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Two JA After School programs earned airtime this fall on WJTV-12’s “Cool Schools” segment.
Beaker Buddies, led by Middle School science teacher Beth Williamson, and Mahjong Club, led by Kindergarten assistant teacher Meredith Culpepper, are among the options that let students pick up new skills, unwind after classwork, and make friends across grade levels.
Homecoming Week was a storybook from start to finish. Students from K2 through twelfth grade celebrated with dress days, pep rallies, and class competitions. The week ended with a 34-0 Raider win and the community celebrating Homecoming Queen Liza Benner and her court.
Homecoming festivities are Friday, October 9. JA will present its court at the pep rally that morning and again Friday evening during the formal halftime presentation, where JA will honor members of the court and crown the Homecoming queen. The game with Magnolia Heights begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Brickyard. Join your friends and fellow alumni at JA’s Homecoming!
Jackson Academy’s Swim Team is made up of students from first through twelfth grade. Students in the elementary division, which covers first through sixth grade, kicked off their season Sept. 1 with a dual meet against St. Augustine and Parklane. JA swimmers turned in several Top 5 finishes. The team returns to competition tomorrow afternoon at The Jackson Yacht Club.
Tickets, please! Fourth graders opened the gates to a one-of-a-kind amusement park for kindergarten visitors last Tuesday. Using K’NEX sets, fourth graders spent several weeks engineering functional rides, such as Ferris wheels, roller coasters, and swing rides, bringing concepts of physics, engineering, and design to life.
Lemuria Books brought Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of the beloved Construction Site series, to Jackson Academy, where kindergarten through second graders were among the first school children to hear her newest book, Construction Site Firefight, read aloud by the author herself.
Ferris wheels, spinning rides, and roller coasters, all built by elementary students. Fourth graders in JA’s Lower School STEM program are immersed in one of their signature projects: a class-sized amusement park, engineered and assembled entirely by students.
JA juniors and seniors took prom downtown in 2026, celebrating at the Railroad District with a Mardi Gras-themed night of music, dancing, and great food. Earlier in the evening, the Railroad District welcomed a younger crowd for Prom Jr., where girls in kindergarten through third grade got their own taste of the magic, dressed up and escorted by their dads and father figures for a special date night of their own.
New Stage Theatre presented a performance of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical” as part of the theatre’s Arts-in-Education statewide touring program. Kindergarten through second graders were entertained with catchy tunes and wild antics on the JA PAC stage Friday morning.
There is no more fitting time to reflect on third grade teacher Beckie Lee’s completion of her doctorate in education than during Women’s History Month. Teaching, she believes, is one of the most powerful forces for change that exists. It works quietly, one classroom at a time, shaping not just what young people know but how they see themselves and the world around them. For her third graders and the faculty she works alongside every day, her achievement is a living reminder that education never stops.
