Stockton- This is a picture of a wonderful and inspiring individual, Mr. Gadeke. Mr. Gadeke is a well-known staff member at Lincoln High School. He is a huge help to students and directs the USB class, inspiring one another to embrace diversity, and thrive with positivity, leadership and respect. Encouraging leadership has always been his passion, while his past jobs and outside school activities prove that too. Mrs. Halowell, an assistant that works with him, contributes to Lincoln students and their community as well.
While aiming to impact the school with leadership, Gadeke also contributed to programs that defined this passion. At Sierra Middle School, he was an English teacher who then moved to Lincoln High School to teach that same subject when there was a single position open. Later he quit teaching English and followed his preferred path of directing USB. He claims that “leadership is in his blood,” due to this type of career being carried on by him from his mother, a leadership teacher at Sierra Middle School. He mentions how he was student body president his senior year of highschool, which helped him find out that he wanted to major in. From his USB class going from 25 students to 140 students, he believes that teaching leadership skills and providing equitable opportunities for everyone on campus can give them the ability to be a leader.
When he mentions “equitable opportunities,” he’s referring to his providing fair leadership opportunities such as his USB class working as a team, planning school activities and being responsible and respectful to everyone. He mentions how using those basic leadership skills are crucial to succeeding in his class and progressing further in life.
Outside of school, he got the chance to plan and be in charge of CASL (California Association of Student Leaders- https://caslfan.com/ ) which is the only leadership academy in California. He became one of the ONLY directors across the nation while working with middle and high school students for seven years. To get into this, he applied for multiple of their leadership programs years prior. CASL looked over them and previous leadership activities he was a part of and decided he had good characteristics to be one of the few directors. Other than running USB, currently he is the instructor of Juventus; a field trip for sophomores occurring every year in October. The goal is to influence students to discuss their mental health with one another and discover solutions and similarities. They inspire them to reach out if needed and make sure they know they’re not alone. He also coordinates school wide communication and participates in peer counseling across the district.
Mrs. Halowell on the other hand is a big help to this class. She mostly works “behind the scenes” for Mr. Gadeke. For instance, she helps sell tickets for school events, counts submitted money from prom, homecoming etc, and more. She doesn’t really have a major position in the school. Since Mr. Gadeke is very busy all of the time, her help is very efficient for him. Mrs. Halowell sees Gadeke as a leader, and an important individual at Lincoln High. She supports his class and believes he’s impacting students constantly. Halowell thinks he does wonders encouraging leadership for everybody, everywhere. Just like him, she has a passion for encouraging the school to be full of leadership, positivity and respect although she isn’t very known around.
The USB classroom is where all of the school-wide activity planning and creativity comes alive. Students work together to make Lincoln a more fun and welcoming environment. Events carry the school, such as spirit weeks, prom, homecoming, rallies and more. Video announcements are made weekly by students to let everyone know what’s happening that week.
Mr. Gadeke aspires for students to explore their curiosity and have freedom with their ideas while setting a positive community. His goal for his students is for them to find out their true identity and individuality and help make Lincoln a better school to be at.
