Jackson Academy Breaks Ground on Middle School Expansion
December 13, 2022 /
Middle School/All News
Members of the Jackson Academy Board of Trustees, administrators, and capital campaign chairs were on campus today for the official groundbreaking of the new Middle School expansion. Second grader Ford Clark, (center) and his class joined the dignitaries for the groundbreaking photo. Ford was serving as honorary Head of School for the Day with JA’s Head of School Palmer Kennedy.
This morning Jackson Academy trustees, faculty, staff, and students gathered for a celebration. The groundbreaking for expanding the Middle School is part of JA’s multi-phase facilities master plan that launched in August 2022 with infrastructure improvements. The infrastructure phase, which included reworking on-campus parking and all underground utilities, was completed in November. The next phase, which includes adding six new classrooms for Middle School grades, will begin immediately.
Fourth through twelfth grades gathered with Jackson Academy trustees, administrators, and faculty to celebrate the Middle School expansion groundbreaking Tuesday morning. (Drone photo by JA student Samuel Long)
Preschool through first-grade students were the first to visit the site for the groundbreaking of Jackson Academy’s Middle School expansion this morning, all decked out in hard hats and safety vests.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday that Jackson Academy seniors Morgan Cheatham and Crystal Gao are semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. “Jackson Academy is thrilled that Morgan and Crystal are being recognized. For many years, they have represented the best of Jackson Academy in the classroom and the greater community,” said Head of Upper School Kyle Nichols. “As long as they have attended JA, these students, their families, and Jackson Academy have partnered to foster their pursuit of excellence.”
At Jackson Academy, the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is at the heart of everything we do. Creating a secure learning environment requires both planning and practice, and our school takes this responsibility seriously. Through a comprehensive approach that blends nationally recognized best practices with the care of our dedicated team, JA ensures that safety is not left to chance.
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.
