| Madison-Ridgeland Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
7601 Old Canton Road , Mississippi United States | |
| Coordinates | 32°26′59″N 90°6′25″W / 32.44972°N 90.10694°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Motto | Educating the Mind, Body & Spirit |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christianity |
| Established | 1969 |
| School district | 6A |
| Dean | Herbert Davis |
| Principal | Greg Self |
| Headmaster | "Termie" Land |
| Grades | K3-12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 1,200 (est.) |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | MRA Red, White, Patriot Blue |
| Athletics | Basketball, Baseball, Football, Golf, Track & Field, Cross Country, Tennis, Soccer, Volleyball, and Archery |
| Nickname | Patriots |
| Rival | Jackson Prep, Jackson Academy |
| Accreditation | SACS, SAIS, MAIS |
| Newspaper | The Patriot Recap |
| Affiliations | Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Website | www |
Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA) 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 at 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 2019, University of Mississippi chancellor Glenn Boyce was criticized because of his past affiliation with Madison-Ridgeland Academy.[5]
Demographics
As of 1986, the school had never enrolled a black student, although it had a nondiscrimination policy and had received several inquiries. [6] As of 2012, 95 percent of the students were white, 2 percent were Asian and 2 percent were black.[7]
The school does not allow black hairstyles such as cornrows, dreadlocks or twists.[8] In 2019 Nicolas Rowan became the school's first African-American salutatorian.[9]
Athletics
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Football | Rifle |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Tennis | Softball |
| Track & field† | Tennis |
| Archery | Track & field† |
| Volleyball | |
| Archery | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. | |
The school's sports programs, called the MRA Patriots, have won multiple MPSA football championships, the most recent being in 2020.[10]
Facilities
MRA has four buildings; the kindergarten building, the elementary building, the middle school building, and the high school building. The newest of the four is the middle school building, which was built in 2019.
Notable people
- Glenn Boyce, chancellor of the University of Mississippi coached football at MRA[5]
- Jack Carlisle, coached football at MRA[11]
- Saahdiq Charles, football tackle, Washington Football Team
- Tate Ellington, actor
- Dallas Walker, football player
- Ruston Webster, scout for the Atlanta Falcons, former general manager of the Tennessee Titans[12]
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.
- ^ https://www.mrapats.org/about-mra/history-traditions
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pittman, Ashton (December 21, 2018). "Mississippi's 'Seg Academies' Creating National Dialogue". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ Clark, Patrice (May 28, 2019). "First African-American MRA salutatorian scores millions in scholarships, chooses to attend Naval Academy". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ .https://www.clarionledger.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clarionledger.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2020%2F11%2F21%2Fmra-avoids-1-hit-wonder-label-wins-back-back-mais-6-a-championships%2F6286263002%2F
- ^ https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/oct/15/jack-carlisle/
- ^ https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/front-office-roster/ruston-webster