As the only child of two educators, Greenbrier High School senior Ethan Edwards didn’t have much choice but to be a good student, and he’s thankful for that now.
“Having a B was not good. I couldn’t really comprehend that when I was growing up, and it kind of hit me in ninth or 10th grade: ‘Oh, I’m glad they’ve been like that all this time — it’s really going to help me out with future things.’”
He’s got a great start on that future.
Edwards — third in his class of 246 — is more than a good student; he’s the Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce Student of the Year.
“It was really kind of humbling. I wasn’t expecting it,” he said.
Chamber president Audreya Cole said it is a well-deserved honor.
“Ethan is not only an excellent student, but a very well-rounded young man,” Cole said. “He’s a leader among his peers and an example to many at school, in sports and at church. The chamber members made a great decision in voting him Student of the Year.”
Ethan, the son of Todd and Lesia Edwards, and his family lived in Conway for a few years after he was born. His mother taught in Vilonia. His dad, now principal of Conway Junior High School, was a teacher, coach and then principal in the Greenbrier School District for years.
Having a father as an administrator in the school district “was very unique,” Edwards said, laughing. He recalled that other students sometimes teased him, saying, ‘You get special treatment because you’re the principal’s kid,’” he said. Although he doesn’t believe he got special treatment, “there were perks, too,” he said. Most kids didn’t get to see their parents during the day, “and it was special getting to see one of them.” But he also remembered long afternoons waiting on his dad to finish work so they could go home.
Edwards has thrived in academics and sports. “I’m probably best in math. I’m in calculus and statistics right now,” he said. The 18-year-old has all A’s now and a 4.25 grade-point average.
Greenbrier counselor Kim Hebel said Edwards is “an outstanding young man and student.”
“He has taken seven Advanced Placement courses and accumulated multiple college hours through the concurrent-credit program while attending Greenbrier High School,” she said. He also has a composite ACT score of 31.
Edwards said he doesn’t spend all his time studying, though.
“I’m not the class clown, but I’m not Mr. Serious at the same time. I’m more of an even mix,” he said.
“Ethan is not only very bright; he is also an outgoing person involved in a vast array of school, church and community organizations,” Hebel said.
Edwards said he enjoys being part of the Greenbrier Church of Christ youth group. “The church will do a food and clothing drive every year, and we always help with that; that’s always a big deal,” he said.
He’s involved in multiple clubs, including Mathletes, Student Council, Spanish Club, Quiz Bowl and Future Business Leaders of America, of which he is chapter president. Edwards said FBLA has been one of his more enjoyable high school activities. In his 10th-grade year, he ranked high enough in state competition in Introduction to Business Communication to qualify for the national convention in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t place at nationals, but I still had a great time,” he said.
Edwards is quick to acknowledge that he’s not good at everything.
“I’m not very musically talented,” he said, laughing again. “I’ve tried to play guitar. Maybe if I took lessons — but I’ve tried to teach myself.”
Teachers have made a difference in his life, he said. Jeremy Kennedy, Edwards’ junior-year AP English teacher, is “my favorite teacher I’ve ever had,” he said. “He has a very unique personality — there is no teacher I’ve ever had that is like him.”
Edwards also said coach Alan Buchanan has been a positive influence. “He was my football coach, and I had him in biology my sophomore year,” Edwards said. “He has a very philosophical view of life.”
Edwards played baseball, beginning when he was 4 years old, he said, and made the varsity team in ninth grade. He was all-conference his sophomore year and all-state his junior year. He was also a wide receiver and linebacker on the football team his sophomore through senior years.
“I like the sport of football better,” Edwards said. “I’ve always been better at baseball.”
This fall, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during football.
“I could still walk,” he said. “I tried to just do physical therapy and rehab it where I could try and play baseball. I was playing baseball in early January, and it just caved in on itself when I was throwing one time.” Edwards also did damage to his meniscus in that knee.
He underwent surgery about seven weeks ago, and he stopped wearing a brace just last week, he said. Competitive sports are a thing of the past. That’s OK, he said, because he had no intention of playing sports in college.
“Dad coached [school-district] football and baseball, until I was born,” Edwards said, but he didn’t pressure his son to play. “I admire this about how they raised me — they never pushed college sports on me. If I wanted to, they were going to support me and do their best to make that happen for me, but if I really didn’t have a desire to play college sports, they’d support me.”
Edwards said he plans to attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and major in biology/pre-dentistry.
“After that, in a perfect world, I’d go to UT in Memphis, … but in reality, I’d go anywhere I can get accepted,” he said.
The teenager said it’s a decision he made in 10th grade.
“I was just thinking, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ I was trying to think of good jobs, steady jobs. I’d like to be an orthodontist, too, but you have to be in the top five in your dental class. That’s a good steady job, and you’re helping people, too, trying to make them happy.”
It’s that kind of attitude, and his accomplishments, that garnered Edwards the chamber’s Student of the Year award.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.