Westerville North teacher joins 2016 race for president

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What do the 2016 presidential election, Westerville North High School and a legendary beard have in common?

It’s not the start of a cheesy joke, and Westerville North students probably already know the answer: Ben Hartnell.

Hartnell, who has taught in Westerville City Schools for 16 years, has an unconventional teaching style. A water balloon fight teaches students about the Civil War; his classroom is covered floor-to-ceiling with posters and bumper stickers, and is complete with a Pharaoh’s throne and a guillotine. A mural painted by a former student – depicting Mel Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart, Mt. Rushmore and a Navy chopper – cover another wall of the room.

Hartnell has a slew of costumes that he wears for teaching, from a replica of Russell Crowe’s Gladiator outfit, to a Crusading Knight Templar – complete with 75 pounds of chain mail – to 1950s greasers and 1970s hippies. And that’s just a select few.

As for his outfit for his campaign for presidency; a pantsuit is to Hillary Clinton as the comb-over is to Donald Trump, as the American flag/beard combination is to Hartnell. Imagine if “Macho Man” Randy Savage grew a wizard’s beard and then was sneezed on by a bald eagle that had inhaled an American flag.

It’s not hard to see why Hartnell is a favorite around the halls of North.

Originally interested in paleontology and dinosaurs, Hartnell decided to become a history teacher when he was taught in fifth grade about the Battle of Bunker Hill and learned that, despite the name, the battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill.

“That flipped the switch,” says Hartnell. “That was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard.”

Since then, Hartnell’s interest in teaching has turned into a passion that students have picked up on. When his wife, Molly, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for supplies in Hartnell’s classroom, the community surpassed her $10,000 goal by more than $2,500. The page is littered with comments from North students and graduates, thanking Hartnell for sharing his passion. One former student even published a BuzzFeed article, urging readers to donate and “keep the greatest history class ever alive.”

Now, Hartnell wants to share his passion with the nation via his 2016 presidential campaign. Hartnell unofficially ran in 2012, but decided that if there was ever a year to go all in, this is it.

Urged on by his senior students, Hartnell stepped into the race, running on a pro-beard, anti-tax platform. His slogans: “Make America Bearded Again” or, simply, “Lower Taxes. More Beard.”

“They said, ‘Listen, we’re not going to be here in the fall, and we want to get this thing going,’” says Hartnell. “Looking at the candidates this year, if there’s a year to run, it’s this year.”

On Hartnell’s campaign website is a list of polls, where visitors can vote on the issues about which they care. The goal was to create a more in-depth discussion in his classroom, while building a space where students can feel safe sharing their opinions, though Hartnell is quick to point out that he cannot, and does not, campaign in the classroom.

“It’s been a beautiful teaching tool, and our first campaign ad plays off of that teachable moment,” says Hartnell. “It’s going to generate great class discussion. … That’s something I’ve wanted to create, a classroom where people feel safe discussing serious topics.”

Hartnell’s ultimate goal is to be an official write-in candidate in 35 states. As of Aug. 15, Hartnell was official in 18, and paperwork was underway in 18 more states plus Washington, D.C. Getting on the ballot, however, is a different story. In Ohio, Hartnell would be required to get 5,000 votes, and for other states, it’s even more difficult.

“We wanted Ohio first; that was the key,” says Hartnell. “In some states, it’s ridiculous what you have to do to try and get on the ballot.”

Hartnell’s campaign has not only taught students first-hand the difficulties and barriers that come with running for president — he has discussed the process of getting on the ballot as a write-in candidate, though not about his personal experiences, per the rules — it’s taught him a few new things as well. Prior to the campaign, Hartnell notes, he used a flip phone.

“This campaign has kind of modernized me,” he says. “It’s actually a great teaching tool, and that’s what it started off as.”

Hartnell was even nominated by a North grad for Northwestern University’s Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award. And he won.

“Northwestern had us sit on stage (at graduation) and acknowledged us. … I’d never been treated like that,” says Hartnell. “It was three days and it was a total blur, and it was just amazing. That absolutely meant a lot to me that the student reached out and said ‘thank you.’”

The 38-year-old father of one admits that he’s a bit unorthodox in the classroom, but it’s clearly resonated with students, who will be relieved to hear that he doesn’t plan to change any time soon.

“I’m not a typical teacher; people hear my name and laugh and roll their eyes,” says Hartnell. “I’ve been blessed to be in Westerville and have the support for my crazy antics.”

Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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