Senior Jason Newman has been a highly active member of the Wenatchee High School community. Whether it be DECA, Math Honor Society or being co-captain of the cross-country team, Jason can be seen giving it his all. DECA competitions, in particular, were some of his proudest achievements.
“This year me and my partner Cadel Velazquez got first place at area. My sophomore and junior years, I was partnered with Matthew Jobe. Sophomore year, we won area and seventh at state, qualifying for international in Atlanta. Last year, junior year, we got second at area, first place at state and didn’t place at international in Orlando,” he said.
One of Jason’s closest friends is Grant Hirsch. Grant and Jason met in sixth grade, but they would become particularly close over COVID when lockdowns meant they were each other’s only human contact aside from their own family. The two are now co-captains of the cross-country team. For Grant, some of his fondest memories of Jason are of their various shenanigans.
“There’s this one time, it was like three in the morning, and we just went on a scooter ride around the neighborhood. It was a full moon, and we were just going on scooters,” Grant said. “Running related, there was this one time where it was probably like two or three degrees, and we did a timed mile shirtless and barefoot around our neighborhood and then jumped in the hot tub afterward.”
In the fall, Jason will be attending Grinnell College in Iowa. He plans on majoring in political science. Part of his decision to pursue political science was because of Scott Tiedeman, Jason’s AP world history and AP comparative government teacher.
“One of my favorite memories is AP world history, and so Mr. Tiedeman has influenced me a lot,” he said. “That’s kind of why I’m planning on studying political science.”
French has also been a big focus for Jason. He first studied under the now-retired Jon Magnus and then with Matthias Needham for the last two years.
“Another mentor [would be] the old French teacher Mr. Magnus and then also the new French teacher Mr. Needham,” he said. “The way they teach, they’ve inspired me to learn French. I actually took the STAMP test this year, and I passed, [so] I got my seal of biliteracy.”
Needham and Jason have gotten quite close over the last two years. Jason has continued to pursue French under Needham’s guidance.
“His first year teaching was last year, my junior year. I think we got close in that sense because he was just learning the ropes, and we were his first high school students,” Jason said. “I feel like he really just creates a nice environment in the class. His perspective on learning is one that I really respect and enjoy.”
This year, Jason has been part of a three-person directed study French 5 class. He has taken an active role in the class and worked closely with Needham to design the curriculum he and his classmates use.
“What I think is really special about high-level language classes is that they get smaller,” Needham said. “As the year goes on, I really enjoy working with Jason. He’s got an excellent attitude… Jason knows what he wants to get out of school, and he works towards that. Jason is very thoughtful. He thinks intentionally about his interaction with others. I was really impressed with his intellectual curiosity.”
As Jason and the other graduates head off on new paths, Needham wishes him the best of luck.
“I think we are losing a very excellent senior class, Jason, among them,” he said “I think they’re going to go far, and I encourage Jason to make the most of the next four years and use his time here at Wenatchee as a springboard into his next phase in life.”