Student Spotlight: Jace

Jace has been a JAG-K member at Holcomb High School for the past two years. When Jace came to Holcomb from a bigger school, he was struggling to keep up with homework. His GPA was low, and he was heading down the wrong path if he didn’t make some changes.

His mom decided the best thing for him and his siblings was to transfer to a smaller school, so Jace and his sister started at Holcomb High School in August 2018. He was referred to the JAG-K program by counselors from his former school who thought it would be a good program for him to get the support he needed to turn things around.

An integral part of JAG-K is to ensure students are doing what they can to pass their classes and graduate. In JAG-K, one class period a week is dedicated to academic remediation. Students use this time to check their grades, study, work on projects and get the help they need to maintain or improve their grades. In addition to working on academics, students in the JAG-K program participate in projects that help them discover their passions and develop a plan for the future.

Like everyone, Jace has experienced ups and downs during his time at Holcomb, but he has achieved success as a varsity football and baseball player, something he would not have been able to participate in if he had not maintained his eligibility.

Becoming a leader at the school and for his teams was a goal Jace had. Leadership development and service to others is an integral part of JAG-K. Jace competed in the Employability Skills category at the Regional Career
Development Conference last March, earning 2nd and qualifying for the state competition.

In April, Jace took 3rd place in Employability Skills at the State Career Development Conference and earned a trip to the JAG National Student Leadership Conference in Washington DC.

Last summer, he spent countless hours practicing for the national competition, as well as perfecting his resume, cover letter and interviewing skills. Throughout the process, Jace has discovered his passions and is making plans for the future.

Jace has expressed time and again how thankful he is for the opportunities JAG-K has given him. From the college visits, learning employability skills, understanding the job application process, as well as competing at regional, state and national levels, Jace feels he is much more prepared for life after high school because of JAG-K.

Photo: Jace (third from left) stands with JAG-K President/CEO Chuck Knapp and students at the National Student Leadership Assembly in Washington DC last December.