By Jackson Schneider
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — For the first time, the new Junction City High School was filled from wall-to-wall with voices, laughter, and students trying to find their way. JCHS was finally opened for student orientation to get class schedules, meet teachers, explore the building, and more.
School doesn't begin until Wednesday morning, but for staff and students alike, the time was more than necessary to find their bearings in a brand new place.
"I think we've had almost 1500 parents who already pre-registered," said JCHS Principal Merrier Jackson. "They can get access to the student's schedule, if they have transportation questions, and it's a chance to engage with some of those parents, get a chance to get to meet the students and all of that."
After more than a year of hybrid learning, classes will be full-time in-person when the bell rings Wednesday morning.
Some students are walking into entirely new surroundings, more than just the new building, but new to high school altogether.
Kaleb Docker, an incoming freshman's, first impression of the orientation was, "I'm scared," he said with a laugh. "This place is huge."
But that just hammers home the purpose of orientation, allowing kids just like Docker a chance to push past the initial shock of walking into the largest high school, in terms of square footage, in the state of Kansas.
USD 475 Superintendant Dr. Reginald Eggleston spoke of the importance of the event just for students to be able to get inside the doors.
"I know there's a lot of excitement here today. It's the first time everyone has actually had a chance to actually see the product, the building," he said. "We've been talking about it for several years, and so this is the first time for parents, students, and individuals to get in and see all the great work that has taken place, the stat-of-the-art facility. I know parents should be very pleased and proud at what they're seeing today."
Certain areas of the new building aren't quite complete, but the progress will continue daily over the next few weeks. Construction is expected to be fully finished by the end of September.
