Glacier High senior's strong work ethic leads to success

Humility. Leadership. Mentorship.

These qualities make Glacier High senior Caden Harkins the young man he is.

Harkins has learned to balance school work with athletics to the highest degree while mentoring classmates academically.

Harkins believes his ability to mentor classmates comes naturally.

“I enjoy helping people. I like it when people come to talk to me. It’s exciting when I’m working with someone and I get to see it ‘click’ for them,” Harkins said.

Harkins has tutored classmates throughout high school, has been involved in the freshman mentor program the last two years, showing new high school students the ropes, and volunteered at the Pink Me Up 5K run at Flathead Valley Community College as well as hunter check stations.

Harkins tutored an upperclassmen as a freshman and helped basketball teammate Cody Jarvis in his junior year.

“Showing someone the work ethic that’s needed and having them understand is gratifying and getting respect for working with an older classmate was pretty cool, too,” Harkins said.

One of Harkins’ teachers, Chris Adamcyk, has high words of praise for the young man.

“He’s a bright, enthusiastic and respectful kid,” Adamcyk said. “He’s always engaged, great in class. Even now, when many seniors have checked out, he’s still here, engaged in what’s going on.”

Adamcyk likes the quiet humility Harkins exhibits.

“He’s a state basketball champion and you’d never know it, the way he comports himself,” Adamcyk said. “His humility, that’s kind of special.”

Harkins was the starting point guard on the basketball team for the last two years, helping lead the Wolfpack to its first state championship in 2017.

While the Wolfpack didn’t win state this year, they still beat rival Flathead in triple overtime to reach the tournament, where they lost to Great Falls CMR, which went on to win the championship.

Harkins, the son of Glacier High teachers Mark and Christy Harkins, played hoops for his dad. He also managed the volleyball team his junior year for mom, the head coach of the girls’ squad.

“That was a great experience,” Harkins said.

Mark, a history teacher, is looking forward to seeing where his youngest son goes in life.

“He likes school and he’s a well-rounded person, which makes me proud as a dad,” Mark said. “He’s handled things great and I’m excited to see where he goes from here.”

Harkins credits his parents and two older brothers, Kyler and Colton, for shaping his work ethic.

“It was a combination of my parents and brothers,” Caden said. “My parents always made sure I got my homework done before I played a video game or did something else

Kyler is a recent Montana Tech graduate, while Colton is studying physical health at the University of Colordo, Colorado Springs and works as a personal trainer in Colorado.

“Kyler set the bar pretty high for me. He shaped my world in terms of work ethic,” Caden said. “He had a 4.0 GPA through high school. He’s a pretty intelligent guy and a hard worker.”

Caden also excelled athletically in football, starting at cornerback and kicking for the Pack this season. In track and field, he qualified for state in the long jump.

When Caden isn’t involved in school activities, he enjoys water sports with friends and family on Flathead and Thompson lakes.

In the classroom, Caden boasts a 4.0 grade-point average and he will attend Montana Tech in Butte this fall, majoring in math and minoring in business.

Caden said he wants to be an actuary — someone who compiles and analyzes statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums.

Caden’s mentoring and volunteering are special to him — something he learned from his parents and also feels comes naturally to him.

“Whether it’s math, problems at home, when people come to you and you can help them, it feels pretty good.”

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.