JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2016 39 By Jack Knipe ’17 S My Perspective ince coming to Jesuit High School a little more than three years ago, my classmates and I have witnessed a great transformation. This has been exemplifi ed by Jesuit’s implementation of the 1:1 iPad Program, the construction of the school’s immaculate perimeter wall, and Phase I of the amazing Campus Master Plan. The 1:1 iPad Program – which began in 2014 and provides every student and teacher with an Apple iPad Air – has had an enormous, positive impact. The iPad allows our teachers to educate us in innovative ways: teachers can send us documents with the push of a button, can create assignments that can be turned in from our homes, and can pull up all the information in the world within seconds. The iPad also allows us to keep all of our notes, documents, and textbooks in one place, greatly reducing the amount of burdensome binders and books we have to lug across campus. The construction of the perimeter wall encompassing our campus was a major change. But while the wall was being completed our sophomore year, I was not too fond of this project. The construction caused more traffi c, and I thought it was unnecessary: Why was Jesuit spending time and money just to build a wall? When it was completed, I understood. The new perimeter truly sets the tone for Jesuit High School. It is incredible. When people see it, they realize the beauty of Jesuit’s amazing campus. And the wall maintains the same brick motif as the rest of campus, making it seem like it has always been there. This summer, Phase I of the Campus Master Plan was initiated. This phase will build a new chapel and a new administration building. However, for this school year there would be no large chapel on campus, and many questions arose: Where would we have Convocation? How would we get to our classes on time with construction going on right in the middle of campus? What would happen to the Student Commons? I thought my senior year was going to be a mess, but it has been the opposite. They created a beautiful new, even bigger commons area. Convocation has moved to the gym and, despite our concerns, has been working really well. There is ample seating for the student body, and a stage has been created. The construction zone has forced everyone to walk a horseshoe shaped path from class to class, limiting time with our friends between classes, but on the bright side we get to burn a few more calories. My attitude towards Phase I of the Campus Master Plan has benefi tted from my experience with the perimeter wall. I understand that burdens and change are necessary for Jesuit to move forward and become better. Although my fellow classmates and I will not directly benefi t from the completion of Phase I, I know Jesuit will be a better school for generations of students. Even with all this change, Jesuit’s commitment to its mission statement and core beliefs never wavers. Jesuit High School still continues to form ordinary boys into extraordinary men. Jack Knipe ’17 is Jesuit High School’s student body president for 2016-17.
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