Junction City High School is home to a huge variety of students. We have students not only from around the nation but from around the world. There are many hardworking students that excel in balancing school, sports, part-time (and even full-time) jobs, along with their social life.

Stephen C. Thompson is a senior here at Junction City High School. He has attended JCHS since freshman year. His favorite subject is science.

“It comes easy to me and I enjoy the different aspects of science,” Thompson said.

Like many other athletes in the school, Stephen played football for the Blue Jays for his sophomore and senior years of high school. He played Center, Guard, and Tackle for varsity, playing a big part in Junction City’s respectful run to number two in the centennial league standings, and a playoff run that ended early due to team injuries.

Many students participate in activities that may not be highly recognized. It is those students that help the school grow, and they help represent the wide variety of talent throughout the school. Stephen plays rugby here in Junction City, a European version of football, as most of our locals might know it as. Rugby, because of its unique qualities in comparison to other sports, is the reason Stephen enjoys playing it more than any others. Some people might be apprehensive about trying the sport for fear of injury.

“I think it’s because people are afraid to get hurt just because we don’t use pads but they don’t realize rugby is actually one of the safest sports if played correctly,” Thompson said.

Stephen is a part of the Junction City United Rugby Football Club (JCURFC) and plays 8th Man and Lock.

Like many other high school students, Stephen has an out of school job to make and save money. He works in the most common high school part-time job industry, fast-food. A lot of students that have part time jobs, struggle to balance school and work, “it isn’t difficult at all in my opinion if you just know how to work around it all,” Thompson said about juggling it all.

Stephen plans on attending Hutchinson Community College after he graduates. He will play football and study to be a biology teacher in the future.