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Superintendent highlights graduation milestones and Red Cross student blood-drive partnership
Summary
Superintendent Eric Green praised graduates and announced a district partnership with the American Red Cross that collected 535 units of blood and produced scholarship awards; the district received a Red Cross 'Sponsorship Group of the Year' award.
Superintendent Eric Green opened the meeting by highlighting district graduation events and a student partnership with the American Red Cross.
Dr. Green said the Jackson Public Schools (JPS) Class of 2025 included 1,359 graduates. He told the board that district seniors collectively earned nearly $60,000,000 in scholarship offers, citing district figures that placed Forest Hill High School and Jim Hill High School at the top of that total.
The superintendent also introduced a partnership with the American Red Cross in which all six JPS high schools collaborated on blood drives and sickle cell–awareness work. Red Cross representatives told the board that JPS students and community partners collected 535 pints of blood, an amount the Red Cross said could potentially impact more than 1,600 lives. The Red Cross announced $12,350 in scholarships distributed and that three JPS schools were provisionally ranked in the top 10 nationally for units collected; if final tallies hold, each top-10 school would receive an extra $5,000 scholarship for one student.
Denise Smith of the American Red Cross and Tamika Smith Jewett joined district staff to present a Southwest Mississippi Chapter award naming Jackson Public Schools the Blood Services Sponsorship Group of the Year for education and recruitment efforts. The presenters praised student council advisors, district leaders and school staff for organizing the campaign.
Superintendent Green and trustees praised students for community service and civic leadership, and noted additional partnerships with HBCUs—including a new HBCU ambassador program at Jackson State University that includes former JPS students.
Board members and administrators emphasized parent and community involvement and thanked Red Cross staff and school leaders for the campaign and for national attention the district received.
