Art Is 3/5 of Smart

A few months ago, I sat across a table from a four-year-old named Thomas. He and I were waiting on his dad who was in the gym coaching my son and the rest of a high school church league basketball team. I had some paper and markers, so we began to draw. Thomas drew his brother, where he lived, a mystery map, the gate to his house, the family car, his mom, his dad, a basketball, a fish in the water, and much, much more. Did I know this because he was a gifted illustrator?

Transcending Today

I still remember my last day of high school. I remember leaving the parking lot and listening to the Dave Matthews song “Number 41,” and I still remember the lyrics that were blaring from the speakers of my Nissan Maxima. “I will go in this way, and I’ll find my own way out. . . .” They seemed poignant at the time, though I’m not sure in what way exactly. As a matter of fact, I’m not really sure that I even liked Dave Matthews. I think I wanted to like Dave Matthews because all my friends liked Dave Matthews.

EssaysGabe HartMay 11, 2016Jackson TN, Tennessee, JCM, Jackson Central-Merry High School, Jackson-Madison County School System, Gabe Hart, education, athletics, sports, high school, school, Vision 2020, Dave Matthews, Allen Avenue, Vision2020, teaching, teacher, students, school system, job, Libert, Southside High School, South Side High School, Early College High School, integration, diversity, African American, African-American Merry High School, Jackson High School, Artis Hicks, athlete, Ed Jones, Ben Howard, Al Wilson, basketball, 5A State Championship, Oman Arena, Wesley Barlow, North Side High School, Nancy Petit, Wanda Taylor, Donna Tosh, Russ Pflasterer, O’Neal Henley, Johnny Williams, Johnny Reynolds, Tommy Allen, Tom Cobb, football, coach, Ricky Collins, Germantown TN, Jim Hardegree, Frank Shelton, Bobby Jelks, Jon Frye, Joe Davis, Willie Wortham, Jimmy Carmichael, USJ, University School of Jackson, Rothrock, Brett Favre, entrepreneur, Best of 2016

On: The HUB Classic

Caleb Hall, a student and basketball player for the JCM Cougars, won the Lane College Slam Dunk Contest at the Oman Arena Tuesday during a break between the sixteen different high schools battling in out in Area Relief Ministries’ third annual HUB Classic Basketball Tournament. JCM joined teams from North Side, Liberty, Trinity, and Madison from Jackson.

Roots and Wings

It's that time of year again. When our students return to Bulldog Country (The West Tennessee version—not Athens, Georgia, don't you know!), increasing the income of our local "Stuff-Marts," and reminding those of us affiliated, both directly and by marriage, of why we love this Place. In our ever-expanding circle, this has been a summer of engagements, newlyweds, and new-to-them abodes.

EssaysGuest ContributorAugust 25, 2015Tracie Barnard, Union University, Jackson TN, college, Barefoots Joe, back to school, faculty, professors, students, education, Tabulations

Film: Jackson Central-Merry High School Art Program

Amazing artists are in our very midst right here in Jackson, Tennessee. Many of them call the art classroom at Jackson Central-Merry High School home. Learn how teachers Eugene Clark and Marilynn Eblen have helped the students reach their maximum potential.