William C. Jason Comprehensive High School

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William C. Jason Comprehensive High School was a segregated public school for African-Americans in Georgetown, Delaware. Its namesake was William C. Jason, and it was the first high school for African-Americans in Sussex County. [1] It was operated by William C. Jason Comprehensive High School District 192. [2]

Contents

It opened, along with William W.M. Henry Comprehensive High School in Dover in Kent County and Louis L. Redding Comprehensive High School in Middletown in New Castle County, as a part of a system of high schools for African-Americans in Delaware. [3]

History

The school was created as there was an anticipated rise in the number of African-Americans in the state, and the purpose of this school was to provide education to students in the southernmost parts of the state. [4]

In 1950 it started operations as a senior high school. [1] Sussex County African-Americans, prior to that time, had to go to Howard High School in Wilmington, the high school of Delaware State College in Dover to get a high school education, with some small institutions having some upper level classes. [5] A complete high school education would mean living in Wilmington or Dover. [6]

James R. Webb was the first principal. [5] Brett Gadsden, author of Between North and South: Delaware, Desegregation, and the Myth of American Sectionalism, compared the philosophy of the school to those of Hampton University and Tuskeegee Institute. [3]

Junior high school grades began operations in 1953. [1] Webb's time as principal ended in 1962. [5]

Desegregation occurred after Jason High stopped operating in 1967. [2] James Diehl, who wrote a book about Sussex County, stated that multiple Jason alumni shared positive memories about the school. [7] After the closure, Delaware Technical and Community College began using the campus. A historical marker from the state government was established in 1996. [1] The Jason Alumni Association, headed by Janie Miller as of 2024, keeps historical records related to the school. [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "William C. Jason Comprehensive High School – First African-American Secondary School in Sussex County". Government of Delaware. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  2. 1 2 Mowery, Roger (1974). "Delaware School District Organization and Boundaries" (PDF). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Department of Instruction. p. 6 (PDF p. 12/97). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  3. 1 2 Gadsden, Brett (2012-10-08). Between North and South: Delaware, Desegregation, and the Myth of American Sectionalism. University of Pennsylvania Press. p.  86 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Gadsden, Brett (2012-10-08). Between North and South: Delaware, Desegregation, and the Myth of American Sectionalism. University of Pennsylvania Press. p.  85 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "William C. Jason High School served Black students". Cape Gazette . 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  6. ↑ Diehl, James (April 2009). Remembering Sussex County: From Zwaanendael to King Chicken. Arcadia Publishing. p.  PT35. ISBN   9781625842497 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Diehl, James (April 2009). Remembering Sussex County: From Zwaanendael to King Chicken. Arcadia Publishing. p.  PT36. ISBN   9781625842497 – via Google Books.

38°41′50″N75°24′42″W / 38.6972°N 75.4117°W / 38.6972; -75.4117

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