BRIDGEPORT, Texas — Earlier this spring, while most students here at Bridgeport Intermediate School were planning what to do this summer, Jax Elledge was doing his homework: researching how much it costs to install a fence.
“It’s a safety thing, so I feel like it’s worth the work,” Elledge said. “Like a challenge.”
His challenge began last spring when he noticed there was no fence between a nearby busy road and the school’s playground.
“I didn’t think that was very safe and thought that problem needed to be fixed,” Elledge said.
Elledge brought his concerns to principal Kyle Hatcher.
“Shortly thereafter, he had a presentation and quotes and began his journey on building the fence,” Hatcher said.
After organizing a petition and gathering quotes from a local fence installer, Elledge landed a meeting with the superintendent. Partly because of his persistence, the issue was put up for a vote during the spring election.
Unfortunately, that vote failed. But what administrators hadn’t told Jax is that they had a contingency plan.
Using money awarded from a grant, the district installed the fence last month. The entire area is now safe and secure.
Here’s the real kicker: Elledge won’t even benefit much from it. After the upcoming school year, he’ll move to the middle school, leaving this playground behind.
“I felt like it was not just for my safety or the kids in my grade’s safety, but it was also for benefitting the other kids that come here, it’s for their safety also,” he said.
“Kids that come to this school as it continues on will have a fenced-in area that’s more safe and secure,” said Hatcher.
By putting others first, Elledge didn’t just build a fence, he learned how to build character.