Have you been wanting to be a part of something at East High School that can not only help keep you safe, but give you something to do after school, help you make new friends, and just overall encourage you to improve yourself? You need to check out the self-defense club led by Campus monitor LeNorris Wilson.

The club comes together twice a week to make sure everyone gets the time to participate and can fit it in with their schedules.

“The club comes together Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:20. We share the room with the girls wrestling team,” Wilson said.

The club is open to everyone, students Before getting into what the self-defense club is and how it migrated to East High School, here is a little bit about the leader. LeNorris Wilson, an East campus monitor from Tallahassee, Florida who has had many jobs, not just in the Mixed Martial Artis field as a coach/trainer but also in the education field as an ISS teacher which wasn’t his dream job. After getting in trouble when he was younger, an opportunity sprouted.

“I wanted to get in the educational system because when I was younger, I got in trouble and they had me work at a school to get out of that trouble and so when I started looking for jobs the only experience I had was at a school, then I just kept going,” Wilson said.

A conversation with Vice Principal Anothny Gianan’s led Wilson to start the group.

“There were openings for clubs and actually, Mr. G came to me with the idea because I have a background in training and coaching people for boxing and self-defense. So, he came to me with the idea and asked if I was open to it. We moved on from there,” Wilson said.

and staff at East.

“In 2009 I was recruited to play football for Greyson University and that’s where I went to college. In 2016 I moved back to Florida then in 2017 I moved up here to Des Moines Iowa specifically. Before east I was at Harding Middle School and there, I was an ISS teacher (In school suspension),” Wilson said.

“I wanted to get in the educational system because when I was younger, I got In trouble and they had me work at a school to get out of that trouble and so when I started looking for jobs the only experience I had was at a school, then I just kept going,” Wilson said.

What is your history with boxing / MMA?

“Going back to when I was a kid, I got bullied a lot and then when I got bullied my grandpa introduced me to boxing and then he passed away when I was really young. Then I got bullied again in sixth grade and my dad had me switch to taekwondo. Then, when I graduated and went to college, they had an MMA club which eventually I became the president of that,” Wilson said.