Category Archives: Youth

by | August 24, 2010 · 9:59 am

Service Learning 101

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.

Some photos of the students in action:

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Written by Curnis Upkins, III

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by | June 17, 2010 · 4:59 pm

Something for the New School

Rendering of the new Blackburn Middle School (Photo Courtesy of JPS)

A few weeks ago, cars were lined up everywhere along W. Pearl Street, Dalton Street, and the Metro Parkway.  The occasion was Class Day, or as we called it in middle school, graduation!  Families and friends hurried in to watch their loved ones receive awards and certificates, many of them hoping that these accolades would translate into diplomas and scholarships four years from now.  As the many people filed into the Blackburn auditorium to watch their students ceremoniously pass from eighth grade to ninth grade, many walked by a site that will be the future of Blackburn.  Just as the students leave the school with a knowledge upgrade that was instilled over the past three years, Blackburn Middle School is receiving an upgrade of its own.

Construction on the new Blackburn Middle School began this past January.  The new structure will be a 102,576 square foot modern wonder, will stand two stories tall, and will be located just west of its current location on West Pearl Street. The building will feature twenty-four regular classrooms, five science labs, two technology labs, and administrative offices to service the 400+ middle school students.  There will also be a one story support building on the campus that will house boys and girls’ athletic facilities (including locker and shower rooms), cafeteria, library/media room, band room, choral room, strings room, art lab, and administrative offices.  In other words, the main building will be for the purposes of exercising the left brain while the support building will be used for exercising the right brain and physical body.

All is not new in the updated Blackburn.  Elements of the current school’s courtyard will be incorporated in the new school and a wall will be constructed of bricks salvaged from the old school as a tribute to the school’s history.  This tribute wall will be located in the new school’s library and sounds like it will be a treat to see!

Other features on the new campus include a walking track, practice football field, and tennis courts—elements that currently exist, but will be brand new once construction is complete.  There will also be new sidewalks constructed for the safety of the students who walk to school and with ample trees and landscaping to top this project off, the new Blackburn will undoubtedly be a pleasant learning environment for its students.

The total cost for the project is $16.4 million and is being funded through the citizen-voted 2006 school bond issue.

Quick Facts:

Project Start Date—January 2010

Estimated Completion Date—June 2011 (gathered from previous local newspaper reports)

Project Cost: $16.4 million

Project Size: 102,576 square feet

Design Professionals: M3A Architects

General Contractor: Johnson Construction

Special thanks to Jackson Public Schools for information included in this entry.

Photos of construction site:

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Filed under Beautification, Education, Youth

by | June 4, 2010 · 10:04 pm

Start ‘Em Young

Brothers Ian (right) and Rick Jackson (left) of Rick's Lawn Service pose with their mentor, Johnathan Griffin.

Ah, summertime! It sure came early this year in Jackson.  School is out, the grass is green, and it’s time to work.  At least that’s what brothers Ian Jackson, 15, and Rick Jackson, 18, plan to do this summer.  Rick and Ian are hoping to earn some money this summer with Rick’s Lawn Service (601.949.7094) by enduring the Mississippi heat to freshly manicure your lawn while you kick back, relax, and enjoy the finished product.  During the lawn care off season, Ian attends school at Blackburn Middle School while Rick attends Jim Hill High School.

The teenage brothers aren’t endeavoring alone. Johnathan Griffin is serving as a mentor to these young men as they venture into the world of entrpreneurship.  Johnathan has an interesting story to tell.  He grew up in West Jackson on Fourth Avenue.  At age 11, he met a man named Dr. Bill Cooley who he considers a mentor to this day.  At the time, Dr. Cooley was a professor at Jackson State University’s College of Business.  Dr. Cooley also served as dean of the same college.  Even greater, Dr. Cooley has purposefully located the headquarters for his company, Systems Consultants, at the corner of Broad Street and Roseneath Street to demonstrate his support and passion for West Jackson.

Ok, back to Johnathan.  Johnathan spent his first two years of high school at Jim Hill and the remaining to at the highly competitive Mississippi School for Math and Science in Columbus, Mississippi.  After high school, he attended Morehouse College where he enrolled into their 3/2 Civil Engineering Degree program.  In this program, he spent 3 years in Atlanta at Morehouse College and 2 years in New York City at Columbia University.  His final GPA: 3.85!  These accomplishments alone put a grand smile on Dr. Cooley’s face. But we know that Johnathan has a lot more in store.

Johnathan is in Jackson for the summer and is working with local architectural firm Duvall Decker & Associates on their innovative housing development in Midtown.  However, when fall approches, Johnathan will be hitting the road again.  This time, he will be heading to Nashville where he has accepted a full academic scholarship to Vanderbilt University.  High school diploma. Check. Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from outstanding schools. Check, Check. Next on the to do list: Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering & Construction Management from Vanderbuilt.  Keep pressing forward Johnathan!

And that brings us back to Ian and Rick.  These two brothers from Robinson Street have the potential to have a story just like Johnathan’s. Two young men from West Jackson who will excel in school and will grow up to help their community excel.  How do you ensure successful entrepreneurs in West Jackson? Well, you’ve gotta start ‘em young.

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