Schools

Whiz Kid: A Voice for All Students

This week's Whiz Kid was recently selected to serve on the Fairfax County School Board.

Patch’s Whiz Kid of the Week: Eugene Coleman III

Eugene is a junior at Mount Vernon High School who was recently elected to the Fairfax County School Board as its new student representative, beginning July 1, 2011.  According to Principal Nardos King, Eugene may be the first student representative from Mount Vernon. 

Eugene will participate on the school board as a nonvoting member and plans to help School Board members understand students’ needs and how their decisions will affect students throughout the county. He is especially interested in addressing fees for high school sports and AP and IB exams.

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Eugene applied for the student representative position after a hearing he participated in with Together We’re The Answer, a community collaborative group that builds on the strengths of African-American families. After he spoke at the hearing, one School Board member suggested he apply for the student representative position.

He was one of 13 candidates vying for the position. The Student Advisory Council elected him to the position just a few short weeks ago, and Eugene is already looking forward to “creating unity among the schools”.

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“I think it’s being able to help and make a significant impact as far as schools are concerned,” said Eugene, when asked what elements of the position appealed to him. “[I’m looking forward to] communicating and collaborating with students in different schools to get a larger perspective.”

Eugene has an impressive resume for a junior. He has a 3.9 GPA and is enrolled in the IB program at MVHS. He is the junior class president and was recently promoted to captain of the JROTC. He is a member of the Debate Team, National Honor Society, and Black Student Achievement Council. He has also played football, wrestling, lacrosse, baseball, and runs cross-country. He also volunteers with the Gum Springs Youth Athletic Association as an athletic trainer. In his spare time, he flies private planes and got his glider pilot license last summer.

How does he manage his schedule?

“I just really manage it as far as priority goes. I manage my time well enough where I can get my work done,” said Eugene.

Eugene is looking at Harvard and West Point and is interested in business and political science. 


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