Luther Jackson Middle School

Infobox Education in the United States
name= Luther Jackson Middle School


imagesize=
motto= Building Futures Together
streetaddress= 3020 Gallows Road
city= Falls Church
state= Virginia
zipcode= 22042
url= http://www.fcps.edu/LutherJacksonMS
district= Fairfax County Public Schools
principal= Louise Porter
assistant_principals= Gary Hinson (7th grade)
Patrick Riley (8th grade)
staff= approximately 125
fundingtype= Public
schooltype= middle school
grades= 7–8
language= English
communities=
feeders= Falls Church High School
Oakton High School
campus= Suburban
mascot= Tigers
colors= Red and white ██
founded= 1954
enrollment= 914
enrollment_as_of= 2006
bgcolor_section= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_label= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_value= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_address= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_url= #EEEEEE

Luther Jackson Middle School, located in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Falls Church. It is a part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system and is one of 26 public middle schools in the county. It opened in 1954 as Luther Jackson High School, the first all-black high school in Fairfax County. This gave Virginia African-American students a closer option than schools in Washington DC.

In 1965, when the county was integrated, the school was designated as Luther Jackson Intermediate School, which eventually changed to Luther Jackson Middle School. The school is named after Dr. Luther P. Jackson, an established historian and educator.

The school is in the process of transitioning into a GT Center school to reduce overcrowding at Kilmer Middle School and Frost Middle School. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111500689_pf.html"An Exchange on a Possible Gifted and Talented Center"] , 'Extra Credit' column, "The Washington Post", November 16, 2006, page VA05, accessed December 9, 2007]

History

The school was built and opened in September 1954 as Fairfax County's sole high school for black students after members of the black community, exasperated by having to send their children as far as Manassas or the District of Columbia, agitated for a school closer to home. [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-218775.html "Same Location, Different Times"] , Maria Glod, The Washington Post, November 4, 2004] It was named for prominent academic Luther P. Jackson, who headed the History Department at Virginia State College in Petersburg and founded the Negro Voters League of Virginia.

Four months after the opening, the Supreme Court declared separate education for students of different races was unconstitutional. But not until September 1960 did 19 black Fairfax high school students began classes at eight previously "white only" schools. By 1965 the county schools were completely integrated.

Although the first decade of the school was a turbulent time for race relations, alumni from the school said it was a calm place with dedicated teachers, despite county authorities often giving the school outdated books and meagre supplies. Football and basketball games were popular events that attracted people from across the black community, typically packing the bleachers in the gymnasium. Football players would to carry box lunches to distant games because they were barred from restaurants. Sock hops were held in the gym and dances in the cafeteria.

In 1965 the school was turned into an integrated middle school. Since then, the building has been renovated and expanded and now is the location of county School Board meetings.

By 2004, the "Washington Post" reported, the school's 1,050 students came from 60 countries, and 60 percent were minorities. A total of 40 languages were spoken by students, with Spanish the most prevalent among the 70 percent of students whose first language wasn't English, followed by Korean and Vietnamese.

The City agreed in December 2006 to move a day center for the homeless, from its location on Old Lee Highway Luther, because of its proximity to the school, especially because the center closes its doors in the late afternoon, moving some of its clients onto the streets. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-2786420.html "Council to Vote on Relocating Homeless Sanctuary"] , Bill Turque, The Washington Post, December 7, 2006]

Feeder schools

For students attending Jackson as their base school, the two feeder high schools are Falls Church High School and Oakton High School. Some students in the GT program would attend Madison High School. If accepted, students could also attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

2005-06 demographics

30.36% of the school population was Hispanic, 28.82% White, 25.08% Asian, 11.66% Black, and 4.07% Unspecified. 52.81% were male, and 47.19 were female.

2005-06 SOL scores

Jackson is full accredited by the Virginia Department of Education. The following chart is for the 2005-2006 school year.

Extracurricular activities

As part of a county initiative to combat concern about gangs, drug and alcohol use, the school expanded its sports offerings, in October 2004, to 300 students who participate in its three-day-a-week after-school program, with soccer matches, volleyball games, and softball. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-210820.html "An Effort to Bridge A Day-Care Gap; Programs to Focus on Students in Middle Schools"] , Jacqueline L. Salmon, The Washington Post, October 21, 2004]

Notable faculty

In 2004, Steve Smith, a seventh-grade science teacher, was one of five recipients of the Teacher of the Year award given by the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, a non-profit organization. [ [http://www.fcnp.com/411/school.htm "Greater Falls Church School Bulletin Board: Challenger Center Names Steve Smith of Luther Jackson Middle School Teacher of the Year"] , Jay Mathews, "The Falls Church News Press", undated Web page, accessed December 9, 2007]

Notable students

Ian Scott Wilson, in May 2007, was a first-prize winner in a student documentary contest sponsored by C-SPAN. "StudentCam" asked middle- and high-school students to create and produce a video running less than 10 minutes about an issue important to them. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-163432081.html "Teen wins for video on Walter Reed"] , Kara Rowland, The Washington Times, May 16, 2007]

References