Lower School News

Fifth Grader Steps Into Leadership Role for a Day

Thanks to a winning bid at A Blue & White Night, the Jackson Academy Association’s annual fundraiser, Tybell Steadman earned the chance to shadow Head of School Eddie Wettach for an entire day. The silent auction experience has become one of the event’s most popular items, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at how JA operates from the top down.

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2025 Homecoming Court Named

Congratulations to the members of the 2025 Homecoming Court! Homecoming festivities are Friday, October 17. JA will present its court at the pep rally that morning and again Friday evening during the formal half-time court presentation, where JA will crown the Homecoming queen. The game with Madison St. Joe begins at 6:30 p.m. Join your friends and fellow alumni at JA’s Homecoming!

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Firefighters Share Their Stories with Fourth Graders on 9/11 Anniversary

On the 24th anniversary of September 11, 2001, fourth graders listened as local firefighter and Fire Training Academy leader Barry Burnside described the events of 9/11. Then he and his spouse, fourth-grade teacher Kerri Burnside, connected the students via Google Meet with firefighter Carl Schramm. Schramm was one of the New York firefighters at Ground Zero on the day of 9/11 when the World Trade Center towers collapsed after direct hits by terrorist-flown planes.

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Alpha & Omega Buddies Find Their Match

Jackson Academy’s beloved Alpha & Omega program kicked off another year of meaningful connections this morning as seniors and kindergartners came together for their first meeting. Excitement filled the amphitheater as JA’s oldest students and those just beginning Lower School discovered their special buddy or buddies for the year ahead.

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STEM in the Gym Reinforces Learning

Students concentrated and cheered, gestured and jumped, teamed up and tested themselves individually as they implemented the lessons learned in Jackson Academy’s STEM classes. The second STEM in the Gym science extravaganza energized fifth graders with science, technology, engineering, and math challenges. Rotating through four stations, they put into action the knowledge and skills learned during their Lower School STEM education.

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Kindergartners Serenade Seniors During Final Chapel Program

This morning, kindergartners and their senior Alpha and Omega buddies gathered for the seniors’ final chapel program. Before the service, the Alpha and Omega pairs paraded hand in hand in front of Preschool and Lower School students and senior parents, who were cheering as seniors took another step toward graduation. During chapel, while their omegas watched from the auditorium seats, the alphas sang “Graduation” by Vitamin C to their senior buddies, celebrating the lasting impact of friendship.

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World Book Day Parade Highlights Young Readers at JA

On April 23, Jackson Academy’s K4 students celebrated World Book Day with a parade through the Lower School. Dressed as characters from their favorite books, students exhibited their costumes and props to Lower School students and teachers, sharing the stories they chose to highlight. From well-known classics to newer favorites, the parade showed the wide range of books that have captured the interest of JA’s youngest students. The event allowed them to connect what they were reading in the classroom to a fun, school-wide tradition.

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Teachers of the Year Honored for 2025

Jackson Academy recognized the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year award recipients during a professional development day assembly held this spring. Each year, one teacher from each division is selected by their peers to receive this distinction.

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Students Step Into the World of Beatrix Potter

Each spring, those familiar words open the door to a long-standing Jackson Academy tradition: the Beatrix Potter Tea Parties. Held in the Preschool library, this special event invites K4 and K5 students into the world of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” with lemon tea, cookies, and carrots served as they listen to the classic story read by librarian Mimi Heard.

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