A Chimacum student since kindergarten, Reid Martin excelled academically, athletically, and as a student leader.  

“Reid is hands down the finest scholar-athlete in the Class of 2024,” said Chimacum High School civics and history teacher Brian MacKenzie. “Quietly and consistently brilliant, he embodies the ideal of Renaissance Man excellence and versatility. Reid’s retention is phenomenal. He remembers almost everything he reads and hears. Reid writes with effortless grace with a flair for satire.”

Martin capitalized fully on Chimacum’s College in the High School and Advanced Placement course offerings. “I’ve taken all the AP and college classes I could,” he said. Martin racked up more than 50 college credits in history, civics, advanced math, and English, all earned on the CHS campus in dual-credit courses taught by Chimacum teachers approved to grant college credit through the school’s partnerships with Central Washington University and Everett Community College.

“My favorite classes are Civics and Band,” Martin said. “MacKenzie is the best.”

Math is Martin’s academic Achilles’ heel, but he persevered despite the difficulty. CHS math teacher Joanne Schmitt called Martin “hardworking” and “conscientious.” This year, Martin was the sole student in Schmitt’s calculus courses.

Martin earned straight As in every class except math, where he typically earned Bs. Chimacum awards weighted GPA for grades earned in College in the High School and AP courses in recognition of their difficulty, enabling Martin to secure the rank of class salutatorian.

His penchant for perseverance also paid off in sports. Martin played varsity tennis as a freshman, but went winless, an experience he called “getting my butt handed to me by opponents who had been playing tennis for far longer than I had. … That wasn’t very fun.” 

Determined to improve, he put in extra time with Rivals Coach Scott Johnson, who is also Martin’s grandfather. 

Martin won just two matches as a sophomore, but he broke out as an upperclassman by winning Nisqually League and District 3 championships, qualifying for state as a junior, and earning a bronze medal at state as a senior last month.

He also excelled in track and field, qualifying for state in javelin as a junior. Dominating in two sports posed a dilemma for Martin, as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association had scheduled the 2023 state 1A tennis and track competitions on overlapping dates at different sites in Yakima. Martin managed to compete in both sports by shuttling between those two sites.

The WIAA adapted to the threat of Martin competing at state in tennis and track at state again in 2024 by adopting a new rule forcing athletes to choose between the two events. “Evidently, the WIAA hates excellence, versatility, and athletes from small schools,” said MacKenzie.

“My favorite memory of high school is probably going to Victoria with the band [in 2023],” said Martin, a trombone player. Asked about Martin’s contributions to the CHS Cowboy band, first-year band director Gavin Knowles said, “Lord, where do I even begin? He was a rock for me. Any time I needed information about how things had been done or what the kids were used to, I went to him.”

Knowles added that Martin “was the leader of the low brass section, and someone the entire horn section would look to as inspiration. His skill took the band to a different level, and his dedication was something that every kid could look to as such a positive for the program. He was the definition of lead by example.”

Martin provided similar assistance to MacKenzie in his first year as CHS Knowledge Bowl coach. “Reid was a rock star in Knowledge Bowl,” said MacKenzie. “He and Rhody Queen Paige Govia were our only returning players, but Paige missed our first competition due to illness. So, Reid as team captain singlehandedly briefed the novices and mentored them through that first tournament. He led our team’s growth from a one-man show into a true team effort that will remain competitive without him next year.”

Schmitt, who coached Knowledge Bowl previously, noted that the activity helped Martin overcome his native shyness and grow into a leader. She called Martin “quiet, until his junior year when I finally heard his voice. He joined Knowledge Bowl and came out of his shell, started leading discussions, explaining his opinions, etc.”

As an Associated Student Body officer, Martin helped plan dances, pep rallies, talent shows, and field days, plus the annual Associated Student Body auctions to raise funds for student activities.

During his junior and senior years, Martin served as one of two student representatives on the Chimacum school board. In that role, he said he made monthly reports to the board “about student life, answered questions, and met with state legislators and the governor” to advocate for Chimacum and other small, rural schools. 

Working in concert with Connor Paterson, a student representative who graduated last year, Martin managed to persuade the board to approve an open campus policy, granting Chimacum upperclassmen with passing grades the privilege of leaving campus for lunch.

“After graduation I’m going to the University of Montana to study forestry,” said Martin. “I want to work outside. … We’re surrounded by forests and conservation here so I’ve always been interested.”

Martin called UM “a smallish school in a really cool town. They have a more hands-on program than other schools do, and the campus is really nice.”

Asked what he would miss about CHS, Martin said, “Playing on the sports teams, and knowing every person that I see.”

Ella Kasperson is a journalism student at Chimacum High School.