He’s a brand new to WJ this year, but has proved himself to be one of Football’s most valuable assets. Meet Aaron Jones: the junior running back who’s carried the team’s offense, adding 13 touchdowns to the scoreboard over the course of this season.
Jones has been a key ingredient in an outstanding year for WJ Football. His natural athleticism brings aggression to the team’s offense, while his physical presence is key on defense.
How is Jones feeling about football’s season so far? Pretty good, he says.
“But we’re not done yet!” Jones said. As for the rest of the season, he’s optimistic. “This year we are older, we work as a team, and we have a goal.”
What makes Jones an even more unique player is that he has a cochlear implant: a small, electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.
But Jones has never let this get in the way of his athletic career.
“It only impacts what people around me think, and most of the time it’s negative thoughts,” he said. “But I’m here to prove everybody wrong!”
When he was two years old, Jones’ parents decided he needed a cochlear implant to improve his hearing, allowing him to better communicate with others and learn in school.
“It sends sounds to my brain, allowing me to hear better,” Jones said. “It hasn’t impacted me much besides the fact that I don’t hear exactly like someone who’s 100% hearing.”
Jones’ combination of speed and power has brought WJ’s offense to a new level, complementing other running back and fellow junior Ian Griffin.
“Since Ian is also such a skilled athlete, we’ve been able to use him at receiver and running back, giving us the ability to spread our playmakers all over the field,” senior Declan Stablow said.
In the locker room, Jones may not be the most vocal player, but he leads by example on the field.
“He’s not the type of leader who gives a big speech before games or anything like that,” Stablow said. “At any given moment he’s ready to give his all for the team.”
![Social studies teacher Timothy Rodman holds a production factory simulation in his AP Microeconomics class. "Students remember running for class president or the mock congress or the production factory much more so than learning topics like circular flow," Rodman said. "[The simulations make learning] very tangible and real and then students down the road are able to use it."](https://www.wjpitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_4420-1200x675.jpg)
