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CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com

DRIVEN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE 

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MAY 14, 2024) – Some people are never really sure what drives them to be the way they are, but don’t ever count Landon Resendes among them.

From an early age, the 17-year-old junior at Middletown High School has been a champion of those who might need an advocate, a hand or a just a little boost.

That’s because Landon’s older and younger brothers were born profoundly deaf, so he’s made their struggle his own and shaped his perspective. 

So when the chance opened to apply as the new student representative to the Middletown School Committee, Landon said he jumped at the opportunity to help work on things from the inside.

“Always living with (my brothers), knowing what they’ve gone through to be where they are today, if people tell you ‘It isn’t possible,’ it is possible,” Landon said. “That’s the philosophy that I lived by. I’ve been involved my entire life in advocacy and disability rights, so I love advocating for people who don’t have as much of a voice for themselves. That’s how I approach coming into this building (Middletown High) or any building really, are there people that have needs that aren’t being met or need help that they might not know how to ask for.”

The son of Denise and Manuel Resendes, Landon’s older brother Westley is a Harvard and Yale educated attorney who works for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Disability Rights Program and his younger brother Brentton is a seventh grader at Gaudet Middle School.

A product of the Middletown school system, Landon went to Forest Avenue School and Gaudet Middle School before arriving at the Valley Road high school as a member of the Class of 2025. 

Reflecting on his days when Steve Ponte was principal of the community elementary school, Landon said he’s a firm believer that the right leader can make all the difference.

With Becky Silveira out on maternity leave, Ponte was named recently as the acting principal for Forest Avenue School, Landon said it was almost like things went full circle.

“The work that he did at Forest Avenue, to make it such a small and tight-knit learning community, it’s such a different experience and I just hope my kids and all the kids going forward get the chance to have that same sort of opportunity,” Landon said. “I got to see him and catch up for 10 or 15 minutes before the meeting and it was so great to hear students were going to get that ‘Mr. Ponte experience.’”

Landon has sat with the school board as the student representative at its regular afternoon meetings since February.

From Day 1, Landon said everyone has made him feel welcome and that his thoughts and ideas truly matter.

To get the pulse of his Valley Road high school, Landon said he speaks with as many of his classmates as possible. That way, he’s representing the student body when he addresses school officials, not just expressing his personal opinion on issues.

Landon serves as co-editor-in-chief and web manager for the The Wave, the official newspaper of Middletown High, so that work helps keep him in touch with a cross-section of the school. 

He also acts as co-captain of the high school’s Mock Trial team, co-founder of the Middletown High Computer Science Club and a member of the Middletown Youth Leadership Council.

For example, Landon said he recently asked to join a School Committee subcommittee dialogue about updating the district’s policies guiding usage of smart phones. By providing a student perspective to the conversation, Landon said he believed the guidelines will be more well rounded.

Asked for his favorite classes, Landon said all were good, but two stood out this year — an Advanced Placement government course with Jennifer Haskell and AP English language and composition class with Lee-Ann Wells.

His one-year term runs through February 2025. To get the job, he had to go through an in-depth process, including multiple reference letters, a transcript and an interview with  School Committee Vice Chair Tami Holden, Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger and Middletown High Principal Donna Sweet.

“I think having a student voice at the meetings is important because there are times when decisions are made without the input of students,” Landon said. “A student perspective is there to make decisions for the district and every student who attends and I’m happy to add to the conversation.”

Sweet said Landon stood out early on as a front runner for the position because of his resume and mature, professional approach.

“I value the dignity in which he speaks to adults, his peers and how he comports himself as a multi-faceted representative of Middletown High School,” Sweet said. "He cares deeply, has a keen observational eye and what I appreciate about Landon is his ability to be asset-centered and willing to help solve or resolve situations.

“He really gives an in-depth and thoughtful approach to how he can best gather student voice and to share it with others. His role on the School Committee is to be the student voice of the many wonderful things that are occurring here, but also to help bridge the student body to the governing body. His communication is effectively a two-way street to keep students apprised on official matters and to highlight the student body to the School Committee and to weigh in when they have questions or would like more information.”

Sweet said she was happy that everyone embraced the idea of the student representative to the school board and it’s already paying dividends. 

“It is a great opportunity for a student like Landon because he already is an active and engaged citizen and this is an opportunity for him to hone his skills and highlight them to colleges as he begins to think about a career after college,” Sweet said. “I was very excited that Superintendent Kraeger and the School Committee saw the same value as I did in the position and that we had a great candidate for the job.”

One area where Landon said he’d love to make a bigger impact was absenteeism among the student body. A big believer in the quality and drive of the teachers at Middletown High, Landon said he wished that some students got more engaged in the classroom.

“I know school isn’t for everybody and everyone has their own situations they’re dealing with, but I’d tell students who don’t see the value of an education to just ‘Give it a try,’” Landon said. “Chronic absenteeism is something that’s real and Mrs. Sweet has been letting everyone know that there are real repercussions if you don’t come to school. Give the teachers and staff here a chance because in the end, everyone is here to achieve the same goal, which is to better educate the next generation of Islanders for college and career readiness.”

As for advice for the next student representative to the School Committee, Landon didn’t mince words.

“There’s now a spot on the agenda for the ‘School Committee Rep Report’ to gives me an outlet to speak to the School Committee and members of the community about what’s happening at Middletown High School over the past month,” Landon said. “Ideally, the person who comes next does give 110 percent to everything they do here and set aside the time. If you take the role and come to a meeting empty handed, it’s not a good look for you, it’s not a good look for the school and it’s not a good look for the position moving forward.”

With his future, Landon said he hasn’t locked anything in yet.

While he was considering a career in programming or cyber security after four years in college, the numbers of students these days graduating with degrees in that field has him rethinking things a bit.

“It’s fluctuated this year,” Landon said, smiling. “It’s crazy the number of students who are graduating now with (computer science) degrees, so there’s scarcity with other degrees, which means there’s more demand for other jobs. It’s something I’ve definitely been considering over the past three or four months.”

Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/12529/NYCU-Landon