Finding Community - Homecoming Edition
This past weekend was one for the books.
Homecoming weekend in Jackson is always a big deal, but this year it felt even more exciting. My kids, my alma mater, and my 25th high school reunion all collided into one whirlwind of orange and black.
Friday kicked things off with the homecoming parade, the football game, and the alumni band performance at halftime. I marched the piccolo in high school, and this year I stood on the field once again. This time with my son, who’s a freshman tenor drum player. Playing alongside him, on the same turf where I once sweated through Friday night lights, was special. My girls were with their dad, walking with their elementary school under the Take Flight theme - giant paper airplanes in hand as they ran around with their friends. Just behind the elementary schools, my 25th reunion float rolled through on a boat, rocking late 90’s tunes, dancing, and laughing!
Saturday night, our class gathered at ART634, with a DJ spinning throwbacks and dinner catered by WestEnd Farm to Table (owned by one of our own). We sang, we danced, and we swapped stories with people who once made up the core of our everyday lives. Twenty-five years later, it was still easy to fall into conversations, to see familiar eyes and smiles, and to remember the trust and love that shaped us in those years. It wasn’t nostalgia alone - it was connection, alive and present.
But here’s the piece that struck me most this weekend: Community.
Choosing a school district for your kids isn’t easy. It’s one of the biggest decisions parents make. For me, there was never much question - I knew I wanted to send my kids to Jackson Public Schools. My parents were JPS kids. I’m a JPS kid - Bennett, Hunt, Parkside, Jackson High. The diversity of programming and the diversity of students were things I valued deeply, and they still are. Watching my kids walk through the same doors I once walked through, sometimes even learning from the very same teachers I had, is beyond special.
But while reconnecting with classmates this weekend, I heard a mix of stories. Many shared pride and nostalgia for JPS. Others said they’d never choose JPS for their kids. That stung for a moment, because I know the joy and the memories we built here. But the truth is, this choice is personal. There is no single “right” answer. For some families, charter schools, private schools, or neighboring districts are the best fit. And those schools, too, are full of incredible staff, programs, and students.
The real growth is realizing this: whatever decision you make for your child, for your family, for your own wellbeing, is the right one.
No one else gets to sway that. And no matter where you land, you’ll find your community if you seek it out, stay open, and show up with a smile.
For me, that community is Jackson Public Schools. It’s my kids running wild under the Friday night lights, chasing friends, eating too much candy, and inching closer to the “big kids” at the top of the stadium. It’s watching them dream about being cheerleaders, football players, or band kids someday. It’s having a safety plan in place - because that’s the reality of the world we live in - and still being grateful for the security team, the bag checks, the metal detectors, the adults making sure these nights stay safe.
It’s also getting a call from the band director in the middle of the first quarter - my freshman requesting a hot dog like I’m his personal DoorDash delivery service. (Yes, I dropped everything and bought him one, because I love him. And honestly, who knows when he last ate?)
It’s messy and imperfect. It’s joyful and exhausting. And it’s ours.
This weekend reminded me that community isn’t about one single school, one perfect choice, or even one reunion night. It’s about the people who cheer for your kids alongside you. It’s about the old friends who still see the person you were and the person you’ve become. It’s about smiling at each other in the stands or in the halls - even if you can’t quite remember a name - because the spirit of those shared years is still alive.
So thank you, Jackson Public Schools. Thank you, community. And thank you to every parent, wherever you send your kids, for showing up, for making hard choices, for rooting for the next generation.
I will forever bleed orange and black - but I’ll also forever believe that each of us finds our place by the way we show up for one another.
Don’t forget to check out our Village Collective Meetups - if you are looking for community and connection! We would love to meet you.
