By Kristine Thomas
Ask his peers or his teachers to describe Silverton High School senior Ross Martinson and you’ll receive the same answer.
Martinson is willing to take the extra steps and put his best foot forward in whatever he does.
“If he is going to do something, he is going to do it to the best of his ability,” said Johnie Ferro, who is Martinson’s leadership teacher.
The son of Todd and Shawna Martinson, Ross was chosen as Silverton High School’s Class of 2013 Future First Citizen by the Silverton Chamber of Commerce.
His volunteer work and activities include Silverton Youth Peer Court, Marion County Sheriff cadet, church camp counselor, Nazarene Youth Conference in Kentucky, Hurricane Ike Relief in Texas, mission trip to Honduras, Silverton High student leadership, Link Crew, football and tennis teams, school site council, Choralaires and Salem First Church of Nazarene Youth group. Ranked 109 in his class, he has a 3.21 grade point average.
He plans to attend Northwest Nazarene College in Napa, Idaho where he is leaning toward studying communications or social work. He would like to be a youth pastor or a high school counselor.
Just being nominated for the award was honor, he said, to receive the award and the scholarship, amazing.
“I never did the things I did because I was looking to receive an award at the end of it,” he said. “I was not expecting to receive this award.”
Whether it’s a mission trip to Honduras where he helped build a church and taught Bible study or being a member of peer court, Martinson’s goal is the same – to impact someone’s life in a positive way.
He credits his parents for teaching him moral and life standards to live by. He’s grateful for being a member of his church, Salem First Church of Nazarene.
“My parents taught me whether I can give a little or a lot that I should give what I can to help others,” he said.
One of his role models is his football coach, John Mannion.
“Coach Mannion has ingrained in us that to be part of something that you are not only representing the football team, Silverton High School or yourself but you are also representing your community,” he said. “When you are part of something, people are going to be watching you. If you have a positive impact on people, then people are going to think – that’s what Silverton is like.’
Mannion said he has enjoyed the opportunity to work with Martinson the last three years, describing him as a true team player.
“Ross is a great leader by example who is always encouraging those around him,” Mannion said. “He possesses many talents and will be a success in whichever avenue he chooses in the future.”
Seniors Laney Bliss and Kelsey Rosborough both describe Martinson as a “cool guy who is fun to be around.” They are in leadership and student government with him.
Bliss said the student body members are often dreamers with big ideas of what they would like to do.
“Ross is the practical one. He knows how to get things done to pull off our big ideas,” Bliss said.
Describing Martinson “like a brother,” Rosborough agrees Martinson keeps people grounded and knows how to bring people together to work toward a common goal.
“He’s really good in stressful situations and knows how to keep people calm,” he added.
Along with his friends Toby Roth, Zach Gould and Nick Teubel, Martinson did a maintenance and landscaping project for their senior project at Pratum Elementary School.
Silverton High Principal Mark Hannan describe Martinson as a “big picture” kind of kid.
“He always considers how others will be affected by his decisions. He sits on our Site Council as a student representative as part of his ASB Leadership responsibilities, and I rely heavily on his thoughts and ideas,” Hannan said.
“He was instrumental in the recent addition of Personal Finance to our graduation plan and volunteered to take the pilot course this spring. I couldn’t be more proud of this young man and hope that someday he returns to this great community.”
Pratum Elementary teacher Dawn Roth, who who will be honored as a Teacher of the Year at the awards banquet and taught Martinson for three years, describes him as a “natural leader.”
“Ross set the standard high for himself and for the other students around him. Ross was friends with everyone. It didn’t matter if you were part of the ‘in’ group of not,” Roth said. “Even as a middle schooler, he had a real sense of right and wrong and was not affected by peer pressure.”
From his freshman to his senior year, Ferro has seen Martinson have a willingness to try new things, even things outside his comfort zone – like public speaking.
One thing hasn’t changed about him – well, two – she said – he is incredibly genuine and a “really nice kid.”
“He actively gets involved in things and embodies the meaning of leadership. He cares about people and the community. He genuinely wants to be the best he can be,” she said.
“He leads by example. He knows how he likes to be treated and treats people that way. He is going to be very successful in his next venture and he represents his school and his community very well.”
