Freshman Jack Schoening stands at the pool entrance most mornings to hold the door open before class begins. This is a tradition he started in 7th Grade.

“It started during the winter. It was getting really cold and people were crowding around the doors to get in and I thought I could just hold open the door one day so people could go in there and eventually, that just became a thing I frequently did,” Schoening said.

Schoening is planning to carry this tradition all the way through high school. He said being an effective member of the school community does not require a great deal of effort.

“It makes me happy because I know I’m contributing somehow. As a person, I feel I can’t really do much for this world so the least I can do is hold open the door for people,” Schoening said.

After spending so much time holding the door open for others throughout middle school and his first year in high school, Schoening said it means more to him than a kind gesture.

“Sometimes it’s more of a necessity because I think that people kind of respect me for holding the door and I feel like, in a way, they rely on me to be there for them, and I don’t want to disappoint people. That’s the thing I’m most afraid of doing, making people unhappy because I didn’t do something that they wanted. I feel like holding open the door is fully me doing my part,” Schoening said.

Schoening can be found standing at the pool doors most days from around 8:10 a.m. to when the bell rings at 8:22 a.m.