Fifty-one years. A lifetime, in some cases. In the case of assistant principal Dennis Reaser, it’s the amount of time he spent in education. Reaser officially retired from his job of assistant principal position at FFHS on Jan. 31.

As one of the original administrators of the school when the doors opened in 2004, Reaser said that job was not his first choice.

“I came intending to interview to be the band director,” Reaser said. “As it turned out, the principal asked me if I would interview for assistant principal (position) instead. I was good with that, because frankly, I was tired of directing bands.”

After spending 10 and a half years in Dare County, Reaser was as an integral part of the FFHS faculty.

“Mr. Reaser has been at First Flight since we opened the doors,” assistant principal Caroline Pearce said. “There are people who associate certain behaviors with Reaser-isms. His playing the trumpet over Christmas, his genuine affection for kids and students, attention to detail, acclimatization of discipline policies, he is really as much of a representative of First Flight High School as anyone else on the staff and probably more so than most,” Pearce said.

Junior Hunter Savage spent part of the 2014 summer break at Hargrave Military Academy Band Camp, the same place Reaser spent time as a band director.

“Band director’s require a lot of leadership and it fits his character,” Savage said. “Hargrave is an institution built on strong leadership and a large element of that remains in Mr. Reaser. It gave me a renewed respect for him.”

As a man with a passion for music, Reaser was once a member of the U.S. Navy Band. He was also a band director at East Carolina University. Though Reaser has not taught a music class since his arrival at FFHS, his love for music has not diminished. Walking the halls each year around December, he has always played Christmas carols and supplied entertainment for students. Faculty and staff loved it when he played for them.

“His Christmas music, walking around school playing the trumpet, it has always been kind of funny. It helps us all just have fun,” sophomore Tea Smith said.

Tea has known Reaser since she was just 5 years old. Tea’s mother, Mary Jo Smith, was also an original member of the FFHS staff. She has been the marketing teacher at FFHS since the school opened. She has shared a close friendship with Reaser.

“He has many times made me stop and take a look at myself or maybe the situation I’m in and not take myself so seriously,” Ms. Smith said. “He is a good friend and he is a very helpful adviser. He has inspired me to do my job to the best of my ability and have a little fun along the way.”

Reaser’s bond with the Smith family has made for memorable experiences, including one that has stuck with Ms. Smith since Tea was a child.

“My fondest memory of Mr. Reaser happened years ago, when my daughter was just a little girl,” Ms. Smith said. “She was an ‘aspiring artist’ at the time. He paid her a dollar for a piece of her artwork to hang in his office and it hung in his office for years after that. It meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me.”

Reaser has not only positively affected students, but he has also had an impact on the the faculty and staff as well. Counselor Susan Lee is another original staff member who has worked with Reaser for 10 and a half years. She’s seen first-hand how much Reaser has done for the school and the school community.

“Mr. Reaser is a very generous, humorous, individual,” Lee said. “He is one of the hardest working people I have ever had the opportunity to work with in my years in education. He genuinely enjoys students and working with students and helping people. He is going to be very much missed at First Flight High School.”

While clearly humbled by that prospect, Reaser said he hopes his impact on students has been positive because they have certainly had a positive impact on him.

“I try to be myself. I try hard to not be artificial,” Reaser said. “I hear from a lot of kids that I’ve had the experience of working with and a lot of them have been very, very successful. I like them and they like me. I got some lifetime friends out of this.”

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