FARMINGDALE, Maine — Current Maine high school seniors have had quite the roller coaster the last few years, bouncing back and forth between in-person and remote learning and losing out on full sports and extracurricular experiences.
But that is in the past, and student-athletes like Jackson Leach at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale are trying to make the most of the present.
“To see seniors ... not have a regular graduation or play their last game without their parents there, by the time it’s all wrapped up, it’s something to be appreciative of, to have a regular year again," Leach said.
The three-sport athlete just wrapped up his final high school soccer season this fall and is now gearing up for the basketball season before he wraps up his local sports career on the baseball diamond.
While he makes a big impact on the field and court for his small school, Leach also helps his community whenever he gets the chance.
"He demands accountability from his teammates, his classmates, and everybody in our community," Hall-Dale athletic director and boy's Basketball Coach Chris Ranslow said. "Jackson shines brightly, among a lot of other stars:"
Leach's leadership is evident in the classroom, where he helps teach a videography and editing class.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Leach learned to edit sports videos on iMovie, then practiced with other editing software before he found his groove, and now he helps administrators with his new talents.
“If they need something for an assembly, I’m kind of their go-to guy to that which is kind of a cool thing because it started out as a passion for fun and hopefully something to do as a career someday," Leach said.
Leach wants to study videography at a four-year college and he is still trying to play soccer at the collegiate level. Leach also spent some time reflecting on the support he received from his hometown.
“I think growing up in a community where everybody cared about you and you had people to look up to when you get to that point, it’s important to do the same thing because that’s how I was raised here," he said.
To do just that, Leach spends time volunteering with youth sports and recreation camps and even brought a popular outdoors club back to Hall-Dale High School after it ended during the pandemic.
For all of his achievements on and off the field, Leach wants to be remembered for his character.
"There’s a lot of ways to leave a legacy behind, which is something I think about a lot, but to leave something behind, for people to know I was a good person and always willing to help," he said. "I think the most important thing to me is being known as a good person, who loves their community, who is willing to help out whenever he can.”