Natomas Unified’s new student Trustee made headlines last year for dying – well, figuratively.
Jadon Johnson, sworn onto the Board last night, was a fatal victim in last year’s Natomas High School “Every 15 Minutes” exercise, a life-like, minute-by-minute depiction of a drunken driving tragedy killing two students, paralyzing another, and sparking a felony arrest. The drill spotlighted the perils of drinking and driving.
Fortunately, the news was much better for Jadon last night. NUSD Board President Lisa Kaplan administered the oath of office to the Nighthawk senior, who plans to attend college next year and major in kinesiology, the study of body movement. He hopes to be a physical therapist someday.
NUSD’s student Trustee plays an essential role by casting a preferential vote on the Board of Trustees – a vote that may not make or break a Board decision but counts as an important symbol of student opinion.
As a Trustee, Jadon said, he wants to represent other teens. “I just felt, I’m like an older brother to some of my friends, they come to me for advice,” he said. “I felt I could be a voice for some of my peers and their ideas. It seems like a great experience.”
Jadon is enrolled in three Advanced Placement (AP) classes, is a leader of the Nighthawk varsity football team, and participates in Link Crew and other school activities. He also has attended NUSD leadership events, including last year’s Culture Summit.
Kaplan, introducing Jadon last night, said his football coach views him as a student of character and that he leads by example, displaying a “winning” attitude on and off the field. His “Every 15 Minutes” obituary last year touted his “infectious laughter, his smile, and his positive attitude.”
Jadon is a two-sport athlete at Natomas High. In football, he has played receiver, quarterback and cornerback. He hopes to continue his football career in college. In Nighthawk track, he has competed in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, and run the 4-by-100 meter relay.
He loves sports, Jadon says simply.
“It’s my passion.”
