The first day of school is usually an exciting day for most students, and for Jack Dillingham, his first day was embellished by the fact that he was stepping foot inside a brand new school.
He thought the experience was pretty good even though he said that everybody was trying to figure out where to go in the new Platte Purchase Middle School.
The eighth-grader said people quickly figured out the route to take inside the new building, and that his first impression was that he liked the school al lot.
“It can be confusing at first, but once you get used to it, the layout makes much more sense,” Jack said. “I thought it was very cool. I loved the layout and the new furniture in the building. Definitely one of the nicest schools I’ve been to.”
He loves the flex rooms, which allow teachers to offer courses to both classroom and online students. “It opens so many opportunities for learning that weren’t previously accessible with Barry,” Jack said. “This includes both the normal flex rooms scattered across the school and the flex auditorium that can withstand an EF-4 tornado”
Both the cafeteria and the library are very comfortable and appealing to Jack.
“I love the library because it really isn’t its own room,” Jack said. “It’s very open and inviting to anybody that wants books. The library also has its own desks and couches to allow for more space to learn. The cafeteria is also very nice. The food is the same as Barry’s food but this room has more options for seating. There are booths, tables by the window, larger tables for larger groups, and a larger kitchen with a vending machine!”
Being one of the first students to ever attend Platte Purchase Middle School was an honor for Jack. “This school is my favorite school I’ve ever been to and I can’t wait for other grades to experience it.”
His friends really like the school too, and Jack said some of them like it even more then he does.
He has met a lot of new students in his first weeks of school. “Lots of kids are new here and seem to like the school, students, and staff,” Jack said.
His favorite subjects are math, science and robotics and he does best in his math and science classes. He has given a little bit of thought to where he would like to attend college, but he hasn’t visited many schools and he doesn’t want to have his mind set on a school without seeing as many as he can.
While Jack takes part in robotics and National Junior Honor Society, his favorite activity is student council. He also plays golf.
While extracurricular activities are important to Jack, he focuses on his studies and believes it’s important for students to study hard and earn good grades.
“Having good grades opens more opportunities for more classes, more extracurricular activities, and more colleges,” Jack said.
His family supports him in his studies and activities. “They do as needed and help when they can,” Jack said.
For Jack, it’s important for students to try their best to learn as much as possible in school so they can contribute to society.
“Sometimes you’ll need to know the things that they teach you to make the world a better place.”
Jack believes the new school will be a great learning environment.
“I can already see people using the space provided and they like it very much,” Jack said. “Students like it for more options to learn and teachers like it for the same reason.”
When asked if he is proud to live in a county that values its students and wants to build them a new school to make their learning environment more up-to-date and better for all the students, Jack said, “Absolutely. Who wouldn’t want that?”