As many know, transferring to one school to another is a very hard thing to adapt to. In our day and age, this is a very common thing to see. Many people are transferring schools for several reasons. Here at Elder we have a transfer student from Walnut Hills. His name is Jack Reuter. Jack is a member of the National Honor Society and  the football team. He hasn’t even been here a year, but has made his presence felt already.

I had the chance to talk to Jack about his journey. I asked him how the transition from Walnut Hills has been from Elder. Jack thought long about his answer then said, “It’s been an adjustment, for sure. Completely different culture and overall feeling in the air. I love it, though. I love everything about being at Elder: the tradition, the people, the facilities, the education itself, and of course, the sports. I’m eternally grateful that I have the opportunity to be here. It’s a blessing.”

I then asked Jack what made him decide on joining the panther community. He described that it was a bunch of different things that kept adding up. Jack is an extremely smart student and wanted a better education. He was unhappy with what he was receiving at Walnut. Another huge problem he faced at Walnut was not having friends he could count on. He also wanted to take his spirituality more seriously and knew coming to Elder would help him do so. Jack then went on to tell me that immediately he has noticed his faith improve and his friendships have too. He also mentioned that he is getting a great education here at Elder which he is extremely grateful for. I was curious to know how the students acted towards Jack. Furthermore, I wanted to know how they first interacted with him and how they interact with him now. Therefore, I asked him and he said, “Everyone has been super friendly since the start. When I came to shadow last November, the thing I paid attention to the most was how other kids treated each other. I was astonished to see the mutual respect that students acted with towards both their peers and teachers. It made a very positive impression on me and separated Elder from other schools. Since then, everyone has continued to be very kind and I’ve made friends with practically every student and faculty member I’ve come across.” Clearly the students of Elder high have done a wonderful job of accepting Jack into our family. He is now one of our own.

Playing quarterback at Elder, I always knew Jack because he was the quarterback at Walnut Hills. He is a very talented athlete, so I wanted to get into how sports have been for him at Elder. Jack told me about how sports have been a big struggle for him. Furthermore, Jack actually got hurt his first game on the lacrosse team. He messed up his knee and has still been recovering for it. Jack told me that it has been very challenging for him and also has been hard on his faith, but he knows this happened for a reason. Therefore, Jack has been training everyday to get better than ever before to come back a new player for the Panthers in football next fall. He went on to say that even though he hasn’t been able to play, Elder football has brought him such joy in being able to watch his teammates and bestfriends succeed. He described it saying that is what Elder football is all about and that is what Coach Ramsey has taught him: the importance of the teams success.

Jack described it perfectly, Elder is all about the importance of their school’s success. In just this short period of time Jack has learned a lot about himself and about Elder. It’s clear that he has enjoyed his time here so far. Therefore, I asked him what has been the best part about transferring to Elder. Jack told me, “The best part of coming to Elder for me has easily been meeting some of the kindest, most passionate, and most generous people in my life. I’ve made friends and met mentors that I will keep and cherish for the rest of my days. Elder is a truly special place, and coming here has made me realize that the people who have worked so hard to attain excellence throughout the generations are what make it special.” It’s safe to say Jack has learned a lot about Elder in his short time of being here. I know he will make the most of it with the time he has remaining.