Lily Meade

Nick Derbin, with his bright and humorous personality, has built a unique reputation in the school.

Two years ago, senior Nick Derbin was casually walking through the halls of FHC to his next class like any other school day. Little did he know that this particular day, and the particular path he chose to take to his destination, would earn him an interesting reputation of knocking people over. 

“I was just walking down the stairs and I slipped and fell and rolled three people over,” Nick said. “It was an experience…I did have [a] nickname last year because of that experience…I got compared to a bowling ball a few times because of that.”

While treating his classmates like bowling pins isn’t a hobby of Nick’s, contributing to the community in another way is. Since elementary school, he has been committed to his scouting journey. Just last year, he earned the title of Eagle Scout, the highest rank that can be achieved in scouting. To do this, multiple different skills and abilities had to be learned. 

“I have been in the scouting program since first grade, [and] I joined Boy Scouts in fifth grade,” Nick said. “[There’s] a lot of ranks you have to go through [and] a lot of skills you have to demonstrate to various people to prove that you can do them.” 

The path he took to become an Eagle Scout took ten years, and it was no easy feat. The final step to becoming an Eagle Scout is a community service project that must be successfully completed. It also has to be entirely planned and orchestrated by the aspiring Eagle Scout themself. While he’d been supported by troop leaders, fellow Boy Scouts, and other influential people in his scouting program in previous projects, this project had to be done entirely on his own. 

“[The Eagle Scout program] was a pretty helpful program in my life,” Nick said. “Between ranks, you have to do interviews with other leaders in the troop, so that definitely helped with job interviews and stuff like that. It’s [also] taught me a lot about leadership.”

Besides the abilities he’s learned to help him get farther in scouting, the program has also given him skills that affect his life outside of Boy Scouts. Because of all the projects, badges, and skills Nick had to complete in order to achieve the Eagle Scout rank, he was forced to become very independent and self-motivated. 

It has also significantly impacted his personality and how he presents himself, particularly in how he approaches school. 

“[Being in the program] certainly made me more comfortable with myself and able to put myself out there,” Nick said. “It boosted my confidence a lot…It certainly taught me about doing work and putting in the effort.”

Because of his time in Boy Scouts being formed to value perseverance and effort, Nick has been extremely successful in school. He has taken a total of four advanced courses in high school, not counting Advanced Placement (AP) Pre-Calculus and AP Literature and Composition, which he is taking this year. While the classes themselves have had an impact on his work ethic and academic abilities, the teachers have been just as important in his education. 

“[I’ve] definitely [learned] a lot of studying and note-taking skills,” Nick said. “There’s a lot of work with [public speaking] in…sophomore year with Ted Talks [and FHC] Inspires with [former English teacher] Ken George…I think different teachers, depending on their attitude and how they like to teach, can definitely affect you.”

Specifically, AP United States History teacher Trevor Riley, Symphony Orchestra teacher Andrew Pool, and AP Seminar teacher Morgan Beckett have greatly impacted Nick with their teaching styles and the skills that they have taught him. Forming genuine relationships with many of his teachers has come easily to him because of his outgoing personality, as well as his unique sense of humor. Nick thinks of himself as a very confident and energetic person, and he believes that other people take notice of it. While he wouldn’t call himself popular, he thinks he’s well known in the school. 

“How much interest [teachers] take in you, specifically, [matters],” Nick said. “Well, they all talk to me because I’m me, but those that call you up after your test and [say], ‘Hey, you didn’t do great on this. What can we do to fix that?’ rather than just blowing you off and leaving you on your own—[doing] that definitely builds some rapport.” 

From his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout to learning vital social and academic skills from various AP classes, Nick has had a fulfilling and rewarding high school experience. This has all contributed to who he is as a person—humorous and friendly but also hard-working and determined to succeed. 

“Obviously, I can do the bare minimum and get by,” Nick said, “but I can also do good, decent work and do a lot better. [I can] actually benefit from doing that rather than just floating through [life].”