TV set certainly isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Danbury High School, but this school was actually featured on a reality TV show in the 2000s.

TruTV’s The Principal’s Office ran from 2008 to 2009 with just twenty-one episodes. The show was set in high schools across the country and featured comedic interactions between principals and students that arose when students were sent to the principal’s office. Episodes were approximately 30 minutes long and included interviews of the principals and students.

Dr. Jessie Ballenger, one of DHS’ assistant principals at the time, starred in the DHS episodes of the show; our current principal, Dan Donovan, was also an assistant principal then. 

While TruTV has left the show to fade into obscurity, numerous clips of it are available on YouTube. Dr. Ballenger can be seen with students around our famil

iar school, which evidently hasn’t changed much.

Principal Tara Kohler from Fairhaven High School in Massachusetts was featured in a SouthCoastToday article for being in the show. According to her, principals were given a phone call asking whether they’d like their school to participate. Ms. Kohler initially believed it was a telemarketing call before being assured it was a real show.

Students and their families were required to sign waivers and principals got to choose which students being disciplined would be filmed. Filming lasted for one or two weeks. In addition, the production company made a donation to the school for agreeing to be in the show. DHS presumably received one as well.

Interestingly, it appears that punishments and rules have grown less enforced since the time of this show. One Danbury student is suspended for swearing at a teacher; another is told she will get suspended if she skips class three times. Today, detention is typically given for this kind of behavior, if any punishment is given at all.

Regardless, this show is without a doubt a unique part of Danbury High School history.