Andrew Jackson High School - Jacksonian Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

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Jackson to become middle school? Overcome by mixed feelings of sfiock, disbelief, and anger, Jackson students, staff, and patrons were confronted in Feb- ruary with the Board of School Trustees ' decision to make Jackson a middle school and Riley the high school for the combined area, effective in fall of 1975, No one had expected the Board to adopt this measure — a measure which had been proposed late in a Riley boundary controversy and which no one thought to be under serious consideration by the Board. According to Mr. Aaron Huguenard. president of the Board, the decision was based entirely on costs. If Jackson were retained as the high school, the supposed cost of an addition to the building to accommodate the extra load would be $1 ,7 million; whereas the acquisition of property by Riley for expanding parking and athletic facilities was estimated at only $300,000. The community ' s objection was not to the middle school concept. Most people believe that the consolidation of the two schools may be necessary to achieve a proper racial bal- ance. But students and patrons argued that since Jackson is newer and better equipped as a high school it should be the high school and Riley the middle school. They objected to the idea of their high school ' s being changed to a middle school. ,j . Opponents of the proposal cited the waste of Jackson ' s facilities Although Riley does have a relatively ns . gymna- sium and swimming pool and is a larger structure overall, Jackson has three baseball diamonds, an 8.000 seat football stadium, tennis courts, a track, ample parking space, exten- sive science labs, and an overall more modern building Threats of walk-outs, boycotts, and petitions were heard at school for the first few days until students decided to take more constructive action. In a three-hour meeting at St. Jude ' s over 300 Jackson students gathered in a consolidated effort to organize facts to present to the board. Parents had similar meetings and ultimately met with the school board to suggest alternatives. Many of the current teachers helped give birth to Jackson. The students for those eight years have taken pride in their high school and have worked hard to achieve the level of excellence of Jackson. For them it seems a shame to le ' those efforts dwindle into merely a memory. But a lot can happen in two years If the High on the front of Jackson is replaced by a Middle in the not so distant future, it will take a cooperative and united community to start the new program on its way to success. JACKSON the middle school that has everything — (our loolball practice lields three liaseljall dia- monds, three tennis courts, and 386 parking spaces Miami Road IS shown along the bottom ot the picture Cj .iJf ii -