True King rushes for a touchdown for the Frontier High School football team. (Photo Provided)

NEWPORT — True King, a senior at Frontier High School and the Washington County Career Center, has learned how to balance his studies and sports.

At the career center he is enrolled in the building technology and carpentry program and at Frontier he is a member of three sports teams, football, basketball and baseball.

King said the building program at the career center provides the students with practical experience in construction.

“Last year we built a house and we learned about residential construction,” he said. “This year we are learning how to work in commercial construction, we build metal studs for the building in the shop and we are learning how to finish drywall.”

King added his favorite construction job is finishing drywall.

As the quarterback of the Frontier High School Cougars football team, True King gets ready to throw a pass in a recent game. (Photo Provided)

This year’s project is a mockup of an industrial building. It is under construction in the shop at the career center

“It’s not like the house,” he said. “We built the house at the career center, it was sold and when it was finished it was put on the back of a truck and taken to the site. This project will be taken apart when we are finished.”

King said the house project taught him a lot about framing.

“There is a lot to it,” he said. “There are so many different things involved. It was my favorite thing.”

On the other hand, he said he did not like the finishing work on items like trim.

True King with Coach Damon Metheney after a recent game. (Photo Provided)

King said two things led him to choose the field.

“I learned there is a shortage of workers in the building construction field and for a long time I have been interested in seeing things being built,” he said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I see what I did.”

While he spends the school day at the career center, King is still a member of Frontier’s school teams.

“I play football, baseball and basketball,” he said. “In football I play quarterback and linebacker; I play the post in basketball and in baseball I play a little bit of everywhere. Football is my best.”

This year he is the starting quarterback for the team.

One of the positions True King plays for the Cougars baseball team is catcher. (Photo Provided)

Although there is some overlap in the sports, King said he enjoys them and he is able to juggle his schedule to accommodate them and studies.

“I enjoy playing all the sports,” he said “I don’t have a lot of free time, but I enjoy my time.”

In the classroom King said he has two favorite subjects.

“I like science and I like history,” he said. “They are my favorites and my best.”

King has been recognized for his academic work.

True King at bat for the Cougars. (Photo Provided)

“I’m a member of the National Honor Society at Frontier and the National Technical Honor Society at the career center,” he said.

King said he was active in the Frontier High student council until this year.

In addition to learning building skills, King said he has learned the need for a strong work ethic.

“Mr. (Ken) Gebhart, our instructor in building technology, teaches a strong work ethic,” he said. “He’s a great teacher, and he knows the subject. He knows everything about carpentry.”

King said anytime he or another student has a question, he will help them out.

True King goes for two against an opponent’s defender. (Photo Provided)

His post graduation plans are to enroll in the adult technical program at the career center to be a chemical operator.

“This will cover what is needed to work in a chemical plant,” he said. “There is a lot of need for this locally.”

King said he hopes to use the skills he learned in the building technology and carpentry as a side hustle while working as a chemical operator.

“I want to work at a plant but on the side do things like drywall patch or put up a little drywall,” he said. “Little things like that.”

Jeffrey Saulton can be reached at jsaulton@newsandsentinel.com

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True King drives past a defender. (Photo Provided)

True King, a senior at Frontier High School and the Washington County Career Center, was recently inducted to the National Technical HonorSociety. (Photo Provided)

In addition to being a member of the National Technical Honor Society, True King is also a member of the National Honor Society. (Photo Provided)

True King with Coach Kyler Yonley after a recent game. (Photo Provided)