As a peer mentor in the connections program, a class to assist students with disabilities, senior Ford Bevins said he has made lifelong memories. He took seniors Alex Biancalana and Michael Rice and junior Clayton Trysla to the homecoming dance this year and said it was a core memory of his due to the excitement and fun they experienced.  

“Clayton was up in the very front dancing his heart out,” Bevins said. “It wasn’t just like every other dance. It was something I actually enjoyed.” 

Bevins transferred to Northwest at the start of the second semester last year and got involved with multiple activities, one of which was the connections program. Bevins said he started helping with the program as a freshman at Blue Valley High School and wanted to continue after transferring.

“It’s been a place in my heart where I feel a sense of accomplishment when I’m able to help them,” Bevins said. “Honestly, they do more for me than I could ever do for them.”

Connections is a class for people with disabilities who are in the intensive resource program. As a peer tutor, it is an opportunity to mentor students with disabilities and help them learn social skills. 

Bevins said he helps students in the class get started on projects and assignments. He said it is a fun class and he is happy for the opportunity to participate in it. Bevins said his favorite part of the class is the people he has met.

  “I’ve been really close with Clayton and Michael,” Bevins said. “Getting to hang out with them is awesome.”

Bevins said he has an especially strong bond with Trysla. He said they always have a fun time at lunch and in weights class. 

Trysla said he views Bevins not only as a leader in the classroom, but as a friend. He said he likes it when Bevins tells jokes and thinks he is really funny. 

“He’s a good guy. He’s funny and he’s smart,” Trysla said. “We like him. He’s a peer model.”

Trysla said Bevins does many activities with him, like coloring and playing games. On what is known as Fun Friday in the connections class, he said they play Uno together and it is a fun time. 

Likewise, Bevins said Trysla is a super sweet kid and he loves to be around him.

“I can talk to Clayton about anything. He can tell me about anything. I think I can be a mentor in his life, because [it is] an importance I see in our relationship,” Bevins said. 

Bevins said he and Clayton have a strong bond that allows them to connect easily. He said they have lots of inside jokes and have a good time together.

Bevins’ mom Kortney Bevins said she sees Ford’s empathy and thoughtfulness in what he does. She said he has expressed that working with people with disabilities is a passion of his and people tend to continue to do what they enjoy. 

“[One time] he was helping teach them how to ride a bike, [and] he was just on cloud nine,” Kortney said. “He was so excited. He talked about it for weeks.” 

Along with Connections, Bevins joined the Northwest football team after transferring. He said the bond he has formed with the team is awesome. He explained as the season went on, the team got stronger.

One teammate Bevins said he is close with is freshman Baron Marshall. 

Marshall said he met Bevins over the summer during football workouts and admired how funny and kind he was to people. Since they are both currently injured, he said they talked every day on the sideline. He said Bevins has a lot to say and will talk about anything.

Marshall said Bevins makes a difference on the team and ensures everyone is feeling happy and doing well. 

“I’d say he’s a leader, and he encourages people to do better,” Marshall said. 

He said Bevins has grown on the team in being more vocal and reaching out to the players.

Similarly, Bevins said he has become more social as the year has progressed. He said it has been fun to be on the football team, hanging out with the guys and getting to know new people in this aspect of his life.

“It’s been getting better and better. We have leaders like [seniors] Brock [Heath] and Andrew [Babalola] [who] have stepped up and said ‘We got to be together as a team to win this.’ I think a lot of people have taken that to heart,” Bevins said.

Kortney said she admires her son’s mental strength and how hard he works. She said this trait has grown over the years, along with Bevins staying true to himself in and out of school. 

“He doesn’t try to act differently or try to be anybody that he’s not to impress people,” Kortney said. 

Despite not having the easiest of paths, Kortney said Bevins is not a quitter and sticks to his belief system. She said transferring schools was something she was nervous about him going through since both Kortney and her husband come from small towns but her son exceeded her expectations in many ways. 

“He was just fearless in it. It was really admirable to see him think through the whole process,” Kortney said.

Kortney also said Bevins has made her very proud of all he has accomplished and the mental toughness and positivity he maintains throughout the ups and downs.

Bevins attributed a lot of his character to his passion for music, which he said he has been pursuing since he was around 8 years old. He said music has helped him build self-confidence and resilience.  

“I could go up in front of anybody, any stage and play so [it’s] a confidence booster for me,” Bevins said.

He said he was able to find his love of music largely through his mom, who always kept it in their lives. 

“From the moment he was born, the moment he could walk and talk, he was singing. I think he was a little under two, and he was singing Folsom Prison Blues [by] Johnny Cash in church. It was absolutely hysterical,” Kortney said. 

Kortney said watching her son’s love of music grow has been extremely rewarding for her. 

When an unexpected funeral came up for her father-in-law, Kortney said Bevins was able to sing and play the guitar at the commemoration. In that moment, she said she has never felt more impressed with her son, and nothing else could make her more proud of him.

“He has a really good ear, [and] he has taken guitar lessons. It was [so] rewarding to hear him start singing in public, and to be so fearless,” Kortney said.

She said she was so excited to see him try something different and express himself in a new way

“It’s a way to express myself, a way to, even if I’m not even being serious, find another sense of joy,” Bevins said.

Even with the many passions and interests Bevins has expressed, he said transferring to Northwest has allowed him to learn so much more about himself. 

“[I] just appreciate everything [I have].” Bevins said.  “All of these activities help make me who I am and [I] can’t imagine what I would be without them.”

He said these experiences have helped him prepare for the future, and discover what he wants to do in his life.