By Taylor Jenkins

At Collegiate’s Lower School, 4th Grader (and my cousin) Jack Jenkins (‘34) starts his day with competition, enthusiasm, and a soccer ball. Morning P.E. with Lower School P.E. teacher Tyler Stevens is his favorite way to start the day. On a recent morning, he was in charge of protecting the goal as the goalkeeper of his team, a position he also plays in Geronimo Lacrosse. In an epic girls-versus-boys match, Jack and company started their day off on a positive note, securing the morning victory. 

Once classes began, Jack moved through a busy schedule. In the Lower School’s Watt Library, his class listened to Lower School librarian Susan Leahy read aloud from a non-fiction book about World War II called Thirty Minutes in Oregon, by Marc Tyler Nobleman. Alongside this, Jack was also working independently on a project covering the American Revolutionary War, in particular the battles of Lexington and Concord. He and his fellow 4th graders were also excited for the start of their Capstone Week, Envision Collegiate, and were eagerly awaiting their group and topic assignments in the coming weeks. 

After library, Jack and his classmates made their way to the STEM class in Luck Hall, where they worked on engineering small Scribble-Bots with Lower School teacher Kym Smythe. Jack explained, “STEM is a challenging class, but one that I still enjoy.” After STEM, Jack was ready for recess. 

When I arrived at Fort Cougar, Jack and his friends were already competing in a game of King. In case you have never played, King is a highly competitive game. One player starts as the king, standing in front, while everyone else clusters behind. The king tosses the ball into the air, and from that moment it’s every player for themselves, all scrambling to come away with the ball. Whoever comes away with the ball becomes the new king. They invited me to play, and with little hesitation I joined in and began dominating. I think I beat them pretty handily. I asked them if this was their go-to recess activity, and Jack’s friend Sebastian (‘34) responded quickly, “No, we play basketball, wall-ball, soccer, and four square.” I guess it just depends on the day.

After recess, Jack was nice enough to invite me to sit at lunch with him in Centennial Hall. He showed me over to a spot near the window, where special guests are allowed to sit with their Lower Schooler. I asked Jack what his favorite lunch meals were, and he answered confidently, “burgers and subs.” Unfortunately, those were not on the serving menu that day. Jack was forced to settle for two garlic breadsticks, a scoop of pasta, two Go-Gurts, and a carton of milk, all of which he consumed in the first ten minutes of lunch. 

When asked about his favorite school memories so far, Jack fondly recalled performing in the 2nd Grade “Fifty Nifty” States Fair, where he represented Utah, a state he remembers for its dinosaur fossils, a topic Jack is greatly interested in. He explained that, during the performance in Oates Theater, “I was so nervous. I thought I was gonna’ faint. I saw my grandma, ‘Honey,’ in the crowd watching me, and all of a sudden my fear turned into excitement.” Jack also remembers the thrill of scoring his first touchdown in an epic flag football game during P.E., and winning the Gold and Green Spirit Challenge on the day of Pep Rally in 2nd Grade. His path to victory was dressing up as a “massive” green dinosaur.   

The Halloween Parade is another of Jack’s favorite Collegiate traditions. Over the years, Jack has appeared as Spider-Man, Owen Grady from the Jurassic Park movies, a ninja, and most recently Tron. He remembers seeing all the parents and upperclassmen clap for him and congratulate him on his boldness. 

Outside of the classroom, Jack has become something of a school celebrity. On Saturday, April 11, Jack served as the announcer of the Fun Run at the Village Green Fair, and he absolutely crushed it. His signature impression of a Scottish accent has earned him the affectionate nickname “Scottish Jack.” Prior to his big day, Jack explained to me that after VGF, “I will be the most popular person in school, even more popular than you.” I didn’t doubt him for a second. 

As the school year winds down, Jack is beginning to think about his transition to Middle School just around the corner. He’s excited for independence, new classes, better food (especially the pizza), and the chance to be close to his older brother Peyton (‘31), a rising 8th Grader. Still, he admits to feeling nervous about the increased workload, homework, tests, quizzes, and papers. And he’s especially sad to leave behind his teachers, who have shaped him in his Lower School years, including his beloved classroom teacher this year, Julia Butcher. 

For now, Jack is savoring the final stretch of 4th Grade, a year filled with learning, laughter, leadership, and memories he’ll carry with him after he makes his way across the Debbie Miller Bridge.

Photos by Becky Arneson Jenkins.