Always ‘willing and happy’ to help
For Jennifer Nichols, high school isn’t just a learning experience – it’s a teaching experience as well.
The graduating senior, who wants to be a biology teacher, tutors high school and middle school students. She tutors high school students in science and Spanish, and middle school kids in history and math. She also reads to elementary school students and practices Spanish with them.
“When I tutor kids, I like to see their faces light up when they get something,” she says of the elementary school students. “I like to do more than hang out with my friends.”
Post Falls High School counselor Bill Wood immediately thought of Nichols when asked to name a student who was involved in the community. “She’s always the one who says ‘yes,’ ” Wood said. “All the time I’m asking people if they want to tutor. She always says ‘yes.’ She’s not only willing, but happy to do it.”
Nichol’s list of community service activities and projects would fill a resume: Post Falls Middle School and PFHS tutor, assistant soccer coach at PFHS Youth Soccer Camp and Spokane Montessori Children’s Soccer Camp, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ “Bowl for Kids Sake,” Ponderosa Elementary School Spanish Club volunteer, chairman of the PFHS Blood Drive, trash pickups, food drives, bake sales and fund-raising of all sorts.
At her high school, she is president of both the National Honor Society and Key Club, co-president of Citizen’s Against Tobacco, and vice president of Idaho Drug Free Youth. Upon graduation, she will attend Albertsons College of Idaho in Caldwell, majoring in biology and minoring in education.
“She has a big heart,” said Key Club adviser Sheryl Drewry. “She has strong values. She cares about people. She knows what people need. It helps that she’s bright. She knows how to do the things that she knows need to be done.”
One of Nichols’ projects involved providing Christmas gift baskets for three families through Key Club and National Honor Society. Nichols met with the families, did the shopping, wrapping, tagging of the gifts and delivered them to the families on Christmas Day. “We rang the door bell. [One] mom started to cry. I almost started crying,” Nichols recalled.
“She really threw herself into it,” Drewry said.
Nichols’ brother recommended she join Key Club, a service organization sponsored by Kiwanis. He’d been in Key Club, and they were discussing what organizations she might join. “It’s sort of taken over my life,” she said.
Through Key Club she participated in the 30 Hour Famine, fasting for 30 hours and collecting pledges to benefit people in Third World countries; read to students at Seltice Elementary; and collected money for the March of Dimes and UNICEF.
Through National Honor Society she’s walked dogs at the Kootenai County Humane Society. She’s also answered elementary school students’ letters to Santa, made cards and gifts for Teacher Appreciation Day and made Easter gift baskets for the Post Falls Food Bank.
She’s gone trick-or-treating for the food bank, dressing up in costume the day before Halloween and asking for canned goods and other nonperishables instead of candy.
Nichols said community service helps to unite a community. “People get to know each other better; it builds togetherness.” She describes her community service as fun and says it provides “good times.”
“Amazing” is how Drewry describes Nichols. “She’s probably one of the busiest seniors. She’s so involved in Key Club and NHS. That’s who you give the jobs to. She’s so good at organizing her time, she has so much energy. She’s a great leader, a good representative, not just for the high school, but also Post Falls.”
Sweet, intelligent and caring is how Wood characterizes her. “She’s ambitious, but not in an overbearing way. She sets goals and sets out to accomplish those goals.”
Said Nichols: “High school has been a real good experience. It really opened me up to the world.”