WCHS Academic Spotlight

Inspired by the words of Walt Whitman in his poem “This is What You Shall Do,” James Seibers, a senior at White County High School, is making the most of his days on the campus on Allen Drive.

Seibers has used his time as a member of the Warriors’ Class of 2024 to have the “richest fluency” in his life as he has filled his days with not just academics but with a complete list of extracurricular activities.

The standout student, who is excelling in his program of study, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), has been a member and section leader in the award-winning WCHS Marching Band for four years. He has also been a member of the student council for his entire tenure at White County High School and this year was elected Student Body President by his peers – a testament to his continual commitment to following Whitman’s advice and “have patience and indulgence toward the people”. Seibers also works on the WCHS Newspaper and served as the Student Editor-in-Chief last year, along with being a member of the National Beta Club since his sophomore year.

As if all of these activities – and the part-time job he has after school at Edd Rogers Valley Ford, weren’t enough to keep him busy, Seibers, who plans to attend a four-year university and double major in Public Policy studies and Communications, joined the Interact Club this year. The WCHS Interact Club works to be involved in service projects throughout the school and the White County Community.

All of Seibers’ hard work and dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed as teachers across the WCHS campus have expressed their approval for all the senior has done.

“James Seibers is an extremely intelligent and inquisitive student. Whether he is succeeding in his academic courses or playing his musical instrument for the White County High School band, James is definitely a talented young man,” Ken Craig, one of Seibers’ teachers said. “It has been a pleasure having him as a student this semester in my SDC Pre-Calculus class.”

Seibers has won numerous awards during his time at White County High School, including being named to the All Middle Tennessee Honors Band, being selected for the 2023 Governor’s School for the Humanities, receiving the DAR Excellence in History Award, and participating as a part of the Festival of Winds and Percussion Honors ensemble at Tennessee Tech University 2022/2023.

Most recently, Seibers won the Social Change Incubator Non-profit Competition.

“The Social Change Incubator was a course designed to prompt students to consider different societal problems and potential methods of addressing those problems,” Seibers explained. “My group created a potential non-profit organization - TPREP (Tennessee Primary Reading Education Program) focused on giving second and third grade students intensive tutoring from mentors in high school/college in order to prepare them for their end-of-year summative assessment.”

While he has just a few more months in the halls of White County High School, it is safe to say that Seibers has learned his lessons well and will forever be an example of what it means to truly be a Warrior.