On May 12th, Blackburn Middle School administrators and PTSA hosted a final public tour of the school. Blackburn is slated to be demolished very soon as the new version of the school takes shape right next door.
The event had a great turnout of former Blackburn Middle, Blackburn Jr. High, and Jim Hill School graduates–all of whom uttered memories of their school as they toured the building.
It’s exciting to see that the students of Blackburn will be getting a brand new school for the upcoming school year. However, it’s a little disheartening to see a structure–originally built in 1912–become only a memory. It would have been awesome if the old Blackburn could become West Jackson’s version of Duling School!
Nevertheless, decisions have been made and beyond any sentiment is the fact that hundreds of West Jackson middle school students will be able to learn in a modern facility constructed just for them.
Below are some photos taken during the tour. For more photos, visit our Facebook photo album.
By the way, if you are interested in purchasing a brick from the old school, contact the school’s office at (601) 960-5329. The bricks are $85, and the first 100 bricks purchased by tomorrow (May 20) will be installed into the library of the new school as a memoriam to the original Blackburn. Proceeds will go to benefit the efforts of the Blackburn Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA).
Blackburn Drill Team, 1986-1987
Upstairs hallway with “Blackburn Jaguar Fever” banner
Crowds tour Blackburn Middle School
School Courtyard. Will be reproduced in new school.
Cafeteria
Kitchen
Older segment of school
Gymnasium
Guests view old school photos
Library
Bricks can be purchased from the old school and will be installed in the new library. Bricks can be customized with a message.
Sorry for the late notice, but I noticed the following announcement on WLBT this morning. The station reported it as a “demolition ceremony”. Although the current Blackburn will soon be demolished to make room for the almost completed new Blackburn, no demolition will take place today.
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Blackburn Administrators and Parent Teacher Association are inviting community members and former Blackburn, Jim Hill (Jr. and Sr. High), and Sally Reynolds graduates to attend the Last Public Tour of Blackburn Middle School. The tour will take place today from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
During the event, You will also have a chance to purchase a commemorative brick salvaged from the old school. Your purchase will assist with the efforts of Blackburn’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and will be installed along a commemorative wall in the library of the new Blackburn Middle School. The first 100 bricks sold by May 20th will be installed along this wall and can be personalized to include an engraved name or special message.
A reception will take place in Blackburn’s gymnasium. This is the same place where the first graduation ceremony of Jim Hill Sr. High School (previously Jim Hill Jr. High) was held in 1953.
This event is a great chance to tour the same building in which Richard Wright and countless others have been educated.
For more information, contact Blackburn Middle School at 601-960-5329. Blackburn is located at 1311 W. Pearl Street and is on the corner of W. Pearl and Dalton Streets.
In 1969, the group Friends of Distinction released the song “Going in Circles.” Isaac Hayes covered the song in 1971, then Esther Phillips in 1986 followed by Luther Vandross in 1994. The song has a slow, trudging, soulful tone to it–a tone that was carried on by each singer. It’s a tone that is, in fact, similar to the tone of poverty. Poverty is just as slow, just as trudging, just as emotional (soulful); but the pain of poverty transcends any song no matter how well written.
Nevertheless, Voice of Calvary Ministries believes that it has found a solution to poverty. The name of this solution is, ironically, Circles.
Circles is a national program that was created by Move the Mountain Leaderhip Center. It is defined as “an innovative model to end poverty” works by partnering volunteers and community leaders with families in need. The result is a program that successfully builds the social and financial capital of those in poverty by building relationships that cross all economic levels.
If you think this program is one that seeks to patronize the poor, think again. Families in need are considered Team Leaders and families who seek to help are considered Allies. This is how it works: interested families/persons in need enroll in the program’s 15-week Getting Ahead Class. This class defines the causes of poverty and outlines ways to get out of it.
Attendees who are interested in taking further steps to get out of poverty are designated as Team Leaders. Team Leaders meet with Allies at least twice a month and up to four times a month. Two of the meetings involve all Team Leaders and Allies in the program. The remaining two are arranged by the Team Leaders and are one-on-one sessions with their Allies. This structured Team Leader/Ally process lasts 18 months, but the positive relationships created can last a lifetime.
After the process is over, the goal is for Team Leaders to be well out of poverty and on their way to success.
If you believe that addressing poverty requires community support and you are willing to invest a little time, then Circles is for you. In fact, you can get involved as soon as this Saturday. VOCM is hosting its 2nd Bridges Out of Poverty session this Saturday, February 5th, at 9 a.m. The event will take place at VOCM’s offices at 531 W. Capitol Street.
Bridges Out of Poverty is the primer to Circles. Cynthia Hobbs, the manager of Circles at VOCM, explains it as a way to “understand the nuts & bolts of Circles.” If you are someone who deals with those in poverty, wants to help those in poverty, or currently in poverty, then attending the Bridges out of Poverty program is a must!
The training is FREE, but registration is required. To register, contact Cynthia Hobbs at 601.421.4680 or cynthiahobbs@vocm.org. You can also fill out this registration form and fax/email it to Cynthia at 601.944.9571. (You can also view the flyer for this event here)
Join Circles and help break the cycle of poverty.
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Voice of Calvary Ministries is the Mississippi affiliate of Circles. The Connecticut affiliate of Circles has produced a great video about the program. Feel free to check it out below.
Jim Hill has been offering the International Baccalaureate Program since 1993–a program that emphasizes learning through critical thinking. Students who successfully complete the program receive both an IB Diploma and a Mississippi High School Diploma. Those with an IB Diploma are eligible to receive an extra bonus in that many colleges award course credit for IB courses. This alone gives students a head start in college and less credit hours to tackle before college graduation.
Since IB’s introduction to Mississippi at Jim Hill, the program has grown to include 4 high schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 elementary schools throughout the state.
The advantages of the IB Program are far too many to list on this post, but if you are interested in learning more, visit the International Baccalaureate Organization‘s website. However, two things can be noted: 1.) students graduate with superb writing skills and 2.) students graduate with the ability to critically analyze readings and problems.
If you are interested in learning more about the International Baccalaureate Program at Jim Hill, contact Barbara Hilliard (601.360.2635) or Linda Smith (601.960.5354).
Another WESToration event takes place this Saturday, January 29, at 9:30 a.m. at Koinonia Coffee House. Call 601.979.2255 to RSVP.
In case you haven’t heard, our first WESToration event in November was such a success that we’ve decided to do it again! Make sure to join us this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Koinonia Coffee House for the second installment of WESToration (which includes a trolley tour of West Jackson).
What is WESToration? Well we’re glad you asked! It’s a program that allows qualified applicants to purchase a house here in West Jackson and make it your own through renovations of your choice. The end result? A home for you with the character and quality for which others pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. You, however, get such a home a fraction of the price!
Buying in West Jackson not only allows you to purchase a home for less; it also allows you to be environmentally friendly by saving existing homes instead of using the earth’s resources to build new ones. Plus, if you work downtown, living in West Jackson places you adjacent to the workplace. That equals less gas for you and more money for other things in life.
One more thing–if you own a home in West Jackson, you can use this program to get some of the home improvements that you’ve longed to do taken care of. Qualified applicants can use WESToration to get that new roof, siding, fresh coat of paint, upgraded windows, doors and appliances, and many other home improvements that you’ve been planning to do.
So if you’re in the market for a home, looking to update/upgrade your home, or simply interested in learning more about West Jackson, join us for WESToration! Call 601.979.2255 to RSVP.
For more information about WESToration, make sure to visit the WESToration Page on the blog.
Koinonia Coffee House is located at 136 S. Adams Street and can be accessed from the Metro Parkway (near Gallatin Street). Map of location:
There is a small complex of buildings on John R. Lynch Street that has worn many hats during its lifetime. These buildings have housed the Streamline Bar, Streamline Billiards, WOKJ’s first radio station office, the Kon-Tiki restaurant, various nightclubs, and, most notably, the state headquarters of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO).
Now, I won’t go into detail about COFO (feel free to read our previous post about this organization), but I will let you know that this complex of buildings has risen from the rubble–literally. The complex, in the 1990s, had become a simple shell whose floor was covered by a roof that could stand no longer. Today, efforts are underway to convert this complex into a learning space targeted towards teaching about the civil rights movement.
There will be an open house for the facility tomorrow, November 16, 2010, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors will have an opportunity to view the progress of the building while viewing the “Jackson Movement Exibit.” This exhibit is a pictorial history, created by Clarence Hunter of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Bruce O’Hara, professor of fine arts at Tougaloo College, that tells the story of the Jackson Movement from 1961 to 1962.
This community event is FREE and OPEN to the public. Refreshments will be served.
So what West Jackson elementary school did First Lady Michelle Obama visit? The answer is none other than:
b) Pecan Park Elementary School
On Wednesday, March 9, 2010, Mrs. Obama traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to promote her Let’s Move! campaign (click here for photos). The goal of Let’s Move! is to combat childhood obesity by empowering parents & caregivers, providing healthy foods in school, improving access to healthy/affordable foods, and increasing physical activity. During her visit to Jackson, she addressed students at Pecan Park Elementary School and Brinkley Middle School.
When it comes to rankings, Mississippians know the story all too well. Too often, we are the last on the right lists and first on the wrong lists. That isn’t to say that there are exceptions because Mississippi is full of exceptions to this condition, and of those, we can surely be proud. However, when it comes to obesity, Mississippi is king. For six consecutive years, Mississippi has ranked #1 for obesity in a report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Ouch!
Something needs to be done right? Some may wonder “who’s at fault” while others may wonder “what can I do?” Adopting the four pillars of Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign may be a good start. The fact that people are attempting to change to unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles of children is an even better start. Mississippi dilemma with obesity is by far a generational problem and fostering a generation of healthy eating, mile running children may be key to solving it.
Now, back to Pecan Park Elementary. Mrs. Obama’s visit to this school was not by accident. Take a look at the video below and you’ll hear Governor Haley Barbour rattle off a list of steps that the students at this school are taking to being healthy. These steps include the construction of a quarter-mile walking trail with cardiovascular stations and the installation of Let’s Get Fit and KaBOOM! playgrounds. KaBOOM! is where Pecan Park Elementary needs your help.
Pecan Park Elementary School is a finalist in the KaBOOM! Play Day contest. This past September, 1,600 communities participated in this nationwide competition by hosting a Play Day. To become a finalist, the school had to host a Play Day. Pecan Park’s Play Day kicked off the Play Day with an energetic rendition of the morning routine, including a song entitled “Play!” and a Hula Hoop Challenge with a representative from the Mayor’s office, teachers, and the Assistant Principal. The students also played games inspired by other countries and painted stepping stones and planted flowers to beautify the area.
With Play Day out of the way, the hard work was just beginning. Remember, 1,600 other schools were seeking to win too. Pecan Park rallied the support of the community who posted words of support on KaBOOM’s website. Principal Wanda Quon ensured that KaBOOM’s checklist of requirements was completed and the school was entered as an official contestant.
Now, only 10 schools remain in the contest and Pecan Park Elementary is among these finalists. The grand prize is $10,000 while the prize for second place is $7,500. There will also be prizes awarded to three runner-ups for $2,500. These funds are awarded to the school and are to be used for future play space enhancements. These Play Day Grants are offered by KaBOOM! through the support of Mott’s and NFL Play 60.
Here’s how you can help:
Pecan Park Elementary needs your vote! Go to the KaBOOM! Play Day website, register to vote in the contest, and submit your vote for Pecan Park Elementary.
Make sure to return to the site everyday. You can vote once every 24 hour period. The last day to vote is November 30th.
Spread the word and encourage others to vote. You can do this on Facebook, Twitter, by phone, in casual conversation…anything that’ll encourage others to help Pecan Park win. Remember, Pecan Park is the only Mississsippi school on the finalists list. That means that if Pecan Park wins, MISSISSIPPI WINS!
Mississippi may be last on a lot of lists, but this is one thing in which we can be first.
Video of First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Pecan Park.
As we mentioned earlier in the blog, there is an effort underway to transform John R. Lynch Street–especially the eastern end of it–into a bustling corridor. It is our hope that this corridor will offer its visitors opportunities to learn about the civil rights activities that took place along this stretch of roadway while simultaneously offering new goods and services to the residents and students of the area.
Last night, Jackson State University engaged in a dialog with local residents and concerned citizens that focused on generating ideas for transforming John R. Lynch Street. The interaction was very lively and positive with many ideas centering on finding ways to incorporate history with economic development.
With the recent construction of One University Place and renovation of the COFO Building, the revitalization of John R. Lynch Street is well underway. We hope that further community participation will assist in making this corridor the bustling thoroughfare that is was in years past.
Below are some pictures from yesterday’s meeting. Much thanks to Jackson State University’s Office of the President, Fannie Lou Hamer Institute, Margaret Walker Alexander Nation Center for Research, and the Center for University-Based Development for organizing this dialog. Also, thanks to Jackson State’s Office of Communications for taking such wonderful photographs of the meeting and to local media outlets for covering this effort.
What happens when you take a group of 30 teenagers from the Capitol Street Boys and Girls Club and expose them to Architecture and Urban Design for two whole weeks? Judging from the Jackson Community Design Center‘s (JCDC) film documentary, Jackson is Art, the teens gain a whole new perspective on their city. The camp/documentary, funded by a grant from Regions Bank, involved a combination of field trips and hands on model making that challenged the students to communicate their thoughts of present-day Jackson and to draft their vision of the capital city’s future.
The 15-minute documentary starts off with a simple challenge: to explain Jackson in one word. Judging from the responses, it is without a doubt that the students could clearly describe the current state of their city. Their one-word descriptions of Jackson ranged from “huge” to “diverse” to “fun” to “okay”. Later in the documentary, the students provide full blown descriptions of their hometown. As images of the city’s distressed areas pan across the screen, a girl can be heard saying, “we have to go to other places to have fun.” Ouch! Their responses are testaments to the state of Jackson–an imperfect city with the perfect measure of potential. This part of the documentary definitely outlines the issues that must be addressed.
I hope I haven’t lost you. You may be thinking, “I thought this blog was about positive news in West Jackson.” Well, it is! This documentary is all about positivity. It rightly spends a little time at the beginning of the video explaining some of the current adverse conditions of the city. Rightly so because if positive change requires the addressing of negative conditions, those conditions/aspects must not be ignored. But the rest of the video explains the camp, and the excitement on the teenagers’ faces is evident. The teens even had fun at the…wait for it…Old Capitol Museum! If anything was achieved by this two week camp, it was the exposure of these students to the fields of architecture and urban design as well as the concept that they can participate in changing the city they love.
So break out the popcorn, kick up your feet, and enjoy the show!
Last Thursday and Friday, Jackson State University’s Community Service/Service Learning Center coordinated various community service projects as part of Orientation Week for the university’s freshmen. I served as a chaperon for 19 of the 362 freshmen that showed up on Thursday to volunteer. While many of the students in my group were from Jackson (Forest Hill, Jim Hill, Provine, Wingfield, and Murrah grads to be exact), there were also students from Chicago, Louisiana, Huntsville, Alabama, Florida, and Memphis. Most importantly, the group was a LOT of fun!
My group’s assignment was to assist with duties at the Capitol Unit of the Boys and Girls Club (1450 W. Capitol Street) here in West Jackson. Mr. Randall Gray, Unit Director, greeted us as we filed into the club. Then he began to tell us the story of the importance of this facility. The Capitol Street facility serves 200-250 children during the summer months and 300-380 children during the school year. Mr. Gray attended this very club between the ages of 6 and 9. Oh, and the cost to the parents per child is a whopping $25 per year. That’s right, $25 per YEAR! Of course, it costs the Boys and Girls Club a lot more per child, but the goal is to make sending children as affordable as possible to parents who may not otherwise be able to afford daycare or after-school care.
So, how many children were present during our visit? Zero. Zip. None. Why? Mr. Gray explained to us that the organization has encountered serious budgetary difficulties that have caused many of the facilities to close until the first part of September. That means that many of the 300-380 kids that would have been joyfully playing and learning at the club are probably at home alone.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi is in dire need of mentors and financial contributors. If you’d like to contribute to this organization, please visit their website at http://www.bgccm.net/donate.htm.
As for my group of JSU freshmen, all 19 of them contributed 3 hours of service as they organized the game closet, painted the classroom and cubby holes, mopped the gym, and took out the trash of this important West Jackson facility. In all, 830 students participated in the two days of service. In addition to the Boys and Girls Club, they volunteered at the Christian Mission Learning Center, Stewpot, Operation Shoestring, West Jackson CDC-Youthbuild, Women’s Resource Center, Neighborhood Christian Center, Computer Recycling Center, and the WIC Center. JSU students must earn 120 community service hours before graduating, and for the freshman, these two days provided a great start to reaching that goal.
In 1969, the group Friends of Distinction released the song “
