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The year 2020 has been interesting for high school students, counselors, and college admissions offices, all of whom have had to navigate a challenging course in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jackson Academy’s Upper School Counseling Office has steadily adapted to provide students with guidance and clarity as they prepare to make a college decision.
If you’ve been to a JA Raider athletic event (and who hasn’t?), you have glimpsed a gray figure that seems quiet and still amid the raucousness of pep rallies and games. Mr. Wolf, who accompanies the boys spirit team known as the Rowdies, is a stalwart supporter of the Raiders. But why?
Normally, choreographers Kevin Chase and Nick Quamme spend a week at JA teaching Encore and Showtime the dances for their upcoming competition season. But 2020 isn’t a typical year. Instead of visiting Jackson, Chase and Quamme taught choreography via Zoom from their studios in Iowa and Wisconsin as students watched from the Performing Arts Center’s choral music room.
Sissy Spence, a senior vice president with J.F. Smith Group, Inc., has become quite familiar with Jackson Academy in recent years. She and her colleague, Richard Hood, are spending time on campus this month interviewing JA families to determine JA’s readiness to pursue a capital campaign.
Joy Miller teaches visual art, but during her time at Jackson Academy, she has taught so much more. Step into one of her classrooms (she has two), and you will find an inspiring space full of student creativity in every medium. Most importantly, you will find students enjoying the process of artistic discovery under Miller’s guidance.
Jackson Academy is proud to recognize three 2021 National Merit Semifinalists. Seniors Zoe Ladner of Jackson, Isabelle Lee of Brandon, and Priya Ray of Brandon are among approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced last week.
Portico Magazine recently named JA senior Thomas Arnold to their “25 Students Who Will Change the World,” featured in their fall issue.
Last Friday, organizations and individuals throughout our nation paused to commemorate those who lost their lives in the devastating terrorist attacks of 2001. Current JA students were born into a world continuing to wrestle with the wake of the attacks, and have never waited at the gate to see a loved one off on a flight. We visited three Middle School classrooms to see different ways of observing Patriot Day.
The changes involved in moving to a new school often raise challenges and lead to growth. At Jackson Academy, the community seeks to minimize the difficulties of adjusting to a new school while celebrating the change that happens in all of us when we embrace new opportunities.
Students who wish to pursue the Jernberg Scholarship, which recognizes superior academic excellence and citizenship, may register beginning September 15. A registration link with instructions will be provided in the September 15 Tuesday Raider.