Madison-Ridgeland Academy

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).

Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Address
7601 Old Canton Road

Madison
,
Mississippi

United States
Coordinates32°26′59″N 90°6′25″W
Information
TypeIndependent
MottoEducating the Mind, Body & Spirit
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
Established1969
School district6A
DeanHerbert Davis
PrincipalGreg Self
Headmaster"Termie" Land
GradesK3-12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment1,200 (est.)
CampusSuburban
Color(s)MRA Red, White, Patriot Blue
     
AthleticsBasketball, Baseball, Football, Golf, Track & Field, Cross Country, Tennis, Soccer, Volleyball, and Archery
NicknamePatriots
RivalJackson Prep, Jackson Academy
AccreditationSACS, SAIS, MAIS
NewspaperThe Patriot Recap
AffiliationsMississippi Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Websitewww.mrapats.org

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
BaseballBasketball
BasketballCross country
Cross countryGolf
FootballRifle
GolfSoccer
TennisSoftball
Track & field†Tennis
ArcheryTrack & 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

References
  1. Klein, Rebecca (2018-12-14). "The Segregation Academies That Now Ban Pregnant And LGBTQ Students". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  2. Hamby, Tom (December 27, 1969). "Whites deserting canton schools". Clarion Ledger. p. 1.
  3. https://www.mrapats.org/about-mra/history-traditions
  4. 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.
  5. Payne, Daniel (October 5, 2009). "New chancellor worked at three 'segregation academies' early in his career". The Daily Mississippian. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  6. Johnson, Hayes (September 5, 1986). "Academy Enrolls Black Student for First Time". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1B.
  7. "Great Schools: Madison-Ridgeland Academy". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. Pittman, Ashton (December 21, 2018). "Mississippi's 'Seg Academies' Creating National Dialogue". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. Clark, Patrice (May 28, 2019). "First African-American MRA salutatorian scores millions in scholarships, chooses to attend Naval Academy". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  10. .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
  11. https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/oct/15/jack-carlisle/
  12. https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/front-office-roster/ruston-webster


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