AJ Massey - Jackson-Madison County School Board District 4

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“I believe in a school system where every student matters and deserves our best – by any measure.”

I grew up in an educator’s household, with my dad as a teacher/coach and my mother a music teacher. I was continually reminded of the importance of education and that challenging work in the classroom will always pay off. I was also educated to the struggles of a teacher, their commitment to their students and the challenges they face every day.

When my family moved to Jackson in 1991 I attended a private school. During my four years in the private system I was challenged academically like I had never experienced. I was in several small classrooms and had the attention of my teachers. I was one of 40-50 classmates in my grade. I was able to develop deep relationships with my educators. Any struggles I might have had were quickly recognized and corrected. Teachers took an interest in me, and their mentorship made a distinct impact on my life.

During the transition from middle school to high school, I transferred to Jackson Central-Merry High School. At JCM I was a part of larger classrooms. I was one of over 600 in my grade. I was one of over 2,000 students on a huge campus spread out over two historic school buildings. Based on traditional reasoning, I should have regressed. My grades were going to suffer, and my psyche should have been altered. Contrary to widely held belief, I was still able to develop deep relationships with my educators. Any struggles I might have had were quickly recognized and corrected. Teachers took an interest in me, and their mentorship made a distinct impact on my life.

I also found a diversity and a variety of friendships I had yet to experience. JCM allowed me to be immersed in true cultural diversity. I was able to develop friendships and gain insight from a multi-national and multi-ethnic group of young men and women. It didn’t matter your background, where you lived, the socio-economic status of your household, what clothes you wore. It didn’t matter where your family vacationed, or even if you had never been on vacation in your life. No matter what, you had a place at JCM. You had a family at JCM. At JCM, you were home.

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