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SOUTH WHITLEY - U.S. Sen. Jim Banks recounted his time as a middle school student at Whitko during the school corporation’s Whitko Jr-Sr. High School renovation and addition dedication ceremony Monday.
The renovation and addition project “reimagines” a portion of the existing school campus to better serve students in grades 6-8 while integrating modern design elements, enhanced energy efficiency and new opportunities for outdoor learning, according to the program made available at the ceremony.
“What an honor it is to come and be a part of this important occasion. Thank you to all of you, for what you do to build this community, to build this school system and to serve our kids and families in the Whitko community,” Banks stated.
Clarifying that he graduated from Whitko Middle School and not the high school, Banks said he often tells his children about the humble beginnings from where he came.
“I grew up in a trailer park in Columbia City. My dad was a factory worker, my mom was a cook at Miller’s Merry Manor in Columbia City for over 30 years, working in nursing homes in the kitchen,” he said. “We grew up in Columbia City, but halfway through my fifth-grade year, my mom and dad moved us to Collamer and not just Collamer, 700 South and River Road. Some might say literally the middle of nowhere.”
Banks said he and his brothers loved growing up in the country.
“Those were formative years for me, and I think about fifth grade through eighth grade when I went to school here quite a bit because there were some tough times. ... I remember fifth grade probably being the most challenging school year that I ever had. My grades really suffered from moving midway. Trying to make friends and new teachers and new classes,” he said.
He said his first memory was of his fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Roland. He knew Banks was struggling and Banks had some really bad grades.
“I remember him pointing up at the ceiling - they called me Jimmy in fifth grade - he said, ‘Jimmy, can you read the letters up on the wall?’ I distinctly remember this fifth-grade experience, I couldn’t read it because my eyes were bad, but no one knew my eyes were bad, and that led to me getting the nerdiest glasses that any fifth-grade kid has ever had before,” Banks recalled.
Moving on to sixth then seventh grade, when he started doing better in school, he recalled a Mrs. Prater saying to him, in front of the whole class, “We’re not going to call you Jimmy anymore. We’re going to call you Jim. And that was one of the first times as a kid I remember feeling respected.”
While he doesn’t mind being called Jimmy, he remembers that experience in middle school of a teacher respecting him and wanting him to do well.
Halfway through his eighth-grade year, his family moved from the middle school in South Whitley to the “new” middle school in Larwill, which is now the Whitko Career Academy.
He then had one of his favorite teachers of all of his education years, Mr. Lehman, who taught history and government.
“For me, that was again a very formative experience. I grew up as a son of a factory worker and a nursing home cook, and today I’m a United States senator. And, if there’s ever a story of what you can be if you have a family that believes in you, and good teachers along the way that invest in you ... those teachers along the way that gave me their very best and invested in me are the reason that I’m a United States senator today and that all happened in the Whitko School District as a middle schooler struggling my way through fifth grade and eighth grade finally catching on and really enjoying school for the first time,” Banks said.
His message to everyone was, “Whether you’re on the school board, whether you’re Amy, the superintendent, investing in all of this, all of you who are in the administration and, most importantly of all, the teachers who are investing in these kids, some of them who came from backgrounds just like I did - those are our future leaders, our future community leaders, the leaders of this great community, state and our country and you’re the reason that happens.”
Banks said he was excited about coming back to Whitko Jr.-Sr. High School in the years to come to meet with the kids who roam its halls.
“Tell them that they can be United States senators, too. Tell them that they can be president of the United States, they can start businesses, they can lead the family farm, they can take over the family business, they can be good husbands and dads and moms and wives and build healthy, thriving families in places like South Whitley and all throughout the Whitko community because that’s what matters most,” he stated.
Earlier, Whitko Junior High Principal J.D. Maurer welcomed everyone to Monday’s ceremony.
“This is an exciting time for our community. It’s a true honor to stand before you as we officially open the doors for our brand new junior high wing - a space that for a long time has been in the making and is built with incredible care, commitment and vision,” he said.
The school isn’t just bricks and mortar, he continued.
“It’s years in the making of hard work, collaboration and determination. Countless hours went into planning, designing, constructing and refining every detail so that we can give our junior high students not only a place to learn, but a place to grow and a place to belong,” Maurer stated.
He thanked the school board, district leaders, staff, architects, construction crews and “everyone that played a part in making this dream a reality. Your work has given our students more than just a building. You’ve given them an identity.”
The building represents Whitko’s belief in their students and that they deserve the best environment that the school district can offer as they step into one of the most formidable times in their lives, Maurer said.
Whitko Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Korus said, “What a proud day for us here at Whitko. As a graduate of this district and standing here now as your superintendent, this is deeply personal. I know the impact of a Whitko education can have on a life. I’m a product of that, I’m proof that it works.
“Today, we continue to create the same opportunity in an even better environment for our students. This junior high is more than a just new building, it’s a home for our students, as we bring our current sixth- to eighth-grade students, staff and programs under one roof again. We’ll help them grow, learn and prosper, she stated.
“We are a school and we are a family, and we celebrate together. We face challenges together and we succeed together.”
Scott Werstler, Whitko School Board president, gave the final speech, saying, “On behalf of the Whitko Schools Board of Trustees, thank you for observing this special day. Today is about more than opening a junior high wing, it’s about opening doors of possibility for our students, our staff and our community.”
He thanked the architects, the construction crews, administrators, teachers and “so many others who believe in the future of this school. Because we built a school for our children and our children’s children, under one roof they will learn, grow and prepare for the future.”
He thanked the community members who attended Monday’s ceremony and for the community’s unwavering support. He thanked the teachers and support staff for the passion they bring every day. He thanked the students - the Whitko Wildcats - because they are “the reason we do what we do.”
