Indianola Academy
Encyclopedia
The Indianola Academy is a K-12 private school
in Indianola, Mississippi
. Indianola Academy offers an elementary school
, a middle school
, and a college preparatory education
to Indianola and the surrounding areas. It originated as a segregation academy.
, high school
principal, and elementary principal are Sammy Henderson, Charles D. Mason, and Katherine B. Gibbs, respectively.
, the Mississippi Private School Association
, and the Southern Association of Independent Schools
.
era, White Americans in the Indianola era had planned to establish a segregation academy. The school began in 1965 with four sections in grades 1 and 2, with a total of 70 students. For the 1966-1967 and the 1967-1968 school years, classes were held at the First Baptist Church. In the fall of 1967 the school had nine grades, with a total of 241 students. The school conducted the 1968-1969 school year in a new building. During that year it served grades 1-10 and had 280 students.
In 1969, Once the U.S. v. Indianola Municipal Separate School District court case ruled in favor of the federal government on a Friday, the White townspeople almost immediately established Indianola Academy as a separate campus, with classes beginning on a Monday. The school was not directly operated by a White citizens' council
. J. Todd Moye, author of Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986, said that the school's "link to council ideology was direct." Isabel Lee, then the sole African-American on the Indianola School District
board, recalled that no White students showed up at Gentry High School on that Monday. Moye said "Indianola Academy's relatively quick organization and construction could only have been the result of massive organization on the part of white segregationists." During the beginning of the 1969-1970 school year the school had about 600 students in grades 1-12. The school accepted about 900 students after the end of the first semester, giving the school a total of 1,500 students. In the 1970-1971 school year the elementary classes continued to be held at the area Baptist and Methodist churches, while the students in grades 7-12 moved to the Educational Plant at U.S. Highway 82 East.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
in Indianola, Mississippi
Indianola, Mississippi
Indianola is a city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,066 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County.-History:...
. Indianola Academy offers an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, and a college preparatory education
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
to Indianola and the surrounding areas. It originated as a segregation academy.
Administration
The headmasterHead teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
principal, and elementary principal are Sammy Henderson, Charles D. Mason, and Katherine B. Gibbs, respectively.
Accreditation
Indianola Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
, the Mississippi Private School Association
Mississippi Private School Association
The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its member schools....
, and the Southern Association of Independent Schools
Southern Association of Independent Schools
The Southern Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based voluntary organization of more than 340 independent elementary and secondary schools through the South, representing more than 180,000 students...
.
History
In the post Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
era, White Americans in the Indianola era had planned to establish a segregation academy. The school began in 1965 with four sections in grades 1 and 2, with a total of 70 students. For the 1966-1967 and the 1967-1968 school years, classes were held at the First Baptist Church. In the fall of 1967 the school had nine grades, with a total of 241 students. The school conducted the 1968-1969 school year in a new building. During that year it served grades 1-10 and had 280 students.
In 1969, Once the U.S. v. Indianola Municipal Separate School District court case ruled in favor of the federal government on a Friday, the White townspeople almost immediately established Indianola Academy as a separate campus, with classes beginning on a Monday. The school was not directly operated by a White citizens' council
White Citizens' Council
The White Citizens' Council was an American white supremacist organization formed on July 11, 1954. After 1956, it was known as the Citizens' Councils of America...
. J. Todd Moye, author of Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986, said that the school's "link to council ideology was direct." Isabel Lee, then the sole African-American on the Indianola School District
Indianola School District
The Indianola School District is a public school district based in Indianola, Mississippi .-History:Isabel Lee was the school district's first African-American board member.After the U.S. v...
board, recalled that no White students showed up at Gentry High School on that Monday. Moye said "Indianola Academy's relatively quick organization and construction could only have been the result of massive organization on the part of white segregationists." During the beginning of the 1969-1970 school year the school had about 600 students in grades 1-12. The school accepted about 900 students after the end of the first semester, giving the school a total of 1,500 students. In the 1970-1971 school year the elementary classes continued to be held at the area Baptist and Methodist churches, while the students in grades 7-12 moved to the Educational Plant at U.S. Highway 82 East.
See also
- Segregation academiesSegregation academiesSegregation academies are private schools started in the United States during the 1950s, '60s, and 70s as a way for white parents to avoid the desegregation of public schools as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v...
- White Citizens' CouncilWhite Citizens' CouncilThe White Citizens' Council was an American white supremacist organization formed on July 11, 1954. After 1956, it was known as the Citizens' Councils of America...
- Educational segregation in Sunflower County, MississippiEducational segregation in Sunflower County, MississippiThere has been a long history of educational segregation in Sunflower County, Mississippi.-Segregation:African Americans have faced tense political and social climates throughout history. The segregation in Drew exemplifies both aspects of racial struggles faced everyday. Sen...