An abundance of learning took place at the Brickyard last Tuesday. It was the second meeting of JA Book Buddies, a pairing of sixth graders and first graders. Book Buddies is one of JA’s many intentional occasions for students across grades to learn from one another.
“I really like sports,” Devlyn Williams said when describing why he chose to enroll in the Sports Broadcasting class at Jackson Academy. “I like commentating and watching people like Mike Breen or Jim Nantz commentate.” During third period, the sports broadcasting class gathers in the Learning Commons media room to learn from Bryan Eubank and Josh Hinkle.
Glake Hill has received two honors experienced by college undergraduate or graduate students more often than by high school seniors. During an internship in Jackson State University’s chemistry department, Glake participated in research under Professor Paresh Ray. His work led to a scientific journal co-authorship and a conference presentation.
Congratulations to McKinna Smith, who signed with Northwest Community College’s Rangers women’s basketball team in a ceremony held last Wednesday morning in the Jackson Academy Learning Commons. McKinna has played varsity basketball since ninth grade, starting her career at Copiah Academy. She transferred to Jackson Academy at the beginning of her senior year.
In preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students in each of Jackson Academy’s divisions learned from the remarkable Civil Rights leader’s life last Friday, which fell on King’s actual birth date. King’s passion to achieve equality through nonviolent protest significantly furthered the cause of justice for minorities, spearheading much of the work to desegregate American life and culture in the 50s and 60s. Through age-appropriate activities, JA teachers encouraged their students to use the long weekend to contemplate the foundation that King laid and how they will contribute to a world of justice and equality for everyone. In this article, we feature a single project from each academic division.
When current JA seniors head off to college next fall, many of them will do so with several hours of college credit already complete. In 2019, Jackson Academy signed a dual enrollment agreement with Belhaven University, allowing JA students who meet Belhaven’s admission requirements to take classes that earn college and high school credit simultaneously. The credits earned through Belhaven transfer to other accredited colleges and universities.