Jackson Academy (Mississippi)

Jackson Academy is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school in Jackson, Mississippi. Unlike many other private schools that were founded in protest to the desegregation of the public school system, Jackson Academy was founded in 1959 as a protest to sight reading and as a proponent of reading by phonics. In the spring of 1979, the campus was entirely flooded. Today, the campus is thriving with nearly 1450 students in grades K3 through 12. The school is a member of the prestigious Cum Laude Society Academic Honorary, one of only four charter members in Mississippi.

JA is the largest independent school in Mississippi. Its mission is "to serve students who aspire to higher education and lifelong learning in a balanced and nurturing environment in which each student is valued and is challenged to become a responsible citizen who can achieve his or her intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical potential."

About

Peter Jernberg was JA's Headmaster from July 1988 until November 2005, when became the school's President. Jernberg also serves on the Board for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is the past president of the Delta State University Foundation and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. Currently, Jernberg's primary role is to guide the school through its recently announced master plan [http://www.jacksonacademy.org/boldvision.html] , with the purpose of revolutionizing the campus and the community.

In December 2006, Pat Taylor was named headmaster. Taylor came to JA from Mobile, AL, where he served as Assistant Headmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal School.

Keith Branning is the Senior High Dean and Associate Headmaster Bill Bunch is the Associate Senior High Dean. Bobby West, a successful high school basketball coach in the 1980s, is the Athletic Director. David Sykes is the Junior High dean and Jr. High football coach. Joey Hawkins, a former Clarion-Ledger Metro Jackson Coach of the Year, is the high school football coach. Sarah Love is Dean of the Elementary School. Lynett Robinson serves as the Dean of the Preschool.

According to the school's website, the overall master plan has been divided into two phases, and will cost an estimated $17.5M:

Phase One includes the following: a performing arts center for school programs, theatrical productions and concerts as well as classroom and rehearsal space for choral music and a black-box theater; a student commons with dining facilities; student lounges and meeting spaces accessible to all grades; an enclosed atrium connecting the student commons to the performing arts center; an academic lawn along Ridgewood Road made possible by moving parking and traffic circulation behind the buildings; a new parking lot creating 150 additional spaces as well as improved traffic flow with a quarter mile of queuing space for cars on campus and off public roads; and a new 2,000 seat gymnasium adjacent to the secondary school gym.

Phase Two will include replacement of long-serving facilities witha new, state-of-the-art junior/senior high building to serve grades 7-12; anda new, expanded elementary building.

tudents and Alumni

Notable alums include Calvin Thigpen ('94) who was a Rhodes Scholar and Jennifer Fillingim ('95) who was a Rhodes Scholar State Finalist. Thigpen said that "as students at Jackson Academy, we have had teachers who have pushed us farther than we once thought we could go. They have inspired passions in us; they have taught us to think critically, and they have taught us to communicate clearly. They have done these things because, like the staff, coaches and administrators who work alongside them, the teachers of Jackson Academy feel it is an honor to be a part of the lives of all of their students."

Currently, 10% of the University of Mississippi's Medical School graduating class are JA alumni [2] , which is the second time this feat has been reached (with the first being in 1999). In addition, several JA alums have become the top student leaders on their campuses. Calvin Thigpen ('94) and Drew Snyder ('99) both were ASB Presidents at Ole Miss; Matt Allen ('96) was SA President at Mississippi State; William Waller III ('98) and Michael Ward ('03) were SA Presidents at Mississippi College.

Athletics

Jackson Academy also excels in athletics. The football team has won three consecutive state championships, and Jackson Academy regularly wins or contends for championships in boys basketball, girls basketball, tennis, track, and baseball. Major rivals include Jackson Prep, Hillcrest Christian School, and MRA. Former high school boys basketball coach Stan Jones, who led JA to overall championships in 1994 and 1995, is now an assistant basketball coach at Florida State University. He has also coached at the University of Miami and the Washington Wizards.

Football

As with many places in the deep south, football is the heart and soul of the athletic program and in some respects, the school itself. Joey Hawkins is the head coach of the high school football team, winning four state championships. He won the Metro Jackson Coach of the Year for 2005. To date, JA and Madison Central hold the record for the most coaches named to the All-Metro team at three, respectively. In addition, Hawkins track team hasn't lost an individual track meet since 1997. In 1996, Hawkins was hired as head coach of Jackson Academy's junior high team, replacing popular head Dan Boyce, who had taken a high school head coaching job at Indianola Academy. From 1996-2000, Hawkins led the JV Raiders to a 35-2 record and to four South AAAA JV titles. In the spring of 2001, JA Athletic Director Bobby West made a surprising announcement that David Blount, the head football coach of 5 1/2 seasons, two-time state champion winner, and 1996 Metro Jackson Coach of the Year, would be taking a position as Assistant Athletic Director. Hawkins would move up from junior high school to coach high school, and Tom Luke, a former University of Mississippi quarterback, would remain as offensive coordinator. Many supporters of JA athletics were skeptical about the new coach. Though Hawkins was very successful junior high coach, he lacked extensive high school head coaching experience. Blount was the first JA head coach in the history of the school to defeat Jackson Prep, doing it in 1995, 1996, and 1998. But JA had lost three consecutive contests to Prep when Hawkins took over. The 2001 JA Raiders faltered early in the season, losing to North AAAA rival Lee Academy in Clarksdale. But behind an experienced offensive line and workhorse running back Rob Cannon, JA rolled to several victories and earned a spot in the playoffs. Hawkins would lose his first meeting with Jackson Prep in the regular season, but a 14-0 playoff victory on the road against Starkville Academy gave JA a second chance against Prep. At Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton, Mississippi, Hawkins's Raiders played a magnificent defensive game and shocked Jackson Prep 12-7. Like his predecessor, Hawkins had won a state championship in his first season. But the momentum would last under Hawkins' leadership.

JA Alums Playing College Football:

* David Adams, '85, LB, Vanderbilt
* Matt Allen, '96, S, Dartmouth College, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
* Myles Atherton, '96, University of Tennessee
* Rob Cannon, '02, RB / K, Ole Miss, Mississippi College
* Sean Harrison, '04, DT, Delta State
* Matt Hinkle, '03, K, Ole Miss
* Walker Jones, '94, Ole Miss
* Miles Lane, '02, T, Navy
* Brad Madden, '93, RB, Millsaps
* Bryan Madden, '99, LB, Mississippi College
* Corey Magee, '05, RB, Ball State
* Reed Neely, '05, T, Ole Miss
* John Shackelford '96, LB, Mississippi College
* Adam Shaffer '05, QB, Mississippi College
* Tony Shell, '85, QB, Mississippi State
* Nathan Siegel, '98, DT, Southern Miss
* Douglas Strong, '96, DE, Ole Miss
* David Traxler '04, OT, Ole Miss
* Erskine Wells, '99, QB, Davidson College

tate championships

Football

* 1995 - Defeated Carroll Academy in championship. First state title came less than a month after the death of beloved head coach Sherard Shaw.
* 1996 - Defeated undefeated Jackson Prep in championship, avenging 24-0 loss to Patriots earlier in season.
* 2001
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005

Baseball

* 1985
* 1986
* 1992
* 1999
* 2002

Men's basketball

* 1994
* 1995
* 2004
* 2006

Women's basketball

* 1984
* 1992
* 1996
* 2001
* 2002

JA athletics on the radio

Jackson Academy is one of a few high schools, independent or public, to have all of its football, boys basketball, girls basketball, and baseball games broadcast via radio [http://supersport930.com] in the Jackson, Mississippi area. Bryan Eubank has been the voice of the Raiders in some capacity since 2000, and has called the capture of 9 MPSA State Championships. Bryan spent 2005-2007 as the voice of the Mississippi Braves before returning to call all three major sports for the Raiders in the fall of 2007.

During Football Season Trevor Gross, and Eddie and Brittany Wettach join Bryan on the broadcasts. During Baseball Season Bob King joins Bryan in the booth for most home games. Lee Adams was the voice of the Raiders before Eubank.

"Images"

"Images" is a publication of fiction, nonfiction, poems and art by Jackson Academy students. The publication has won the Gold Crown, the highest award bestowed by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association; no other high school publication in the state of Mississippi has received this award. Images also has won the Highest Award by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Notable Alumni

* Walker Jones '94, Vice-President of Marketing for UnderArmour
* Drew Snyder '99, Founder of Snyder News Network
* Mark Smith '99, Internationally-Recognized Magician
* Calvin Thigpen '94, Rhodes Scholar
* Michael Ueltschey '98, Former MLS Soccer Player
* Tyler Winford '04, Division III Basketball All-American

References

* [http://www.jacksonacademy.org JA Homepage]
*List of Private Schools in Mississippi