Siblings Jada Heaton and Ryan Oliver both walked the hallways at CHS under the watchful eye of Tom Black. (Photos courtesy Jennifer Heaton)
Their stories are unique, but the sentiment at the core is the same.
Local students, current and former, are pouring their hearts out in the wake of Tom Black’s 19-year run at Coupeville High School coming to a premature end.
Budget cuts are necessary, and it’s the position — Dean of Students — which is what is being sliced, we are told.
To which the response is — Tom Black is more than his job title.
He is the glue helping to hold together generations of kids.
Our latest letter in the ongoing #bringbackblack movement comes from Ryan Oliver, CHS Class of 2010:
Coupeville will always have a special place in my heart and Mr. Black is a significant reason for that.
Middle and high school were real weird times for me, like I’m sure it is and was for many kids.
I wouldn’t say I was a bad kid by any means.
I just did obnoxious things and would a lot of the time cross the line.
Or, if anyone here was around with me in those years, it was talking.
Talking, talking, talking, is what I would get in trouble for, and I HATED it and I let it be known I hated it, because why me?
And why is it such a big deal?
But you know who was always there to listen? Mr. Black.
Countless times he was the person who was in between me and actual trouble.
I’m sure behind the scenes he vouched for me to not get some sort of suspension.
Looking back, who knows if I deserved that benefit of the doubt? Maybe I needed a little kick in the ass.
But I think without that benefit of the doubt and him listening to me and hearing me out that I would be a different person.
He never made me feel like I was a bad kid.
In fact, he would shoot it straight with me and explicitly say I was a good kid, but I just need to stop doing these “dumb” things.
In all honesty he probably knew about my anxiety/depression when few people knew in those times that I was taking medicine for it.
It’s something that I still deal with today, but he was one of the people early in my life that didn’t make me feel like my thoughts and feelings were weird.
Looking back with thankfulness, looking forward with joy.
At times, with a fork in the road, Mr. Black always pointed me in the right direction.
I trusted him, he made me feel heard, and made me feel like I was his friend and when you’re in middle school and high school sometimes that’s all you need.
It wasn’t just me either.
He would talk and joke around and make people feel welcomed and loved every day. Every student.
He’d be at the bus stop in the morning saying hi and greeting everyone and be right back there at 2:30 when everyone was leaving.
He would chat with you in the halls and when he popped in your class for a few minutes it was always a treat.
I’m still best friends with Jason Bagby, Chase Griffin, and Jason Ornburn, and over the years we’ve shared stories and reminiscenced about Mr. Black and the impact he had on our and other peoples lives.
Don’t rob those feelings and memories from students from today or tomorrow.
Don’t let their last memories be about how they wish he was still here or that things are so different without him.
Don’t let a student be thinking in their head, “I wish Mr. Black was still here. He would understand.”
Because it will happen.
There will be a vacuum that nobody will be able to fill.
He’s a true one of one and it would be shameful and an absolute disgrace if you let go of one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and genuine people that has helped thousands of students in his tenure at Coupeville.
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