Public Engagement

Parent Leadership Institute Class of 2009

2009-PLI-Class2Largest Front row: Galean James, Kimberly Johnson, Shelina Jones, Yolanda Kirkland, Gaarmel Funches, Alfred Jacobs, Billy Bullock, Nikole Genous.

Middle Row: Michelle Brassfield, Dana Larkin, Servia Fortenberry, Paulette Ware, Vanessa Edmond, Thea Faulkner, Sharon Fisher, Ginger Langford, Angela Graves, Marvin Jackson, III.

Back Row: Gerren Whitlock, Carolyn Jolivette, Toney Brassfield, Gloria Brister, Angela Blaine, Steven Williams, Sr., Stephanie Ivy, Lucersia Nichols, Susan Womack, Catherine Schmidt, Glory Moses

PPSJ 20th Anniversary Panel

Stuart Rockoff, a PPSJ Board Member, moderated a panel discussion of the organization’s history during Lunch Bunch as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Parents for Public Schools was founded here in 1989 by a group of 20 parents who wanted to ensure that Jackson had strong public schools. Today PPSJ works to ensure that all students have quality education opportunities through the three distinct but complementary programs: Parent Leadership Institute, Ask for More Collaborative, and Ask for More Arts.

Davis Poetry Cafe

DavisPoetRed Fourth graders at Davis Magnet School worked with Jamie Dickson, a Jackson poet, to produce original poetry for a Poetry Cafe. Students and teachers invited members of the community to attend the cafe. Dickson's residency was part of PPSJ's JumpstART project, which brings artists into classrooms to team teach traditional academic subjects with classroom teachers by infusing the arts.

Davis-Sign-Poetry-Cafe

Later this year, second graders at Davis will work with Sarah C. Campbell, a Jackson photographer, to document the people and places in the Davis neighborhood. This project, called Davis on the Map, originated as a JumpstART project during the 2008-2009 school year.