Madison-Ridgeland Academy
| Madison-Ridgeland Academy | |
|---|---|
Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools | |
| Website | www |
Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA, Madison-Ridgeland) is a private, co-educational school in Madison, Mississippi, for students from K-3 through 12th grade. It was founded in 1969 as a segregation academy. There are 4 divisions; the Kindergarten (K3-K5), the Elementary (1st–5th grade), the Middle School (6th–8th grade), and the High School (9th–12th).
History
Madison-Ridgeland Academy was established in 1969 as a segregation academy,[1] to serve the communities of Madison, Ridgeland and other surrounding cities.[2] MRA was housed in a Madison church for its first year as a school; the following year the school relocated to their first facility on their 25 acre campus.[3] In 1971, MRA joined the Mississippi Private School Association, a group formed to legitimize segregation academies.[4]
In 1970, MRA was one of three segregation academies named in a lawsuit by the NAACP because the state provided public funding enabling the private schools to prolong school segregation.[5]
In 2019, University of Mississippi chancellor Glenn Boyce was criticized because of his past affiliation with Madison-Ridgeland Academy.[6]
Dress code
The school has a strict dress code and does not allow any bright colored clothing other than school colors nor Black hairstyles such as cornrows, dreadlocks or twists.[7]
Demographics
As of 1986, the school had never enrolled a black student, although it had a nondiscrimination policy and had received several inquiries.[8] As of 2012, 95 percent of the students were white, 2 percent were Asian and 2 percent were black.[9]
In 2019, Nicolas Rowan became the school's first African-American salutatorian.[10]
Athletics
The school's sports programs have won multiple MAIS football championships, the most recent being in 2021. The school nickname is Patriots.[11]
Notable people
- Glenn Boyce, chancellor of the University of Mississippi coached football at MRA[6]
- Jack Carlisle, coached football at MRA[12]
- Washington Football Team
- Tate Ellington, actor
- Dallas Walker, football player
- Ruston Webster, scout for the Atlanta Falcons, former general manager of the Tennessee Titans[13]
References
- ^ Klein, Rebecca (2018-12-14). "The Segregation Academies That Now Ban Pregnant And LGBTQ Students". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Hamby, Tom (December 27, 1969). "Whites deserting canton schools". Clarion Ledger. p. 1.
- ^ "History - Madison-Ridgeland Academy | Independent School, Madison, MS".
- ^ Flora IV, Ernest (2020). Instant Schools: The Frenzied Formation And Early Days Of The Mississippi Private School Association (PHD thesis). University of Mississippi. p. 97.
- ^ "State NAACP hits private school books". Greenwood Commonwealth. September 2, 1970. p. 1.
- ^ a b Payne, Daniel (October 5, 2009). "New chancellor worked at three 'segregation academies' early in his career". The Daily Mississippian. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ Pittman, Ashton (December 21, 2018). "Mississippi's 'Seg Academies' Creating National Dialogue". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ Johnson, Hayes (September 5, 1986). "Academy Enrolls Black Student for First Time". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1B.
- ^ "Great Schools: Madison-Ridgeland Academy". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Clark, Patrice (May 28, 2019). "First African-American MRA salutatorian scores millions in scholarships, chooses to attend Naval Academy". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Madison-Ridgeland Academy's defense dominates in MAIS 6A championship win vs. Hartfield Academy".
- ^ "Jack Carlisle".
- ^ "Official Website of the Atlanta Falcons Football Club".
