Heritage Academy (Mississippi)

Last updated
Heritage Academy
Heritage Academy (Columbus, Mississippi) gym addition 2009.jpg
Address
Heritage Academy (Mississippi)
625 Magnolia Lane

Columbus
,
Mississippi
39705

United States
Information
Type Private
Patron saint(s)Columbus Educational Foundation [1]
Established1964
PresidentKelly Trout, MD
PrincipalLynne Sneed, High School
PrincipalMatt Caldwell, Elementary
HeadmasterSean Harrison
Staff72
Faculty48
GradesK4-12
Enrollment472
Color(s)Red and Blue
  
MascotPatriots
Accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Mississippi Association of Independent Schools
Southern Association of Independent Schools [ citation needed ]
NewspaperThe Banner
YearbookThe Heritor
Tuition$7,000 - $8,000
Website http://www.heritagepatriots.com/

Heritage Academy is a private school in Columbus, Mississippi. It was founded in 1964 as a segregation academy. [2]

Contents

History

Heritage was founded in 1964 [3] as a segregation academy. [4] In 1988, Heritage enrolled its first Black students, Jabari and Jasáda Dunbar. [5]

1989 football forfeitures

In 1989, Heritage Academy became the first school in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) North Conference to have a black player on its football team. [6] The school received national media attention when two other schools threatened to forfeit games rather than play against a racially integrated opponent. [7] The opponents, two former segregation academies named Sharkey-Issaquena Academy and the East Holmes Academy, claimed that injuries, not race, were the reason for forfeiting the games. [6] Heritage Academy headmaster and head coach Ray Wooten rejected the denials, calling them "a bunch of bull." [6]

After seven players and two school board members resigned, East Holmes Academy reconsidered its decision to forfeit. [8] The black player, sophomore running back Scott Fuller, offered to quit the Heritage Academy team so the game could be played, but coach Ray Wooten insisted that Fuller remain on the team. [9]

In 1991, the student body elected Jabari O. Dunbar the first, and to date (as of 2019) only, African-American president of Heritage Academy's Student Government Association. The following year, Jabari graduated with honors, the school's first African-American graduate. His sister Jasa'da Dunbar became the second in 1998. [10]

Athletics and extracurricular activities

Heritage Academy's first athletic director was Billy Brewer. [11] When Brewer later accepted a coaching position at Ole Miss, he told the Clarion-Ledger that his involvement with the all-white academy was his "own business" and that it would not affect Ole Miss's efforts to recruit black players. [12]

The Heritage Academy football team won the MPSA AAA championship in 1986 and the MAIS championship in 2012 and 2019.

The Heritage Academy basketball team won MPSA titles in 1992 (2A), 2018 (3A), and 2019(3A). The 2019 basketball team also went on to win the MAIS Overall Championship that year.

Heritage Academy golf won the MAIS 3A Championship in 2012, 2016, and 2017.

In addition to these sports, Heritage Academy also offers baseball, soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, track and field, and cross country.

Non-athletic extracurricular opportunities include cheerleading, competitive dance, robotics, quiz bowl, various school clubs, and the spirit store.

Related Research Articles

Copiah Academy is an independent, coeducational, school for students in grades K3-12. The Copiah Educational Foundation established the school in 1967 as a segregation academy. The school is located in Copiah County, near the unincorporated community of Gallman, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Academy (Mississippi)</span> Primary and secondary independent school in Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson Academy is a private school in Jackson, Mississippi founded by Loyal M. Bearrs in 1959. Bearrs claimed he established the school to teach using an accelerated phonics program he developed, but the school remained completely racially segregated until 1986, even forgoing tax exemption in 1970 to avoid having to accept Black students.

Homer Ervin "Billy" Brewer was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Southeastern Louisiana University from 1974 to 1979, Louisiana Tech University from 1980 to 1982, and University of Mississippi from 1983 to 1993, compiling a career college football coaching record of 125–94–6. He was also the host of an Ole Miss Rebel football post-game call-in show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benton Academy</span> School in Benton, Mississippi

Benton Academy is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school in Benton, Mississippi. It is a member of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. It was founded as a segregation academy in 1969, and still did not enroll a single black student as of 2010. The school is located in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

Central Private School (CPS) or Central Private (CP) is a private education institution located in Central, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Preparatory School</span> Independent school in Flowood, Mississippi, United States

Jackson Preparatory School is a private school in Flowood, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, with a controversial history as a segregation academy. The school is coeducational and serves preschool through grade 12.

Hillcrest Christian School is a private Christian school in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. The school traces its history to a segregation academy founded by the White Citizens Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison-Ridgeland Academy</span> Independent school in Madison, Mississippi, United States

Madison-Ridgeland Academy is a private, co-educational school in Madison, Mississippi, for students from K-3 through 12th grade. There are 4 divisions; the Kindergarten (K3-K5), the Elementary, the Middle School, and the High School (9th–12th).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delbert Hosemann</span> 33rd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi

Charles Delbert Hosemann Jr. is an American politician and attorney who has been the lieutenant governor of Mississippi since January 2020. From 2008 to 2020, he served as the secretary of state of Mississippi.

Sharkey-Issaquena Academy is a private, nonsectarian, school in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. It was founded as a segregation academy in 1970.

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its member schools. It was founded in 1968 by a group of segregation academies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pillow Academy</span> Private school in Greenwood, Mississippi, United States

Pillow Academy (PA) is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school in unincorporated Leflore County, Mississippi, near Greenwood. It was founded by white parents in 1966 as a segregation academy to avoid having their children attend school with blacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Delta Academy</span> Private school in the United States

Central Delta Academy (CDA) was a private elementary and middle school,, and later just elementary school, in Inverness, Mississippi, that operated from 1969 to 2010. It was founded as a segregation academy by white parents fleeing newly integrated public schools. The school closed on May 21, 2010; its building was auctioned off several weeks later.

Pheba is a census-designated place and unincorporated community located in Clay County, Mississippi, United States. Pheba is located at the intersection of Mississippi Highway 50 and Mississippi Highway 389 and is approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of Cedarbluff.

Wilkinson County Christian Academy is a private PK3-12 Christian school in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, near Woodville. It was established in 1969 as a segregation academy.

Olive Branch High School is a suburban public high school in Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States, part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its mascot is a conquistador and its school colors are blue, gold, and white. Olive Branch is a part of the DeSoto County School District.

Starkville Academy (SA) is a private kindergarten through 12th grade school in Starkville, Mississippi, operated by the Oktibbeha Educational Foundation. It was founded in 1969 on property adjacent to Starkville High School as a segregation academy.

East Holmes Academy (EHA) was a segregation academy in West, Mississippi. The school was founded in 1965 and closed in 2006. In 1989, EHA received national attention after two incidents involving alleged racial discrimination.

REBUL Academy is a private K-12 school in Learned, Mississippi, United States.

Canton Academy is a private school in Canton, Mississippi, which was established in 1970 to preserve racial segregation in schools.

References

  1. ↑ Swope, Jan (September 13, 2014). "A Columbus school celebrates the half-century mark". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Steve Rogers (May 16, 2004). "Landmark court ruling changed America forever". The Commercial Dispatch.
  3. ↑ Fowler, Sarah (23 March 2013). "Backlash prompts Heritage Academy to keep its old name". The Dispatch-Columbus, MS. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Crespino, Joseph (2007). In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution. Princeton University Press. p. 241. ISBN   9780691122090 . Retrieved 4 January 2018. ..."receiving tax exemptions, all but one enrolled only white students; the sole exception was an all-black private school." Table 8.1 includes Heritage.
  5. ↑ DeRosa, Theo (1 June 2021). "Profile: Dunbar discusses breaking racial barriers, leaving a legacy at Heritage Academy". The Dispatch-Columbus, MS. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Dodd, Donald (October 12, 1989). "Heritage Academy adds black player, loses foes". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "A Goal-line Stand For Prejudice". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  8. ↑ AP (1989-10-20). "School Backs Down on Issue of Black Player". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  9. ↑ Walker, Scott (October 15, 1989). "Black teen considered quitting for his teammates". Clarion-Ledger. p. 4D.
  10. ↑ Simmons, Grace (April 27, 1991). "Heritage Academy Elects First Black Student President". Clarion-Ledger. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "A Columbus school celebrates the half-century mark". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  12. ↑ "What Billy Brewer says about". The Clarion-Ledger. December 24, 1982. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.

33°31′19″N88°25′28″W / 33.52194°N 88.42444°W / 33.52194; -88.42444

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.