Herman Edward Canada is an affable 18-year-old football player who, at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 315 pounds, towers over most of the students at Williamsburg Independent Schools. He is known by nearly everyone as the "Gentle Giant," a moniker he has carried since childhood, according to his grandmother, Ronnie Jewell, who works at the school as an AmeriCorps Senior (formerly Foster Grandparents) in the school's Accelerated Reader Program. Known as Baby Herman at home, he is the third in a line of Herman Edward Canadas.

As he walks through the hallways on the Friday of the big game between Williamsburg and Harlan, Herman is greeted by dozens of other students with high fives and backslaps.
"I'm going to miss all this," he says, having attended Williamsburg Independent since preschool. Described by his grandmother as gentle, caring and always helpful, this reputation is consistent among his teachers and fellow teammates.

His football coach, Jerry Herron, says of him: "He developed into a good lineman, an integral part of our team, a leader on the line. He has a humble personality with a willingness to serve like no other. He has the highest character you could ask for. He volunteered to serve as an assistant coach for the third and fourth graders in football."

As the last game of his senior year approaches, Herman has resigned himself to not being able to play football in college because of a knee injury that has resulted in a chronic patella tendonitis, which necessitates a knee brace. He says Esports are a possibility. He's a competitive eSports gamer on League of Legends, a course offered at Williamsburg and a worldwide competitive online team sport. The world championship being played on the internet from Germany this week streams on the large flatscreen in the eSports classroom.

"I'm also going to study engineering in college," Herman says, "I gave up band in order to take the engineering courses at Corbin High School mornings and got an A the first semester. That set me to wanting to do this." At Corbin, he has completed courses in aerospace,
manufacturing and structural engineering. His coursework at Williamsburg has also included two years of Photoshop and Indesign and a 3D printing program he has pursued for four years. As part of an internship, he repairs laptops for the school IT Department
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What was the best part of his high school experience? "Playing football with my friends," Herman says. "I wouldn't have anyone else for teammates."