Benjamin Braaten

My name is Benjamin Braaten and I am excited to be joining the Wildcat Family at Apalachee High School.

I spent two years as a middle school science teacher and coach in Farmington, NM. I then moved to Piedra Vista H.S. in Farmington, NM as a science teacher. I taught environmental biology, astronomy, geology, anatomy & physiology I and II. I was also the head boys varsity soccer coach and assistant boys basketball coach. I spent one year at Kirkland Central H.S in Kirkland, NM teaching biology and physical science and being an assistant boys basketball coach and assistant softball coach.

My wife and I moved to Frostproof, Florida in July of 2002. I was at Frostproof Middle-Senior H.S. from 2002-2006 where I taught biology, was the athletic director and the head girls basketball coach. In 2006, I became the head women’s basketball coach at Webber International University and taught Earth Science at Lake Region H.S. In 2009, I started teaching 5th science at Spessard L. Holland Elementary school while still coaching at the university. In 2011, I left the college coaching and elementary teaching to teach honors biology and coach girls soccer at Lakeland H.S. I was there for one year and then moved over to Bartow H.S. to be the athletic director, teach earth science, and coach girls soccer.

In 2013, my family and I moved to Columbus, GA where I worked at Northside H.S. for one year and then Jordan Vocational High School for four years. At Jordan, I was the head boys basketball coach, science coach and School Improvement Grant administrator.

We moved to the Atlanta area in the fall of 2018 where I started working at Dunwoody H.S. There, I was an academic coach, athletic director, AP test coordinator for the first three years and then I moved into the PE department in 2021. I was also the head boys basketball coach at Dunwoody from 2019-2023.

My wife, Rebecca, and I have been married for 25 years and we have four children. Our daughters, Jordyn and McKenzie, work in the film industry, our son Scott is a freshmen and Georgia State starting this fall, and Evan will attending Haymon-Morris Middle School this fall as an 8th grader.

EDUCATION:

• B.A - Biology - Bethany College - Lindsborg, KS
• Teacher Certification - Fort Lewis College - Durango, CO
• Masters - Educational Leadership- Nova Southeastern - Davie, FL