a Snickers bar.

Jones’ favorite quote, attributed to an anonymous source, is, “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; to be kind, but not weak; to be humble but not timid; to be proud but not arrogant – to be respected; not feared.”

Overall, Jones said his proudest accomplishment is working with kids and teachers everywhere he’s worked. He enjoys pushing them to be successful, and hopes to impact them in a positive way by helping them be their best.

The greatest day of his life is the day he married his wife, which would be November 9, 2019.

The idea of a perfect day for Jones would not involve an abundance of plans, but would simply consist of hanging out with his wife and some friends on a day with nice weather, grilling and watching sports of some sort.

One of the greatest challenges Jones has had to overcome is navigating COVID with the school.

“We had to, from the begging, rethink how we even give education when we’re not in the building,” he said. “Then, we had to bring students back in not knowing everything that was going to take place.”

Jones believes he is fortunate to live where he does, where the parents, staff, teachers and community are all supportive.

“It definitely was difficult, but I think we’ve done a pretty darn good job considering all the circumstances, and we have been able to keep the kids in school all year. I was thankful to play a part in it,” he added.

In the next 10 years, Jones looks forward to continuing to work at Perkins County Schools and hopefully starting a family with Rebecca.

“I enjoy being here in Perkins County, and I love what I’m doing,” he said. “I look forward to continuing this and helping kids and hopefully becoming more involved in our community.”