The Alumni of Distinction, given by Columbia Heights Public Schools, is an award that highlights those in our community who continuously go out of their way in order to support the city of Columbia Heights. A committee meets yearly in order to determine eligible candidates for the award.

John Larkin, the district’s 12th Alumni of Distinction, has proven again and again that he goes above and beyond within our community. Although Larkin only moved to Columbia Heights while in middle school, he practically grew up in the district. He also made the decision to stay and raise his kids in Heights.

Larkin, who was a part of the CHHS graduating class of 1978, participated in various athletics and extracurricular activities. He was involved in marching and concert band, the fine arts, football, and he was even a state competitor for the CHHS wrestling team. After graduating, he continued to sell tickets at the Friday night football games for 30 years and was once a coach of the varsity wrestling team. 

After being in the district for a couple of decades, he was elected school board chair in 2015.

“The elections were coming up and I was approached by a couple of people who thought I’d be a good candidate,” Larkin said. “My thought process was that since I had two kids in the school district and we were not going to move anytime soon, contributing to the progression of the district would be a good thing.”

Larkin has also coached youth football and soccer for our Recreational Department, and volunteers for the Columbia Heights Athletics and Activities Boosters often. 

Furthermore, Larkin was also Columbia Heights’ Assistant Fire Chief for over 14 years. In a way, he kind of stumbled his way into the profession. 

“I was not a kid that grew up saying I wanted to be a firefighter,” Larkin said. “I was working my regular job and I ran into a friend who was wearing a fire department t-shirt. I looked into the benefits of the job and applied to be an on-call fighter. It just ended up being a job I really loved.”

For many years, Larkin was in charge of teaching kids from preschool to high school who attended Columbia Heights Public Schools about fire safety. This kept him constantly connected to the kids in the district. He recently retired from his job of nearly 30 years. 

“My first memory of my dad helping out around the district is him visiting my elementary classes as, ‘Fireman John,’” CHHS alumnus and son of Larkin, Justin Larkin, said. “Since then, I’ve watched him work so hard to create a safe, engaging environment in which the students of Columbia Heights can succeed. I’ve seen how much time he takes out of his day to help in any way he can, from working to pass referendums which will fund the arts and safety programs, to him volunteering around the community, welcoming visitors to Heights.” 

John Larkin, the man who is loved by most in the community, has done much more for the district than he tends to take credit for. His voluntary efforts and bright smile will remain a sign that among our own population, there are people working to better the world for others. 

“When I was told that I would receive this award, I was humbled, surprised, and a bit embarrassed,” Larkin said. “I’ve never done any of the things I do around the district for recognition. It is the right thing to do, so I do it.” 

In addition to his job as a firefighter from 1990 to 2015, John Larkin has volunteered in Columbia Heights since before he graduated. Prior to joining the school board, he taught children from elementary to high school age. Little did Larkin know he would later work towards bettering his neighborhood schools in multiple capacities. He has shown repeatedly that he is a true staple of our tiny town, and due to that fact, he is now the Columbia Heights High School 2019 Alumni of Distinction.