In one instance, Larson helped a student at an alternative school who was older than he was.

“I spent a semester tutoring a student older than me,” Larson said. “He was working to get his high school diploma. I tutored him in social studies and science.”

Although the two didn’t share many similar interests, Larson said he developed a bond with the student.

“We would sit there for an hour going over his work,” Larson said. “We didn’t have a whole lot of things in common, but we developed a strong relationship.”

-Submitted photo Bret Larson, principal at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School, talks to the school’s girls basketball team at a past game. Larson has served as MNW’s head girls basketball coach for nine years.

Eventually, that student went on to receive his high school diploma.

“It was very rewarding working with him,” Larson said. “To see a student who school didn’t come easy to make that progress was special.”

Larson parlayed his early tutoring experiences from high school into a career in education. Today, he is the principal at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum.

Larson is also the head girls basketball coach for MNW High School.

“At a certain point, I knew I wanted to grow up and be a teacher and a coach,” Larson said. “My dad was a teacher and coach for 20-plus years in the Denison school district before he moved into administration there. I saw how much he enjoyed doing it.”

Larson graduated from Denison High School in 2006. He earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education along with special education, reading and coaching endorsements from Northwestern College in Orange City. There, he also played college baseball.

“I was a pitcher,” Larson said. “Truthfully, I wasn’t an outstanding college baseball player by any means. I was just a kid who loved sports. I played four sports in high school. I really enjoyed pitching. That was my favorite thing in high school and wanted to continue it. I had an opportunity at Northwestern to do it.

“One thing super valuable about playing any sport is the relationships you create. You create a lot of good friendships through that time. Now that I am 32, I look back and those were some of my most favorite times. I enjoy still getting to coach because I hope the kids get as much enjoyment out of playing those sports as I did — creating those lifelong memories that kids want to have.”

While at Northwestern College, Larson met his wife, Andrea. She works as a nurse practitioner at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center.

In the spring of 2011, Larson was contacted by MNW about the possibility of teaching special education and coaching girls basketball.

“It was nice getting that call and asking if I was interested in coming there,” Larson said. “I interviewed and really loved everything about the district.”

After two years of teaching junior high special education, Larson transferred to Barnum where he taught sixth grade.

Later, through the Teacher Leadership and Compensation program, he became an instructional coach at the elementary school.

Meanwhile, he obtained his Master of Arts in school administration from the University of South Dakota in 2014.

The role of principal became a possibility for Larson a little sooner than he anticipated.

“I thought it might happen when I was a bit older,” Larson said. “It was a really good opportunity. I didn’t think I would be a principal when I was 29, but that’s kind of the way everything fell into place.”

Outside of school, Larson is active at Faith Community Church, where he teaches Sunday school.

“My faith is super important to me,” Larson said. “We have loved everything about Manson and the school district, but that church has been a huge part of our desire of wanting to stay in the area. The relationships we have built out there. It’s been a huge blessing for us. Not only how it’s helped my wife and I grow spiritually, it’s very family focused and has helped us in raising our kids as well.”

Larson and his wife have four children: Madilyn, 7, Bryce, 5, Bryant, 3, and Brody, 9 months.

Whether as a father, on the court or in the classroom, Larson believes in being accountable.

“Teach kids that working hard, being accountable to others, those types of things are skills you might learn in a sport, but are skills that will go with you well past your time in high school,” Larson said.

“Everyone in the building takes so much pride in helping those kids develop. I feel very fortunate to be in a district like this and an elementary school like this because our staff is outstanding.”