While at Lake Highlands High School last week, I ran into senior Blake Martin (recent star of the Espree show and Little Shop of Horrors) hanging out by the front entry. He was there to participate in an exchange program of sorts, welcoming an outstanding kid from JJ Pearce who would be shadowing Blake throughout his day, visiting classes and eating in the lunchroom.
The previous week, Blake flipped and visited Pearce to experience life as a Mustang and meet everyone from students to teachers to the principal. Blake is a member of Super SAC – Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Each spring, three students from each high school are selected from a group of nominees to discuss a variety of school-related topics and generally interact with fine kids from the other RISD schools. Also participating from LHHS are Gerardo Venegas, Wildcat soccer player, and Antoine Harrison, football standout.
“I really enjoy our monthly meetings,” Blake told me. “We’ve discussed RISD’s ID policy, off campus lunch, cell phone use at school, and the new 4×4 math and science requirements. It’s been neat working hand in hand with administration. The hardest thing was learning when to speak up to discuss a problem and when to listen and hear another’s perspective. In a way I’ve been a translator, helping students and administrators understand each other."
