High-school principal for Cedar Park Christian School in Bothell, Garron Smith said senior Ethan Dill might not be the flashiest student at the school.

“He’s a fine young man with a lot of leadership qualities,” Smith said.

For example, Dill, 18, was, for two years, the captain of Cedar Park’s varsity track-and-field team.

“He might not be the greatest athlete, but he’s still involved as a team leader,” Smith said.

For his part, Dill talked a lot about his athletics, but also mentioned he is on the class board, which helps plan and run student events.

“I’m not a big yeller,” Dill said of his leadership style, especially on the athletic field. “I’d rather lead by example, inspire rather than yell… I know I’d rather be inspired than yelled at.”

Dill clearly hopes he can continue to utilize the leadership qualities Smith attributed to him.

“I just feel called to be a teacher,” Dill said.

He also feels what might be a more exotic attraction. In their sophomore years, all Cedar Park high-school students must take a language. They currently have two choices: Spanish or Japanese. Dill said Spanish attracts far more students, but, for whatever reason, several of his friends opted for Japanese and so did he.

“The first year, it was OK, but I hadn’t figured out that I loved it,” Dill said.

During the summer after his sophomore year, Dill said he began to take an active interest in not just the Japanese language but also the culture.

“The culture fascinates me,” he said.

In his junior year, Dill finished what amounted to two years of language classes. During those classes, he said he and other students “kind of jokingly” suggested they could take a trip to Japan.

“I didn’t think it was really possible,” Dill added.

His instructor apparently did a little research, and with the help of some fund-raising, Dill and 14 classmates were on their way to Tokyo and Kyoto, among other spots. Dill said the visitors were treated to seeing modern Japan, as well as that country’s older culture in the form of at least one small fishing community.

“It’s just a totally different experience over there,” Dill added.

Obviously, Dill has deemed that experience a good one. Upon graduating from Cedar Park, Dill intends to attend the University of Washington main campus in Seattle majoring in Japanese and minoring in English. Ultimately, he hopes to spend a few years living in Japan, teaching English and, if possible, completing some spiritual missionary work, as well.

“I just want to be a Christian example to my students,” he said.

Dill admitted his mom, Marty Dill, was not thrilled at first about her son’s plans to live in a foreign country. But Dill added that he has a belief his mom ultimately wants him to follow his spirit.

Without prompting, Dill had some complimentary words about Cedar Park, which he has attended since sixth grade.

“I don’t think there’s a better learning environment out there,” Dill said.