From PSAT to Serving Their Community

October 27th, 2014

CJ-Stewart-Image

Sophomores and freshmen took a break from class work last Wednesday after taking the PSAT that morning. The students participated in community service projects for a variety of locals organizations. Faculty and staff accompanied the students and worked with them. The tenth grade class went to CJ Stewart Ranch in Clinton where they did some clearing off and cleaning up. The camp (formerly Camp Kickapoo) will serve as a home for Down Range, an outdoor adventure camp helping youth develop character traits and life skills by learning to overcome challenges. Ninth grade divided into three groups. One group went to The Little Light House, a tuition-free developmental center that serves children with special needs. They helped prepare for the upcoming Laps for Little Ones 5K and Fun Run by painting signs. Another group went to The Good Samaritan Center, an organization that serves families and individuals in crisis situations, where they organized the clothing closet. The third group worked at Hope Hollow, which offers one-of-a-kind camp experiences for kids and adults with special needs. They cleaned and organized the storage rooms.

View all the community service project photos here.

21st Century Concepts Meet Real-World Applications

October 20th, 2014

Financial Management Class

As a business owner, what is your ethical responsibility if customer records are hacked? Or, when you donate to a charity, do you simply give upon request, or do you evaluate the organization? Students in Bronwyn Burford’s class at Jackson Academy are learning to thoroughly evaluate such cases.

It is all part of a financial management class that teaches students life skills important for personal finance as well as for effective workplace business literacy. The class is made up of students in 10^th-12^th grades and is an elective offered for the second year at JA.

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Quarter One Honor Rolls

October 16th, 2014

Upper School Academy Honor Roll

Ninth Grade
Avery Anderson, Janise Bennett, Blaine Bowman, Hadley Brennan, Sam Ciaccio, Kellan Clower, Hannah Collums, Sara Thomas Easley, Lacey Irby, Will Laird, Braden Lewis, Emma Lucas, Dolph Maxwell, Meredith McClellan, Elizabeth McCubbins, James McLemore, Gracie Meck, Kennedy Neal, Jeffery Richburg, Olivia Stringer, Lillie Walker, Emma Ward, Anna Claire Williams

Tenth Grade
Alexandra Barlow, Lizzie Bowman, Mary Kathryn Brogan, Grace Cartwright, Conley Chinn, Emily Earle, Milla McCormack, Ambie McCoy, Sahil Patel, Travis Rogers, Elizabeth Scott, Livvie Strickland, Nancy Usey

Eleventh Grade
Allie Brown, Madison Carroll, Matthew Faulkner, Sarah French, Georgia Gibson, Dalton Gibson, Robyn Hadden, Sydney Hays, Kyle Kantor, Parker Kennedy, Abbey Lindsay, Rose Maxwell, Tyler McClellan, Hannah McCowan, Glennis McWilliams, Hayley Murphy, Caroline Nall, Avenell Newman, Rebecca Nosef, Annalee Purdie, Amanda Ray, Sam Rhodes, Alexis Ridgeway, Davis Rippee, Avery Smith, Abigail Tyner, Clarke Wilkirson, Ford Williams

Twelfth Grade
William Bell, Hunter Berry, Elizabeth Burford, Kristen Clower, Caroline Duncan, Maris Hardee, Danielle Hodges, Hannah Jane LeDuff, Jake Manning, Suzie Raines, Tori Roberts, Mary Brooks Thigpen, Will Tribble, Will Varner, Ann Elizabeth Walker, Matt Whitfield, Martha Rose Wright

Upper School Honor Roll

Ninth Grade
Sara Brooks Adams, Grace Ardelean, Charles Arnold, Bryan Barksdale, Caroline Childress, Garrett Clarke, Kennedy Collins, Sophie Creath, Frances Anne Fortner, Jack Gnam, Cailynn Gregory, Hannah Hardin, Katie Johnson, Baker Kirkland, Joshua Lucas, Bailey Magee, Blake Mills, Mary Mitchell, Heather Molden, Gage Morgan, Liv Noble, Lindsey Nosef, Walker Pedigo, Luke Pitts, Max Rogers, Warren Scott, Maggie Smith, Noah Thigpen, Sarah Grea Walker, Drake Warman, Brehan Whitehead, Cassidy Wray

Tenth Grade
Parker Alexander, Hope Berry, Gabrielle Bradford, Mary Kate Brown, Catherine Burford, Kathryn Butler, Chelsea Francois, Callie Hall, Grace Herfurth, Emily Iupe, Mary Hunter Johnston, Abbie Knighton, Claire McClure, Emily McNair, William Mitchell, Kassidy Neal, Grace Parry, Elizabeth Payne, Michael Payne, Meredith Roberts, Olivia Rule, Malon Stratton, Phillip Talley, Mitchell Tyner, Caroline Watson, Dray Willson, Kayla Young

Eleventh Grade
Makenna Adams, Nick Beddingfield, Brennan Canton, Kendall Cockayne, David Crystal, Symone Davis, Reid Fracchia, Kathleen Giddens, Ford Gordon, Camryn Kestenbaum, Mary Ousley Owen, Allan Thomas Pickle, Hays Rogers, Ashley Sanders, Amanda Skipper, Brady Stringer, Cory Tirman, Taylor Tucker, Jack Virden, Delaney Wallace, Hannah Wootton

Twelfth Grade
Sarah Allen Bowman, Blake Brennan, Caroline Burford, Gordon Campbell, Matthew Campbell, Zach DePriest, Annie Edgecombe, Grady Fisher, Anderson Helton, Haley Hodges, Maggie Hubbard, Steven Irby, Allie King, Curt Knight, Eliza Lundy, Mary Morgan Pryor, Thad Scott, Bryan Sumner, Chrisshawn Turner, Lauren Williams, Bailey Wood

Middle School Academy Honor Roll

Seventh Grade
Reese Anderson, Emily Burks, Steven Chustz, Carter Elliott, Gracie Eubank, Courtney Francois, Logan Hatten, Russell Hawkins, Ashlie Henderson, Caroline Hill, Alayla Jackson, Henry Lee, P.J. Martin, Sara Evelyn McClintock, Sydney Morris, Kennedy Nations, Maddie Puckett, Anna Katherine Ray, Anna Roberson, Kayla Shepherd, Lily Grace Thigpen, Nelson Thomas, Will Travelstead, Jane Anna Vickery, Mary Gray White

Eighth Grade
Skylar Alexander, Ashton Berry, Samantha Brown, Elliott Butler, Lucy Clement, Camille Couey, Mary Beth Dyess, Avery Hederman, Erin Hederman, Ramey Hogue, Columbia Holeman, Megan Lacey, Sean Lackey, Lexi Lomax, Anne Marie Lundy, Kit McCormack, Preston McWilliams, Brandon Miller, Gabrielle Morris, Reese Overstreet, Charlotte Palmer, Will Spence, Webb Strickland, Mary Lindley Tharp

Middle School Honor Roll

Seventh Grade
Joseph Adams, Lili Alford, Blakely Amis, Walker Barnes, Conner Bell, Wesley Bowman, Nicholas Brown, Kelsey Burke, Brent Butler, Katie Carter, Elizabeth Childress, Christian Coughlin, Ava Del Vecchio, Ginny Dyess, Tanner Golden, Sydney Guy, Hannah Hardee, Zipporah Hawkins, John David Hendrick, Trey Herrington, William Janous, Bennett Johnston, Christian Luckett, Harris McLemore, Chris Mondie, Douglas Noble, Virginia Parry, Nora Pickering, Keishun Pickett, Ellie Rogers, Elizabeth Watson, Reed White, Camden Yates

Eighth Grade
Ashlyn Adair, Hayden Allen, Addison Avdoyan, Eeshaan Bajaj, Cianna Brewer, Johnny Carpenter, Ellie Brent Cartwright, Camille Felder, Sara Wilson Fielder, Sarah Fisher, Owen Fracchia, Charlie Gautier, Ariel Hayes, Thomas Iupe, Katherine Kelly, Francie LeDuff, Ashley Manning, Burkette Moulder, Richard Newman, Tyler Pitts, McKinna Powell, Emory Rhodes, Walker Rippee, Mary Parker Williams, Venice Williams

Rube Goldberg Machines

October 9th, 2014

Conceptual physics students spent a week in the Black Box Theater creating Rube Goldberg machines that perform a simple task through an elaborate set of chain reactions. Each simple machine performed a task that results in a long string of actions that lead to an ultimate result. These groups chose ringing a bell and popping a balloon as their desired outcome.

Watch the videos created by the students at http://youtu.be/MJ559zku7oM.

JA Students Recognized by the National Merit Program

October 7th, 2014

(From left, back): Matt Whitfield, Will Tribble, Grady Fisher, William Bell; (front) Mary Brooks Thigpen, and Elizabeth Burford.

Jackson Academy National Merit Semifinalists and commended students have a significant trait in common — they like being challenged. Whether navigating white water rapids in West Virginia, improving a cross-country track time, or delving deep into AP literature or chemistry, bringing their A game to any task is second nature. These JA students expect to give their best. Along with high scores, semifinalists and commended students at Jackson Academy illustrate that an individual can lead a full life and still make academic excellence a priority.

The example they provide is often noted across campus. “One thing that I love about all these kids is their work ethic,” said Paula Pratt, Upper School counselor.

“This recognition by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is indicative of the good things we expect to see from our students in years to come,” said Steve McCartney, Upper School dean. “I feel confident that we will see these and other JA students going on to outstanding college careers and providing much needed leadership in their work and communities.”

Grady Fisher, Mary Brooks Thigpen, William Bell, Elizabeth Burford, Will Tribble, and Matt Whitfield shared a few reflections of their time at JA.