Jackson Academy

[coachfball87]

4 hours ago, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

Interesting. Has this been announced?

Where is Harrison going?

[s1nglewing]

1 hour ago, coachfball87 said:

Where is Harrison going?

He became the Headmaster at Heritage.

[longhorn75]

18 hours ago, s1nglewing said:

He became the Headmaster at Heritage.

He's also taking over as the Offensive Coordinator, I heard.

[Old Golfer]

Who has been hired at JA?

[Washed_Up_Athlete]

15 hours ago, Old Golfer said:

Who has been hired at JA?

No one. The school hired a strength coach. There will be no spring practice. Just strength and conditioning with the new strength coach.

[JagsFan77]

2 minutes ago, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

No one. The school hired a strength coach. There will be no spring practice. Just strength and conditioning with the new strength coach.

No spring practice? Thats very unusual for a school that size.

 

[Washed_Up_Athlete]

38 minutes ago, JagsFan77 said:

No spring practice? Thats very unusual for a school that size.

 

The school has lost its head coach, one assistant has been very ill, another assistant left for MRA, and the only remaining assistant (the OC) is a dead man walking. Player defections will likely occur. 

[longhorn75]

1 hour ago, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

The school has lost its head coach, one assistant has been very ill, another assistant left for MRA, and the only remaining assistant (the OC) is a dead man walking. Player defections will likely occur. 

They hired Aubrey Blackwell from Montgomery Catholic. He's been 54-19 over six years and went to the championship game. Makes sense. The new Headmaster is from that area as well. But the problem is, out of state coaches are hit-or-miss in the MAIS. and most the time, they don't acclimate well to the MAIS. 

[s1nglewing]

1 hour ago, longhorn75 said:

They hired Aubrey Blackwell from Montgomery Catholic. He's been 54-19 over six years and went to the championship game. Makes sense. The new Headmaster is from that area as well. But the problem is, out of state coaches are hit-or-miss in the MAIS. and most the time, they don't acclimate well to the MAIS. 

 

He left Montgomery Catholic in December 2020. Coached last year at Benjamin Russell - a 6A public school - and went 3-7.

[TheAnswer]

This won’t end well…

[TigersFan]

Let's be honest. This is not the JA of 20 years ago much less the one of 10 years ago. Prep is in the same situation. Yes, it is the Name of these 2 schools that keep them open and going. they are the Old Money people. For a long time JA was the main private school which opened in Jackson 1959 and they kind of looked down on Prep when it opened about 10 years later. Prep was one of the Newer schools that opened after Brown Vs. Board of Education. Both of these school where neck and neck for years and had great games on the field. MRA was the step child for many of those years. Than people started moving. Areas North of Jackson started growing and you saw a growth in MRA where now they have taken over. You also saw the purchase of University Christian by Pinelake and that became the New Kid on the Block! Many of the kids that 10 years ago would have gone to Prep are now going there. JA and Prep will continue to struggle as their are now more options that provide the current education opportunity that is a stark contrast to why they originally opened. For years those where the premier Private schools in the Jackson area, now they are not the only ones!

[longhorn75]

7 hours ago, TigersFan said:

Let's be honest. This is not the JA of 20 years ago much less the one of 10 years ago. Prep is in the same situation. Yes, it is the Name of these 2 schools that keep them open and going. they are the Old Money people. For a long time JA was the main private school which opened in Jackson 1959 and they kind of looked down on Prep when it opened about 10 years later. Prep was one of the Newer schools that opened after Brown Vs. Board of Education. Both of these school where neck and neck for years and had great games on the field. MRA was the step child for many of those years. Than people started moving. Areas North of Jackson started growing and you saw a growth in MRA where now they have taken over. You also saw the purchase of University Christian by Pinelake and that became the New Kid on the Block! Many of the kids that 10 years ago would have gone to Prep are now going there. JA and Prep will continue to struggle as their are now more options that provide the current education opportunity that is a stark contrast to why they originally opened. For years those where the premier Private schools in the Jackson area, now they are not the only ones!

Also the fact that private school tuition all over the state has ballooned. Prep, JA and MRA are close to 10k a year. It's getting crazy to send a kid to school. Also, MRA has bolstered their academics in recent years by a huge way. 

[Washed_Up_Athlete]

46 minutes ago, longhorn75 said:

Also the fact that private school tuition all over the state has ballooned. Prep, JA and MRA are close to 10k a year. It's getting crazy to send a kid to school. Also, MRA has bolstered their academics in recent years by a huge way. 

JA's high school tuition is $16,740. Prep's high school tuition is $15,573. MRA's high school tuition is $ 11,490. Hartfield's high school tuition is $9,350. There are additional fees at each of these schools. And they all provide tuition assistance for families that can document incomes that make the tuition difficult to afford.

 

[SoJack3]

15 hours ago, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

JA's high school tuition is $16,740. Prep's high school tuition is $15,573. MRA's high school tuition is $ 11,490. Hartfield's high school tuition is $9,350. There are additional fees at each of these schools. And they all provide tuition assistance for families that can document incomes that make the tuition difficult to afford.

 

Wow, I can see why Hartfield is gaining ground in the Battle of Lakeland Drive/Highway 25. 

[TigersFan]

16 hours ago, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

JA's high school tuition is $16,740. Prep's high school tuition is $15,573. MRA's high school tuition is $ 11,490. Hartfield's high school tuition is $9,350. There are additional fees at each of these schools. And they all provide tuition assistance for families that can document incomes that make the tuition difficult to afford.

 

That is a crazy amount of money for high school. That more than most colleges cost!

[Washed_Up_Athlete]

11 minutes ago, TigersFan said:

That is a crazy amount of money for high school. That more than most colleges cost!

Yes, it is more than many colleges. And it is important to understand these costs when looking at the boys' athletic departments of these schools.

 

If you're paying thousands per year for your son to attend one of these schools (and you have done so since they started school), what do you expect? For some, they expect their kid to play, even if he's not a hard worker, he isn't very good, and he would not play at most other schools. People who have this viewpoint believe they are paying for the opportunity for their kid to play. The natural consequence of this viewpoint is that the the team loses games due to a talent deficiency, and a lot games if enough families with talent-deficient kids are present in the school. Many parents are okay with this.

 

But what if you're a coach who may lose his job if he loses too much, or a parent who wants his kid to play on a team that is fully invested in winning with the best talent available? People with this viewpoint say that the kid who isn't good enough shouldn't play and that the school should either play another kid or recruit a kid who's willing to work hard and can play.

 

This is the push-pull within the boys' athletics departments of all of the Jackson-area private schools.

 

MRA and Hartfield have geographic advantages, lower tuitions, and are controlled by those with the second mentality. And those were your two teams in the 6A football championship last year. 

 

JA has a geographic deficiency, the highest tuition, and as a way to compensate for these, it has increased recruiting under Pogue. He tried his hardest to convince JA's administration/controlling interests that he couldn't win in the future with the available players remaining after this year's senior class and that recruiting would have to become a mainstay at JA. The administration/controllers wouldn't allow him to increase recruiting, so he resigned. And I will be very surprised if JA's football program doesn't rapidly decline over the next few years. 

 

Prep has never had to fully confront the situation in the past because of its numbers advantage and location. It will be very competitive, and will likely be a favorite in the major boy's sports, over the next 3 years. How it ultimately manages the situation after that will be interesting to see, particularly in light of Hartfield's no-holds-barred recruiting in Rankin County.

[longhorn75]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:58 AM, Washed_Up_Athlete said:

Yes, it is more than many colleges. And it is important to understand these costs when looking at the boys' athletic departments of these schools.

 

If you're paying thousands per year for your son to attend one of these schools (and you have done so since they started school), what do you expect? For some, they expect their kid to play, even if he's not a hard worker, he isn't very good, and he would not play at most other schools. People who have this viewpoint believe they are paying for the opportunity for their kid to play. The natural consequence of this viewpoint is that the the team loses games due to a talent deficiency, and a lot games if enough families with talent-deficient kids are present in the school. Many parents are okay with this.

 

But what if you're a coach who may lose his job if he loses too much, or a parent who wants his kid to play on a team that is fully invested in winning with the best talent available? People with this viewpoint say that the kid who isn't good enough shouldn't play and that the school should either play another kid or recruit a kid who's willing to work hard and can play.

 

This is the push-pull within the boys' athletics departments of all of the Jackson-area private schools.

 

MRA and Hartfield have geographic advantages, lower tuitions, and are controlled by those with the second mentality. And those were your two teams in the 6A football championship last year. 

 

JA has a geographic deficiency, the highest tuition, and as a way to compensate for these, it has increased recruiting under Pogue. He tried his hardest to convince JA's administration/controlling interests that he couldn't win in the future with the available players remaining after this year's senior class and that recruiting would have to become a mainstay at JA. The administration/controllers wouldn't allow him to increase recruiting, so he resigned. And I will be very surprised if JA's football program doesn't rapidly decline over the next few years. 

 

Prep has never had to fully confront the situation in the past because of its numbers advantage and location. It will be very competitive, and will likely be a favorite in the major boy's sports, over the next 3 years. How it ultimately manages the situation after that will be interesting to see, particularly in light of Hartfield's no-holds-barred recruiting in Rankin County.

 

Another reason why Jackson Prep will remain relevant and competitive, is the fact that they attract students my themselves due to them having such a good name in academics. When you're a parent, the first thing you want for your kid is a good education. 

 

Geography can also sometimes not make much of a difference for some schools if they hike tuition up too much. Look at St. Andrew's. They have good academics, yet their athletic programs are blow hot blow cold. They were decent in football when Bradberry was there the first time, but that's it. But they still have super success with track and cross country which Till built from scratch and people kept up with the legacy, and then as of recent, boy's basketball because of Brian Cronin changing the culture. But still,  the school costs over 20k a year.  Even though they've got a fantastic school campus in Ridgeland across from the Renaissance, and great academics, tuition hikes is holding them back.

 

JA has honestly had a ton of turnover in the past few years. A lot of the fixtures that were in the golden days of JA are now gone, former coach/athletic director at Hartfield, football coach at Heritage, boys basketball coach at Hartfield, former football/track coach in Hattiesburg, and Flora, baseball coach at Prep.... 

[s1nglewing]

Everything about current JA reminds me soooo much of Woodland HIlls in the 90's, except that Woodland Hills was never better than mediocre in football

[TigersFan]

16 hours ago, s1nglewing said:

Everything about current JA reminds me soooo much of Woodland HIlls in the 90's, except that Woodland Hills was never better than mediocre in football

This a fair assessment!

[SoJack3]

16 hours ago, s1nglewing said:

Everything about current JA reminds me soooo much of Woodland HIlls in the 90's, except that Woodland Hills was never better than mediocre in football

[MSSportsGuy]

JA certainly doesn't have the shine it once did but it's still a good school with decent athletics. Location is the biggest challenge for them, plus the overall high cost. It would have been advantageous for them to have worked out a merger with MRA and expanded that campus years ago to have the location to go with the name recognition. 

 

Prep may not get the athletes they did but I would still say academically they are the strongest, and that appeals to a large segment of the population who can afford it. Their kids may not be D1 or even D2 athletes but academically a student there is highly likely to get a scholarship if they keep their grades up.

 

Hartfield and MRA are interesting cases to me. MRA seemed to primarily exist for athletics for students who weren't quite good enough to start for MC, NWR, or lived in the North Jackson area who weren't able to pay for JA. That's changed a lot the last several years and they are drawing a larger share of the population who enjoy the environment. Hartfield seems to have copied the same strategy and is now the Rankin county version. 

 

The parents I know who have sent their students to MRA and Hartfield have said nothing but good things about it. Personally I feel the best reason to live in Rankin or Madison county is for access to the public schools there. I've lived in both and it was largely for that reason. Even great public schools aren't perfect though but I still think the entire state would benefit from more people using the system than private ones. 

[TigersFan]

How come Jackson Prep is not called Flowood Prep or Rankin Flowood Prep also known as RFP? Aren't they actually in Flowood and Rankin County? Just Curious!

[s1nglewing]

1 hour ago, TigersFan said:

How come Jackson Prep is not called Flowood Prep or Rankin Flowood Prep also known as RFP? Aren't they actually in Flowood and Rankin County? Just Curious!

 

There was a Flowood Academy in 1970 when Prep was founded

[s1nglewing]

3 hours ago, MSSportsGuy said:

JA certainly doesn't have the shine it once did but it's still a good school with decent athletics. Location is the biggest challenge for them, plus the overall high cost. It would have been advantageous for them to have worked out a merger with MRA and expanded that campus years ago to have the location to go with the name recognition. 

 

Prep may not get the athletes they did but I would still say academically they are the strongest, and that appeals to a large segment of the population who can afford it. Their kids may not be D1 or even D2 athletes but academically a student there is highly likely to get a scholarship if they keep their grades up.

 

Hartfield and MRA are interesting cases to me. MRA seemed to primarily exist for athletics for students who weren't quite good enough to start for MC, NWR, or lived in the North Jackson area who weren't able to pay for JA. That's changed a lot the last several years and they are drawing a larger share of the population who enjoy the environment. Hartfield seems to have copied the same strategy and is now the Rankin county version. 

 

The parents I know who have sent their students to MRA and Hartfield have said nothing but good things about it. Personally I feel the best reason to live in Rankin or Madison county is for access to the public schools there. I've lived in both and it was largely for that reason. Even great public schools aren't perfect though but I still think the entire state would benefit from more people using the system than private ones. 

 

Pretty sure the parents who send their kids to JA do so because, in large part, of the large discrepancy in quality of education provided by JPS schools, comparatively speaking.

[MSSportsGuy]

3 hours ago, s1nglewing said:

 

Pretty sure the parents who send their kids to JA do so because, in large part, of the large discrepancy in quality of education provided by JPS schools, comparatively speaking.

Oh absolutely. JPS has been a mess for years and JA was the best game in town. 

 

The area around JA isn't what it was 20 years ago and the population of Madison and Rankin keeps increasing. Honestly, and I know it wouldn't have happened, if JA had made the decision to move north before their most recent renovations and expansions they would have increased their enrollment. A merger with MRA would have meant that campus would have really taken off. The JA name still means a lot and there is great history and support from a lot of old money of Jackson. I just don't think there is a big push for families who live in Madison county who want the private school experience to drive past Madison Central, MRA, or St. Andrews just to get to JA. 

 

I live in Rankin County and overwhelmingly support and prefer public schools but know that if I had the resources and lived in Jackson proper, I would have done whatever was needed to get my kids the best education, whether it be at JA or Prep.