When new Director of Forensics and Social Sciences Teacher Benjamin Gaddis first arrived in Central Florida from the University of Texas at Austin, he said he knew he could build a winning team at Trinity Prep. Having been involved in speech and debate since his freshman year of high school, Gaddis is experienced in nearly every aspect of competition, including coaching multiple national champions at UT.
“I’ve always enjoyed the way speech and debate makes you think, and in different ways, flexes all the different parts of your brain,” Gaddis said. “Speech and debate has been something that I found a good success in, so I want to continue that always.”
Gaddis came to Trinity after he was told about how hardworking Trinity students were, not only in the forensics program, but also all around campus.
“I was told that there were some awesome students here, and that I would be very fortunate to come and work here,” Gaddis said. “I have definitely enjoyed my experience thus far, and I feel that nobody lied to me. It was great to see as a teacher that people respect each other and their teachers, and ultimately just really want something more for themselves.”
While his number one goal for the team is to build a culture focused on unity, he said he sees lots of potential to win on the local, state and national levels.
“I think that when we work together, we can win,” Gaddis said. “So ‘together we will win’ is this idea of basically working on all the pieces of the team so that all of our success can culminate in the success of others. I also just love winning, and I love trophies.”
Despite dedicating the overwhelming majority of his free time to the team, Gaddis enjoys many hobbies, including collecting Nutcrackers, visiting the Disney parks and especially baking.
“I’m a fairly good baker,” Gaddis said. “I started in high school when I worked for a bakery, so I learned a lot of secrets there. Sometimes I just make things at home even if I don’t finish them or to give away just for fun.”
Gaddis also wants to bring back a former Trinity tradition he had heard about called “Seersucker Wednesdays,” where teachers all wear seersucker clothing together. As the forensics season gets underway, Gaddis can’t wait to see his team enjoy success, as well as grow and mature together.
“I think that if you get out of bed in the morning and you don’t have a goal then you might as well just stay there,” Gaddis said. “Anything is possible, but you just have to make a goal and work as far backwards as you can to achieve it.”
