by Ina Dow
Roger Clark Blake was born in Virginia to his parents Robert and Julie Blake. He has two older brothers, Branche and Carter. The family has two dogs, Sarge and Sassy, who Roger said are “so cute.”
Roger’s interests lie in creating music and in learning foreign languages. He plays the drums, guitar, bass, and some piano. In school, he played in the pep band from 8th grade through 10th grade. His favorite types of music include metalcore, deathcore, rap, and “anything emo,” he said. Roger joked that if he could be anyone else, he would choose to be the lead singer of The Beatles “so I can make their music good.”
As for languages, he has learned some French, Chinese, Spanish, and Japanese. This is fitting, as his life dream is “to be able to freely travel.” A couple of the places he would like to visit are Japan and Scandinavia. With so many skills, his favorite quote suits him well: “A jack of all trades, a master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one” (Robert Greene, 1592).
Some of Roger’s plans for the future include moving to Denver and later going to college. He is interested in studying ESL, mythology, and history. To him, the greatest book is Art of War by Sun Tzu, because it has “good real-life applications.”
When asked what inspires him, Roger said, “usually everything I do is on my own volition.” Roger is a very independent and introverted person, as he also stated that “being alone” makes him happy. However, his classmate Kaden Nelson described him as “a very swell guy, very pleasant to be around, super funny, a very good friend.”
The perfect day for Roger would mean “not having to leave [his] house and not being bothered by people.” On the other hand, Roger also said that going to concerts makes him happy. In 2021, he attended a Slipknot concert. Corey Taylor, the group’s lead singer, has had the biggest impact on his life because “he’s neat” and is “against separation in a separated country.”
Classmate Colin Sills said that “Roger gets along with pretty much everyone and it’s fun to talk to him.” Roger’s philosophy is that “life is too short to take things too serious.” According to him, the most sublime moment of his life so far was going into high school. “He’s been a highlight of my life since seventh grade and, also, he loves ducks,” remarked Roger’s friend and classmate Bee Boykin.
While Roger won’t miss Ouray, he will remember “everything looking like a painting.” Aside from being in the pep band, one of Roger’s favorite memories from school is an incident that took place on the school bus, when the driver yelled for another student to tell his sister “to stop licking the window.” He also remembers playing basketball during elementary and middle school. In high school, he enjoys participating in dramatic literature class and its productions.
Roger’s teachers are very important to him, and he explained that “Teachers are there in the most important part of your life. And whether we like it or not they’re here during the stage we pick up and learn everything. They leave a lasting effect that no one else except family do.”
Science teacher Ms. Beth Lakin reflected that Roger is “one of those kids that makes me really glad I work at a small school where I get to watch kids mature through high school.” She also described him as “really funny” and said that she likes “getting his take on things [because] he has refreshing perspectives and generally has thought them through.”