Federal Way Public Schools Graduates of Note

Jarret Mentink

Children’s Author,
High School Basketball Coach

Decatur High School Graduate
Class of 1987

Jarret Mentink, one of four brothers to graduate from Decatur High School in the 1980s, coaches boys’ basketball at Todd Beamer High School and has published a variety of children’s books. 

Q&A

1. What year did you graduate, and from which school?

1987 – from Decatur High School.  I also went to elementary school in Federal Way (Twin Lakes, Lake Dolloff) and junior high (Lakota).

2. What are you most significant and/or recent accomplishments? 

By far my greatest accomplishment has been fathering my newborn son.  It truly is the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced – and also the most educational.  It definitely made me appreciate all that my parents have done for me – raising five boys was not an easy task – and having a child definitely made me reflect on their incredible love and commitment to our family.  It is often said that good parents deserve a medal, and I am now ready to help melt the gold.  They didn’t even have a Diaper Champ!   Having our son also reminded me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful wife, who is a fantastic mother.

Aside from parenting, I am very pleased with the success of my children’s book company, Kids In The Clouds.  I started it a few years back in an effort to get reading material on airplanes for kids.  My stories are now carried on Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines, in “menu version” form (the entire text of the story with six pictures from the book, that are left black and white so that the kids can color them in with a coloring pencil they are given).

I have also been able to publish three books.  The first, Alley the Cat, is a rhyming children’s book that I wrote while attending graduate school (I received my Ph.D. in Higher Education) at WSU.  I had a bunch of alley cats that lived outside my apartment, and decided one afternoon to poeticize them.  I was fortunate to have the right person come across the story, and he led me down the publishing path.  Then, a couple of years ago, Angie (my wife) gave a copy of Alley the Cat to Seattle Seahawks Running Back Shaun Alexander as a baby gift for his first daughter.  (Angie is a television anchor for Fox Sports Net, and they were co-hosting the Shaun Alexander Show at the time).

Shaun said that he had always wanted to have a children’s book that detailed his athletic and academic journey to the pros, and thus Alexander the Great (my second book) was born.  It was released at the end of last year, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Shaun Alexander Foundation, which helps to mentor young men through education, athletics, character programs, and leadership training.  Shaun has been a pleasure to work with on the project, as it isn’t every professional athlete that is willing to donate the amount of time that Shaun does in the community.  He has done readings of the book at multiple elementary schools, and spoken at numerous literacy functions.  He does far more than score touchdowns on the football field – he scores a few off of it as well.

Most recently I published a book for former Mariners second baseman Bret Boone.  He liked Shaun’s book, and the idea of raising money for charity, so we went to print with Kaboone – another rhyming children’s book – that shares Bret’s story, and the fact that he was the first third-generation major league player in baseball history.  A portion of the proceeds from that book go to the USO Puget Sound Area and to the Hurricane relief fund.  

3.   Describe an experience, event or individual in your public education experience that inspired or motivated you.

My psychology teacher/basketball coach at Decatur High School, Lee Andersen, definitely was a positive influence in my life.  I was also a teacher’s aide for him, so I got to know him fairly well (kissing butt was my only way to get minutes on the basketball floor).  Seriously though, Coach Andersen was a very intellectual individual, and also a person whom I always felt had a firm grasp of his priorities in life – He knew there were far more important things than putting a silly, little ball through a silly, little hoop.  He used basketball as a tool to teach, not as a mission to win at all costs – and I learned a lot from him.  He was also wonderful in the classroom, as cerebral as the come, yet able to keep things fun at the same time – as anyone who has ever seen his impersonation of a motorcycle rider that he used to signal the start of an exam can attest.

Also, it would be remiss to leave out my dissertation committee chair, Dr. Mimi Wolverton, at Washington State University.  She taught me diligence, and of course the ability to accept constructive criticism – of which I seemed to receive an inordinate amount.   She remains a good friend and mentor, and also continues to edit my work – this time on my children’s books.

4.  Do you have any advice to share with teachers and/or students in school today?

 My favorite quote, attributed to Ben Franklin, but probably stolen from Socrates, is “True wisdom lies in knowing that one knows nothing.”  Keep an open mind, maintain your desire to learn, and refrain from judging too harshly – as this is a journey for us all.