Photos by Amy Payne
He was raised in Plainfield by parents who were educators, his dad serving as head football coach at Plainfield High School (PHS) in the late 1980s. Brent Schwanekamp graduated from PHS in 1998 and from an early age knew he wanted to be a teacher and coach.
He became just that, and this fall, he’ll serve as the new principal of PHS.
“I was really lucky. I had great mentors. My parents showed me what a great career education is, and I had amazing teachers in Plainfield. The superintendent at the time, Dr. Jerry Holifield, really encouraged me to get involved in community service, and I was lucky again when I was the first recipient of the Lilly Endowment scholarship with the now Hendricks County Community Foundation.”
Those mentors and leaders in Schwanekamp’s life continued making an impact as he graduated from Butler University and got his first teaching and coaching job at Ben Davis High School. Five years later, his alma mater was calling.
“The superintendent at that time, Mr. [Scott] Olinger, challenged me to be a leader in our building, and I went back to get my master’s without a grand vision of what I was going to do with it. Maybe I’d be an athletic director,” Schwanekamp said. “I played football throughout college and then coached at Ben Davis and PHS. I come from a family of coaches. My brother coaches football in Brownsburg; my brother-in-law is a college coach. Athletics are a big part of teaching so many lessons to so many students.”
Instead, Schwanekamp took the administrative route when asked to serve as assistant principal 11 years ago.
He was nervous to take the leap from leading a classroom to leading a school, but as Schwanekamp took on more responsibilities, he fell in love with the role. In the past several years, with Principal Pat Cooney’s retirement on the horizon, he pushed himself further to prepare when the opportunity became available.
“You have to prioritize people. That’s my favorite part of the job. Talking to staff and knowing what’s going on in their lives — I love hearing the stories. I love the kids. My cup gets filled by interacting with these teenagers. I love being around them in the hallways, the cafeteria and out on the field,” Schwanekamp said.
Though his role has changed drastically over the years, Schwanekamp still enjoys helping his own four children navigate the math textbook and thinks of himself as simply serving in a different capacity.
“I think I’m still a teacher. Whether it’s teaching younger teachers or doing a presentation for our staff. I’m looking at mindfulness and mental health for our staff, AI technology and things like that,” Schwanekamp said. “I see the value in always being the lead learner in our building. I learn stuff and then share it with others.”
Looking forward, Schwanekamp is excited about several new things coming to the PHS campus.
They’re in the process of developing Quaker Creations, a work-based learning opportunity in the career technical ed program including digital design, broadcasting and other skills. They’re partnering with local businesses in the community to further enhance the program and encourage exploration in those areas.
They’ve already begun offering financial literacy courses, a new state requirement for all schools.
“We’re in a great spot. We were already pushing career and technical opportunities and already offering classes that are now state requirements, but that thinking ahead is encouraged and rewarded,” Schwanekamp said. “We’ve had talks about looking at junior and senior schedules and how do we get them more oriented to a college schedule. That’s down the road, but as we work with diploma stipulations and changes coming from the state, we want to always be thinking ahead.”
It’s not uncommon for Schwanekamp to beam with pride when talking about his school and his community. There’s a lot of positive things happening, and he’s excited to be a part of it.
“We try to mirror our community in the way our leaders are always looking forward. When you think about our trails and parks systems, the new downtown Plainfield area and new developments — these didn’t happen by accident,” Schwanekamp said. “It was done thoughtfully and set up for success, and we do the same thing here at Plainfield Community Schools.”
This school year, Schwanekamp can’t wait to begin his new role, and he can feel the weight of its importance while teachers, staff and administration mentor the new generation.
“What I always go back to is, I’m just so grateful for the Plainfield community. From the elementary school I went to, to raising my own kids here. We have that small-town feel, and everyone looks out for each other. That’s how we’re wired. I’m grateful for growing up in a place like this, and I feel a lot of responsibility in this role. It’s something I take very seriously. I want to give back to the place that has given so much to me and my family.”
