Meet James Van Otten: charismatic killer on alto saxophone, diligent student, skilled mentor, passable bassist, beginning blacksmith.

“I’m excited for Graduation,” Van Otten said, “I would like to pursue a future in music.”

Van Otten’s musical past is already impressive. He joined Chimacum’s band in grade school, and earlier this year earned top marks for his solo sax performance at the North Olympic Regional Solo and Small Ensemble Festival. That triumphant performance enabled Van Otten to advance to state competition.

Gavin Knowles, the CHS band director, called Van Otten “the leader of the saxophone section.” In band camp, Knowles said, Van Otten “helped teach a lot of the young players how to play their parts and was instrumental [in] getting kids up to speed on their playing and skills.”

Last month, Knowles added, Van Otten “stepped up as… drum major to lead us through our parades.” Knowles also said Van Otten boosted band morale by “always being a source of positivity for everyone and helping to build a supportive culture in the program.”

Van Otten cultivates varied interests. He dabbles in bass guitar, enjoys practicing Spanish, and like virtually every boy his age, revels in video games. As a senior, he joined the varsity wrestling team. CHS Building Trades teacher Daniel Evans called Van Otten a “positive contributor” and “very service-oriented.” Evans explained that as a teaching assistant in the wood shop, Van Otten excels at “redirecting disruptive students [and] sitting one-on-one with students struggling with concepts.”

An experienced sea captain, Evans added that Van Otten “was extremely helpful and responsive during the longboat trip with the 7th graders, staying positive, reinforcing skills we were teaching, and encouraging students to remember their ship’s articles.”

Through Evans’ shop class, Van Otten tried his hand at metalworking with local blacksmith Stryker Gooch. Van Otten has continued to work with Gooch at Stryker Forge to craft various types of knives.

“My overall high school experience was great,” Van Otten said.

Van Otten plans to study music at Western Washington University, after completing a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He hopes the church will assign him to Spain, Mexico, or another Latin American country so he can hone his Spanish skills and immerse himself in the local culture. 

When he returns to our state, Van Otten said, “It would be cool to join a band to play music and make people happy.”

Timothy Heemstra is a student in Brian MacKenzie’s journalism class at Chimacum High School.