- Hailey Elementary
- Homepage
Student Spotlight
JAREN BOTHWELL
By JoEllen Collins
Wood River High School senior Jaren Bothwell is spending his year enjoying his last few months with lifelong friends and participating in the sports he loves. The guidance of instructors like his football coach, Kevin Stilling, who guided him through his play as a running back and cornerback, has inspired him to follow in Stilling’s path.
“He is someone I can trust to help me in my game on the field and with any other challenge I may face,” Jaren said.
Jaren also enjoys track and field, and with his medley relay team placed second at State in 2016.
Jaren plans to attend Boise State University, which his parents both attended. His family opened the world of outdoor activities available to him with boating and other trips exploring the state’s landscapes since 2002, when his family moved from Twin Falls to their current home in Hailey.
“All four seasons provide joy to me,” Jaren says. “The outdoors are so close. I can be in school and, at the end of the day, find a canyon nearby to explore by hiking or with a four-wheeled Razor.”
Jaren was on the strong WRHS football team last year that won the Great Basin Conference for the first time. As a senior, he hopes to participate in the continued success of the team.
“I’d like to use this time to be a role model for younger players, as those former ones were for me,” Jaren said.
As a potential teacher, Jaren was especially moved by the interaction he had last year as a Breakfast Buddy. He shared a hearty meal at Hailey Elementary every morning with a young student, with whom he developed a strong relationship.
“It showed me how small actions can matter,” Jaren said. “If we do them, then bigger things may happen.”
Jaren is optimistic that his generation can aim for the bigger achievements, whether in sports, academics, communication, or through technology with its many options and challenges. He believes that the teenagers he knows will use technology in a positive way toward realizing their goals.
“Two kids, sitting together, were talking to each other on cellphones,” he said. “While it seemed excessive, these friends spoke different languages and were using the translating functions of their phones to know each other better.”
Jaren welcomes the tools available for this generation as they step out into the varied lives they face.
Each week, Joellen Collins will be profiling a local high-school student. If you know someone you'd like to see featured, e-mail news@theweeklysun.com.