High school. A time and place to find lifelong friends — even if you’re teaching it.
Math teachers Andrew Benton and Arnold Glapajone have been friends since starting at Antioch Community High School, with Glapajone citing their teacher training day as his favorite memory.

“We are BFFs,” Glapajone said. “We have each other’s pictures in our rooms. Like any best friends, we are very close. We can tell each other anything, including our problems.”

Bonding over a shared love of coffee, basketball and math, the two quickly bonded. Benton’s phone even recognizes Glapajone’s fingerprint for Touch ID. They coach basketball together and spend time hanging out outside of school.

“We work out pretty much every day,” Benton said. “We also play basketball together.”

Benton and Glapajone also play in their band, the 30, 60, 90s, with math teacher Christopher Stanich on the drums.

“Our first performance in the Teacher Talent Show was a good memory,” Glapajone said. “Every once in a while, we’ll put on a show. It’s very spontaneous. We’re very bad at planning. We just do things.”

Benton’s classroom neighbors Glapajone’s, adding to their closeness.

“If he has a free period, he’ll come in and say hi or something,” Benton said. “The kids know we’re friends.”

“We have a running joke that we want to knock down the wall and have a passageway between our classes,” Glapajone said. “It’s going to happen.”