Assistant principal Mrs. Totten is someone that all of the students love and look forward to seeing every day. You can always find her in the hallways with a smile on her face, ready for every task the day may present to her. Totten loves her job so much and values the relationships that she has made with students throughout the seven years that she’s been at THS.
Mrs. Totten went to high school in Kentucky where she played basketball and volleyball. Her basketball team was number one in the state. Being that they were from a smaller town, home games were a very big deal and the stands would be packed for every game. She loved to play sports because of all of the bonds she made with her teammates and coaches. Even with the success of her basketball team, Totten’s brother was often known as the basketball player of her house. Every victory meant so much to her because she was always striving to prove that she could be just as good as her brother.
She attended college at Marshall University on a full scholarship to play basketball, where she played D1 for three years. She then decided to leave Marshall to go to Morehead University to get her degree. When Totten was in college she had a job at a Winn Dixie and worked in the deli so that she would have some spending money for when school started back. Totten also had jobs at Myers and helped with basketball camps back home with her high school coaches. She had always loved working and would come home from school in the summers looking for her next opportunity to help out wherever she was needed.
It is an understatement to say that Mrs. Totten loves her job. She loves working with kids and how everyday is different from the last. When she first started her career in education she did kindergarten through eighth grade because with basketball she was too busy on the road to do high school as she had originally hoped to do. She then became an instructional coach for teachers which allowed her to see how much she loved the students. This led her to the administration path because she wanted to affect more students and she has never regretted that decision. Though she did not always know exactly what she wanted to do, she is very happy with the way things turned out for her.
Mrs. Totten has two children, Aiden and Abby. Abby is a sophomore at JMU and is studying to be a physician’s assistant. Her son Aiden is a freshman at THS and is also very into sports. Aiden keeps his family busy since he plays soccer, basketball, and football. Mrs. Totten and Aiden prefer to keep school and home life separate because that’s what works for them. Balance is the hardest thing for Mrs. Totten because she always tries to put her family first, but that is sometimes hard because she gets many business calls after hours. Totten would never want to take any time away from her kids because of work, so she has had to make a balance that works for her.
The students at THS have a special place in their hearts for Mrs. Totten because she is such a positive influence on this school. Anyone that talks to Mrs. Totten knows that she loves her job and is great at it. She is an amazing role model for everyone to look up to.
