ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. – Logan Robertson is a polite young man, soft-spoken and laden with titles: student body president, president of the National Honors Society chapter, member of Key Club and captain of cross-country, ski and track teams. He recently received his twelfth state title in track and field—making him the student with the most state titles for any division in track and field in Nevada. Through it all, he is profoundly humble and grateful for the opportunities his high school experience gave him.
“A lot of people talk negatively about Whittell… I don’t think it’s deserving of that,” said Robertson. “It offers everything a larger school does and more. We’re like a family.”
Originally, Robertson wasn’t so keen on it—like many students who attend Whittell, he saw his class and friend groups fracture when others began attending South Tahoe High School. “I lost a significant portion of my class and that made it a little difficult,” he said. “But I still found friends. At Whittell, more than other schools, you have to branch out to other grades.”
The small class sizes, as well as the passion of teachers who can work more closely with students, is something Robertson attributes some of his academic success to. “We know our teachers better and I feel like they care more because they know us on a personal level,” said Robertson.” He currently has a 5.0 GPA.
He added, “With our AP classes, we have a significant amount of AP courses offered compared to other schools. And we have a 90-100% pass rate in classes that average 50-60% nationwide. I think that is almost entirely driven by the ratio of students to teachers.”
And while his social life was something he worried about, Robertson feels grateful that his smaller class sizes have possibly contributed to a more positive environment. “It kind of forces people to be nicer because if someone is rude or mean to someone, they have to live with the consequences of their actions 24/7, because you’re around them all the time.”
As an advocate for the four-day week, Robertson also says it contributed to his success academically and helped him to find time for the many activities he involves himself in, especially sports.
Given his participation in sports, it’s no surprise that it has been a major part of his life. Robertson started as the only member of the cross-country team, which he has helped expand. He has also loved his time on the ski team, which competes at the 5A level—the highest division in Nevada.
Robertson says the culture of Whittell, where people are encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities, has been a major part of the teams’ stellar performances compared to schools of similar or larger size. “I don’t think me accruing all these state titles would have been possible at any other school.”
“I’ve found a ton of joy in these sport teams. Sports allows you to build a new friend group. You can reach out to people in a higher grade than you, it’s allowed me to have a tight-knit friend group,” said Robertson. To this day, he remains friends with teammates from other years, especially from the track team.
Robertson has also spent plenty of time in the community. While he organizes school dances and trash cleanups for the school as a student body president, he also interns with the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club—which has given him the chance to learn about local causes and organizations like Vista Rise Collective and the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless.
He’s also spent time at Barton. Both his parents are in the medical field, but his academic prestige allowed him to join the Barton Healthcare Career Observership, which allowed him to watch surgeries and observe medical practitioners at work.
As he looks towards college, Robertson said he was interested in going into the medical field. He recalled a car crash he witnessed a few years ago, where his parents jumped into action to perform CPR and brace a man’s spine. “I felt very helpless in that moment,” he said. It catalyzed his desire to help people into a concrete goal.
“I want to do anything I can to help people,” he said. “Every single department I was in during my observership, I was amazed at everything they were doing. It was very interesting to see how people go through helping people that injure themselves, like I have doing sports, every single day.”
After applying to 18 colleges (and getting acceptances to 17 of them), Robertson decided to go to the University of Nevada, Reno, where he’s received scholarships and will play on their club hockey team.
“Because of Whittell, I could apply pretty much anywhere I wanted for college and get significant scholarships,” said Robertson. He says he chose UNR because he wanted to keep those social connections going—and many other students will also be setting off to UNR come fall.
“I can’t overstate how lucky I am to live in Tahoe. It’s an incredible place, and I really love the mountains,” Robertson said. “I can’t really picture myself going to school in Kansas and even if I had a great deal and everything I wanted from the school, location is very important.”
While he’s leaving Whittell for UNR, Robertson gave advice to those who might take on positions that he’s had, like student body president and serving as a captain. “For student body president, make sure to work with your fellow councilmembers to inspire and involve the school. Don’t just influence your own group, influence the community. As a captain, focus on your fellow teammates, deepen your influence there and help people improve.”
Improvement, he says, is one of his core values, and something he’s looking forward to in college. “I mean like a lot of people, I’m nervous… there’s that worry about being a small fish in a big pond. But I’m looking forward to being in a bigger social group—to expand my peer group, hear from and meet more people and to be challenged.”
Robertson thanked his parents and coaches Dr. Paul Ryan and Brian Rippet for their support and credited them for his improvement as an athlete.
