J A C K S O N
P R E P A R A T O R Y
S C H O O L
S E N T RY THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE Paid Jackson, MS Permit #93
THE
VOL. 49, ISSUE 2
S E P T E M B E R 2 018
Sarah Scruggs steps in as assistant SH principal by
Tanner GouGh News editor
As the saying goes, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. For many of the things that make the senior high run, that person is the new Assistant Head of Senior High, Ms. Sarah Scruggs. She takes over the position most recenlty held by Ms. Nell Bradford, who retired at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Ms. Scruggs is not new to Jackson Prep, having taught US History at Prep for 8 years. She hails from Kosciusko, MS. After high school, she went to Millsaps College and then Mississippi State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She has also recently completed an MAIS Leadership Institute.
“
I’m not on a mission trying to catch people, I just want to get to know them!” - Ms. Sarah Scruggs Shortly after college, Ms. Scruggs began teaching. She taught American history and government at Kosciusko High School and then at Clinton High School. Later she taught both history and English in the Madison County School system. Then Jackson Prep came calling. She was a substitute teacher for several years, and, in 2010, she started teaching U.S. History to 11th graders. Two of her sons are also Prep graduates, Taylor (Class of 2007), and Marshall (Class of 2011). Going from the classroom to an office can be a major change. Asked what she will miss most about teaching, Ms. Scruggs said, “I will
Sports
certainly miss interacting every day with the same group of students. I really enjoyed the relationships I made with every one of them.” Important responsibilities come with all administrative titles, and the Assistant Head of Senior High position is no exception. Ms. Scruggs oversees overall discipline and rule enforcement in the Senior High, along with coordinating backto-school, textbook sales, the book line, and setting the exam schedule. She is also the Director of New Teacher Mentoring. Ms. Scruggs describes herself as a “consistent disciplinarian,” but also a very fair one. She went on to say, “I don’t believe in letting any student slide. I don’t think it’s fair to give your friend a referral for not wearing uniform pants, but not give you one if you aren’t wearing them.” With all of her duties, she admits to sometimes missing being in the classroom, but she leads an advisory period on Mondays, which serves as her “classroom,” she said. Responsibilities aside, there are parts of her job in which Ms. Scruggs truly takes pleasure in. She said, “I enjoy getting to know the entire Senior High student body, rather than a small portion of them when I taught.” She also said that the staff in the Senior High is very easy to work with, a bonus in any occupation. If you are a student in the Senior High, you may see Ms. Scruggs periodically making rounds in the hallways or other parts of the campus. Contrary to what some students might think, she is not simply checking for dress code violations. Rather, she said, “I’m not on a mission trying to catch people, I just want to get to know them! Sitting in an office all day is not my personality. I like to be active and mingle with all the students and fellow faculty members.”
Around Town
Ms. Sarah Scruggs at her post in the senior high front office. Photo by Stewart McCullough.
Students adapt to new schedule News Analysis
alex Gibbs Copy editor
by
Aiming for 7 -- pg 9 Entertainment
30 Below -- pg 8 Opinion
This past spring, Jackson Prep announced that it would be introducing new schedules for both the junior and senior high in the upcoming school year. The junior high schedule’s structure is mostly similar to last year’s: each student goes to all of his or her classes every day. (See story, page 4) The senior high, however, changed the structure of its schedule significantly, moving from a traditional schedule to a block schedule while also adding an extra elective class, giving each student seven classes instead of six. Many students in the senior high met the schedule changes with skepticism and were unenthusiastic about shifting from what they had grown accustomed to over the last several years. Many were worried about how the logistics of the new schedule were going to work out.
Which is better? -- pg 13
TREASON? -- pg 14
N /F -3 News/Features - 3
a t -7 arouNd towN - 7
WWW.JPSENTRY.NET
@jacksonprepsentry
s -9 sports - 9
Now that we are over a month into school, it is time to take a look at what students’ initial reactions are to the new schedule and see how it is working out. To get an understanding on what students’ thoughts about the new schedule are so far, I interviewed six students: seniors AnnAdair Blackledge, Breelyn Davenport, Thomas Thornton, and Emison Geiger and juniors Sam Buchanan and Jake Lange. I asked the six of them a series of four questions: 1) What do you like about the new schedule? 2) What don’t you like about the new schedule? 3) If you could change one thing about the schedule, what would it be? 4) Do you like the new schedule or the old schedule better?
e - 12 eNtertaiNmeNt - 12 jacksonprepsentry
~ Continued--pg. 15
o - 14 opiNioN - 14 @jpsentry