Liberty High School grad brought school sports to the screen

Trent Widick wasn’t sure what to expect when his family moved from north Spokane to rural southern Spokane County to take over a family farm in 2017, but he came to enjoy the small size of Liberty High School.

He liked the small class sizes and the reduced hustle and bustle when compared to a high school with more than 1,000 students. “I think it’s pretty fun over being a small fish in a big pond in Spokane,” he said.

He developed an interest in computers in elementary school.

“Then it just developed,” he said. “I just like messing around with them.”

For Widick, messing around with computers didn’t mean programming them. It meant taking them apart to learn how they worked.

Those skills came in handy in high school, where Widick has been a teacher’s assistant in the tech department for four years. He also volunteered to live stream volleyball and basketball games online so that people unable to come to the games could still see them. “We were able to livestream on YouTube,” he said.

Widick had to stop doing the live streaming this year when he got a part-time job, but the games are still being streamed.

“We now have an automated camera that sits on the wall,” he said.

Widick said he got involved in the school’s tech department through teacher Parrish Reedy, who recruited him as a freshman to help repair Chromebooks.

“He had a lineup of people who did that and they all graduated,” he said.

Widick had a knack for it and said the most common problem he sees is malfunctioning keyboards.

Reedy said Widick has been helpful to the school.

“He has completed numerous tasks throughout our building, helping out our tech department,” Reedy said. “He is a student who is always willing to help and go the extra mile for anyone.”

Widick’s short-term goal is to get a tech job after he graduates. He’s exploring an apprenticeship as a low voltage technician, a person who does things like installing security cameras and automatic door locks, among other things.

His ultimate goal, however, is to be a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy.

“I’ve just always had an interest in law enforcement,” Widick said.

He joined the Sheriff’s Office Explorer program in February, which teaches teenagers about law enforcement careers. They can also get hands-on experience by helping search for evidence, providing security and assisting with other tasks. He’s looking forward to an upcoming ride-along with a deputy and a chance to get to know other deputies.

Widick said if he stays with the Explorer program until he turns 21, he hopes he’ll be able to get a job with the Sheriff’s Office.

“I want to be able to make change,” he said. “I know my community really well. I know where I can help out.”