Running onto the field, James Hanna is delivering the bags to the head coaches so practice can get started. He is using up all of the energy in his legs to get him through the day as sweat drips down from his forehead.
Jeff Scheller, the athletic director at San Mateo High School says that “”During his time at SMHS, James has made significant contributions to our main football support staff. He did more than get water. He organized our practices with bags and he filmed our practices which were essential to our success. James also helped on game day with various responsibilities including filming games.”
At school, his favorite class is Media Arts with Ms. Fanton because “it shows the creative side of students in the ability to create and design art in the classroom.” His favorite teacher is Mr. Alexander because he’s relatable to his students.
Ms. Peñaloza-Bluvstein, an English 4 teacher at SMHS, describes how James is “energetic, social and gets along well with his classmates.” She explains that, in the classroom, he is “thorough and energetic…and asks a lot of questions to show that he wants to know everything about how he can get a good grade on this assignment and when the assignment is due.” James expresses that “he likes mythology because he has a lot of control over what he gets to pick and he was really interested in the myth and character he chose just like the tragic characters.” The ability to do research on the character regarding his strengths and flaws really appealed to James in a way that made him enjoy this project. Ms. Peñaloza-Bluvstein states that she will miss James and “his positive energy because he has a very optimistic view on life despite being realistic. Being around that energy is healthy for me because his energy rubs off onto his classmates and teachers.”
After graduating high school James explains that, “he will miss the connections of teachers and students because of how friendly everyone is.” As for his plans for the future, James will be furthering his education majoring business at CSM next year. Despite his upcoming graduation, James’s impact on SMHS will never be forgotten because of the fact that he’s friendly to his classmates and his teachers.