STARKVILLE – “Jacket Jam” was billed as a celebration of the 2011-12 school year, but in truth, you could pick just about any year in the Starkville School District’s long history and find a reminder of it sitting in folding chairs in front of the Greensboro Center on Monday evening.
Staged by the Starkville chapter of the national organization Parents for Public Schools, the event was held to pay tribute to the achievements of students from the district’s five schools, while using the occasion to welcome the arrival of the district’s new superintendent of schools, Lewis Holloway, who takes over July 1.
He spent the last 14 years as a school superintendent in Georgia, but Holloway has strong familial ties to the area. Like most of his family, he grew up in Mississippi.
Holloway will relocate to Starkville in the summer.
“The first thing I’ll need to do is learn the district, the laws, school policies and get into the budget, so that we direct our revenues to meet the needs of the district,” Holloway said.
The crowd, estimated to be in excess of 500, was treated to a free barbecue dinner and entertained by student bands, choral groups and drama clubs. There were also student exhibits, ranging from art to history to robotics.
“I think we had an excellent year,” said Starkville Parents for Public School President Anne Buckington. “Our students excelled in so many areas, test scores are improving and we’re excited about having our new superintendent with us.”
But while the success of the current school year was the focal point of Monday’s celebration, it was not hard to find living links to the district’s past.
At one table, Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman (a 1999 graduate of Starkville High School) sat talking with Bill and HelenSue Parrish. Monday’s event likely would not have taken place in the shaded lawn of the Greensboro Center – which served at the location of Starkville High School from its erection in 1929 until the 1970s – without the Parrish’s efforts.
HelenSue Parrish, now 78, led the steering committee for the bond issue, which saved the building from destruction, in 1985.
“They wanted to turn it into a parking lot,” she said of the stately old building now serving as the district offices.
“You know, this building itself has quite a history,” Larry Box added. “In fact, before it was built there was a dispute between the city and the school district about where the building should be built. The city wanted it built downtown, but the school district wanted it built on this location. The dispute went all the way to the Mississippi Supreme Court and they ruled that the school district had the ultimate authority.”
Box should know plenty about the district’s history; he was around for much of it. He served as the district’s superintendent of schools from 1990-2002 and spent 34 years in the district, 32 of which he served as an administrator.
“It’s a unique district,” Box said. “You have the things you associate with a small town, but you also have all that comes with being located near a major university. It’s a great combination, but the thing that really makes this a great district is the community. The community has always been very supportive of its schools.”
Mayor Wiseman and his wife, Lindsey, will make their own personal contribution to the school district in about six years. “Our little girl is due in July,” Lindsey Wiseman said, as she tried to calculate if their child would be in the Class of 2030 or 2031. “Maybe we’ll red-shirt her a year,” she said.
While smiles were the norm among the crowd, Roy Pollard wore one of the sheepish variety.
Roy Pollard, a 1969 Starkville High School graduate, was the first president and founding member of the Starkville Parents for Public Schools chapter and had been an active member of the group since its inception. For those efforts, the inaugural Roy Pollard Spirit of Service Award was presented to the Mississippi State Athletic Department.
“I always thought you had to be dead before they named an award after you,” Pollard joked, laughing. “So I’m not eating the barbecue. You can never be too careful.”
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Related Photos
The Starkville High School Jazz Band performed at “Jacket Jam” in front of a large crowd of students, parents, city leaders and former students. Photo by: Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff
Nathanael Houston, 18, son of Doug and Jan Houston, demonstrates his soccer skills with Maher Hasan, 14, son of Khaled and Farhat Houston. The students attend Starkville High and were State Champions with their soccer team. Photo by: Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff
Solomon Lewis 6, gets a hug from Armstrong Middle School mascot the Yellow Jacket at Jacket Jam in Starkville. With them are Gavin Lewis, 4, and the parents of Solomon and Gavin are David and Kimberly Lewis. At left is Anna Thompson, 13, daughter of Robin and Butch Thompson. Photo by: Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff
Betsy Jones, MSU elementary educatiuon major from Hattiesburg, Jordon Walker, education major from Brandon, and Shelby Clemmer, communication major from Madison, enjoy their meals at Jacket Jam. Photo by: Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff
