167. In Doing, One Learns, with John Henry Collins

Dr. Kyra Caldwell Templeton, the Atlanta Public Schools Program Director of Student Engagement and Co-Advisor of the Student Advisory Council, is someone I 100% trust when it comes to understanding what authentic student voice actually looks like inside a large school system. Her work centers on making sure students are not just heard, but meaningfully included in decision-making, and she has helped shape initiatives like the APS Student Advisory Council, where young people sit in real conversations with district leadership. When I asked Kyra if there was a student who embodied what this kind of engagement could look like at its best, she quickly named a young man named John Henry Collins. Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest urban districts in the country, serving a diverse student population across the city of Atlanta. Under its current strategic vision, APS is working to balance academic outcomes with deeper questions around student voice, belonging, and real-world readiness. It is looking at how schools prepare young people not just for college, but for life in a complex, rapidly changing world. John Henry Collins is a sophomore at North Atlanta High School, but that label only scratches the surface. He is an Eagle Scout who has led environmental restoration projects, a member of the APS Student Advisory Council, a production manager running lighting and sound for live theater, and a young person who has traveled extensively across all 50 states and more than 30 countries, often helping plan and manage those experiences himself. Across all of this, he is developing a rare combination of leadership, technical skill, and systems thinking. He is the embodiment of what folks in my home state of Hawaii call ma ka hana ka ‘ike, or in doing, one learns. Audio engineering is provided by the very talented Evan Kurohara of SOZEN SOUND. Our theme music comes from the master pianist, Michael Sloan. In this episode you will learn about a speech John Henry Collins delivered about his home city of Atlanta. Read that speech here. It will blow you away.