Ronan High School senior, Carter Gainan was recently awarded the Winslow Nichols Leadership Award for his “intellectual curiosity, leadership and character,” stated his nominator and mathematics teacher, Bonnie Eva.  

Gainan rakes in awards, participates in extracurriculars and is involved with the community while maintaining a 4.1 grade-point average. He’s part of the jazz band, pep band, percussion ensemble, Associated Student Body and the National Honor Society.  

His community involvement comes from his volunteer work with the honor society, which includes volunteering at the Ronan Bread Basket, caroling at St. Luke’s Hospital, and engaging in clean-up day at the Museum of the Rockies and jazz band tours for the sick and elderly. Gainan has also achieved multiple state and district ratings and placements for his jazz, percussion, design and production skills.   

Eva has been Gainan’s pre-calculus, calculus and statistics teacher and said what first stands out about Gainan is his enthusiasm for learning. She explained that he approaches each subject not as a hurdle, but as an opportunity to explore and understand the world more deeply.  

“Whether tackling a challenging problem in mathematics or contributing thoughtful perspectives in English, Carter demonstrates both intellectual curiosity and a willingness to put in the effort required to excel,” Eva stated in her nomination.  

The Winslow Nichols Leadership Award recognizes high academic achieving students who are making an impact on their community. Logan Health distributes this award each quarter to students living in Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, Glacier, Pondera, Liberty, Hill or Toole County, preferably with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and displaying character, citizenship and leadership.  

Gainan said he feels pretty honored to receive the award and didn’t know he was going to receive it until Nick Foley, the community benefit coordinator for Logan Health, and Teresa Funke, a Logan Health employee, showed up at Ronan High School to present it.  

Gainan credits his leadership skills to his dad and said he’s played a big part in shaping him into the person he is today. His dad is a blue-collar worker who has always exemplified a strong work ethic. 

“My whole life, my dad has really pushed me to be the best person I can be and trained me on good ethics and good morals,” Gainan said.   

Eva noted that Gainan shows his peers' kindness and generosity by offering them support, encouragement and teamwork.  

“His quiet leadership is rooted not in seeking recognition but in a genuine desire to uplift those around him,” Eva stated.  

Gainan is heavily involved in school music programs and with the community music scene at the Western Montana Musicians Co-op. He is a youth jam leader with the co-op and has been working with underclassmen to keep the local music scene alive.  

He explained it can be tough to manage all of his activities, but his trick is to focus on the task at hand.  

Gainan plans to follow the music path by obtaining a bachelor’s in music technology from the University of Montana. He’s already dual enrolled with UM and has been able to take five college classes, which is how he racked up a 4.1 GPA.  

Gainan explained that a music technology degree will focus on everything related to the production and selling of music, which will include mixing, recording and composing. After he completes his degree at UM, he plans to head west to Seattle or Portland to obtain a postgraduate degree.  

“What makes Carter truly stand out is the combination of his academic talent, his deep sense of responsibility, and his authenticity,” Eva said. “I am confident that Carter will bring the same dedication, warmth, and integrity to any endeavor he pursues.”