This article was a winner of Lookout’s 2025 Journalism Scholarship Challenge, which invited high school students to highlight an unsung hero in their life. Learn more and find all of the winners here.
Open the dictionary, find the definition of a hero: “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” (Oxford English Dictionary). If you’re looking for someone who matches this description, look no further than Tom Bentley. Not only is Tom Bentley Soquel High School’s agriculture teacher, he is also a board member of a nonprofit organization, a volunteer and an integral part of the greater Soquel and Santa Cruz community.
Thomas Bentley, or Mr. Bentley, as the students refer to him, grew up in the Monterey and Seaside area. He always knew that he wanted to be a teacher and help the community since he was in fifth grade. From coaching football to teaching health and agriculture, he has been working with kids for 22 years. Bentley currently lives in Watsonville with his wife and two kids.
When asked about how he became inspired to help the community, Mr. Bentley said that his fifth grade teacher Mr. Smith and his 10th grade teacher Mr. Dooner really inspired him – “Every day he would take us on a journey.” When Mr. Bentley became a teacher, he wanted to be a part of the community; however, he was quick to learn that teaching isn’t the best way to be involved. He says that, “when you’re a teacher, you are often not part of the community. … There are many ways people can act in the community that are very different from school. It’s a strange world that we have created and I really want to be part of the community.”
Realizing his desire to be involved in the community, Mr. Bentley decided to join Esperanza Community Farms, a nonprofit organization that gives healthy, organic produce to low-income families as well as school cafeterias. Bentley is also a volunteer for the Center for Farmworker Families, an organization that raises awareness for the troubling conditions that farmworkers face. Mr. Bentley’s main job at these organizations is to help plan events that draw more people and create more interest in what they have to offer and what they plan to do. He also attends the meetings that keep the organizations running smoothly.
When it comes to the workplace, Mr. Bentley never ceases to help people. One of Soquel High’s math teachers, Ms. Del Carlo, likes to describe him as “a ray of sunshine.” She exclaims, “He is THE best listener. … He is like the perfect co-worker.” Soquel English teacher Ms. Leifheit says, “He inspires me to be a good person and to wake up and have a good attitude every day. … He definitely has an infectious personality.”
Mr. Bentley likes to quote E.B. White: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” When asked about advice he had for young people trying to make a difference or just for guidance, he says that everybody should volunteer because there are so many amazing things to do and people to meet. Mr. Bentley also believes in journalism: “They are very good at finding out what is going on in the world and that is good for people.”
It’s very important in life to surround yourself with good influences, and there are truly not many better influences than Tom Bentley. Looking for gardening advice? He is the guy. Looking for volunteering advice? He is the guy. Looking for general life advice? He is the guy. Mr. Bentley has done some incredible and inspiring acts in his time in Santa Cruz County. The perfect example of a hero. “There are so many things to do in the world. But if all you do is enjoy the world, you kinda lose purpose and if all you ever try to do is improve the world, you burn out. You need to find the balance between enjoying all of the beautiful things, the food, nature, and how can you find ways to also give back, and there you go.”