Watkins Mill High School’s community can be described as a close-knit family, yet the term “family” is more literal for social studies teacher Jim Torrence, his wife Penny Torrence, speech pathologist at Watkins Mill, and their two sons Jim and Kyle.

The story of Mr. and Mrs. Torrence is a sweet one–high school sweethearts at Carlisle High School in Pennsylvania, in fact, before getting married right after college and moving to Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Mrs. Torrence was hired at Watkins Mill in 1989, when the school first opened, as a speech pathologist. Her husband joined her here nine years later in 1998. Mrs. Torrence proudly recalls that our school was the first one in Montgomery County to have computers in all rooms, making it a “high-tech school.”

“Opening the school together really creates a bond, and [it’s a way] that everybody became close,” Mrs. Torrence said. She beamed as she spoke of a hot air balloon saying “The sky’s the limit,’ which was present at the opening of the school in 1989.

Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Torrence went to Lafayette College to get his degree in economics and was hired by General Electric. He always had a passion for teaching and wanted to pursue being a teacher and a coach. He then went to the University of Maryland, to get a teaching degree, later getting a job with MCPS. He taught American history, modern world history, and government at Sherwood High School and became the assistant basketball coach at Watkins Mill in 1989-1992. He coached JV in 1993-1997 at Watkins Mill before becoming head coach varsity basketball coach in 1998.

Although they both work at the same school, Mr. and Mrs. Torrence don’t drive to school together. Mr. Torrence, being an early bird, usually wakes up earlier than Mrs. Torrence does.

Having both of them at the same school may seem overwhelming, however there was a time when Mr. and Mrs. Torrence weren’t the only Torrences in the building–their two sons, Jim and Kyle, went here as well. Their oldest son, Jim, graduated from Watkins Mill in 2004. He was an athlete, and his father even coached him in basketball.

While having both parents working at their school might be some students’ nightmare, the Torrences enjoyed having the whole family in the same building at the same time, even though there were awkward moments, like when Mr. Torrence caught Jim kissing his girlfriend in the hall. “I used to get mad at my oldest son, Jim, because he used to kiss his girlfriend in the hallway, and I’d say, ‘You can’t do that when I’m teaching here,’” Mr. Torrence said.

Having mom and dad in the building was definitely beneficial for Kyle Torrence, however, when he meant to bring a soda can in his lunch, but accidentally grabbed a beer can from the refrigerator instead. Having alcohol in school can lead to suspension and expulsion, but Kyle went right to his parents, who dealt with the mistake. “No matter what they did, we knew what was going on,” Mr. Torrence said.

But both Mr. and Mrs. Torrence said that other than those times, they usually only saw their children at school when they needed money.

When he was young, Mr. Torrence wanted to be an officer in the army, like his father was, but it was Jim who followed in grandfather Torrence’s footsteps, becoming a captain in the army and having now served in Afghanistan twice. “He thought Watkins Mill was a great preparation to become an army officer,” Mr. Torrence said.  Kyle, who graduated in 2007, received the Hartt School of Music scholarship for his voice. “He often says one of the big reasons that he went to school for free was because of the training he got here in our theater department,” Mr. Torrence said.

“Both of them often talked about how great the diversity was here,” Mr. Torrence added. “They loved going to a school with lots of different races and nationalities.”

Mr. Torrence’s favorite thing about teaching at the school is “The students by far. I think the world of the kids here at Watkins Mill.” Mr. Torrence said, “I love interacting with them. And I think, for the most part, they teach me a lot more than I’ll ever teach them. I like to learn about their cultures and families.”

The feeling of respect is clearly mutual, as the seniors have selected Mr. Torrence to be their honorary graduation speaker. “I’m honored to be graduation speaker, the opportunity makes me feel fantastic,” Mr. Torrence added.