Jackson Free Press

JACKSON — At Watkins Elementary School yesterday, students took saying "thank you" to a whole new level. With chanting cheerleaders, decorated signs, poems, speeches and songs—including "Wind Beneath My Wings"—the Jackson Public Schools students expressed their gratitude to school adopter Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance and Agape North, a company based in Memphis that prints and donates school uniforms worldwide.

Agape North, which partners with Southern Farm, made a surprise donation of over 400 polo shirts to the school. Students get to wear the gold polo shirts, with a green "W" emblazoned on the chest, every Friday, which is spirit day for the school.

Fifth-grade student Amya Wilcox, president of the school's National Elementary School Honor Society, says it feels great to have a new shirt to wear to school pep rallies every Friday. "We never had a Watkins t-shirt. Only the cheerleaders had one," she told the Jackson Free Press.

The gold-and-green tops provide a break in the monotony of the uniform color scheme. Like all JPS elementary and middle schools, Watkins requires its students to wear uniforms that consist of navy or white tops and tan, khaki or navy bottoms.

Dr. Josie Blake, principal of Watkins Elementary, says it's exciting for the students to have a sturdy new addition to their school wardrobes. "When you look good, you can focus on the five," she said, referring to school superintendent Cedrick Gray's characteristics of high-performing schools: scholar academic success, effective principal leadership, effective teaching, parent and community engagement and scholar and adult recognition.

Many schools in JPS have a long-term relationship with school adopters or sponsors. Adopters are usually businesses or organizations that use their resources, mostly their human ones, in order to provide services to a school and its students. Whereas school sponsors tend to make mostly sizable financial contributions, adopters proctor tests, tutor and mentor, help beautify schools and sometimes even help feed students' families. Southern Farm Bureau says they have partnered with the Watkins Elementary School for twenty-five years.

"Our community outreach is so important," Blake said. "It takes a village to raise a child. Any time our school partners come in, and they're able to love in action and to provide something for our scholars that's tangible, we're so appreciative."

Sierra Mannie is an education reporting fellow with the Jackson Free Press and The Hechinger Report. Email her at [email protected].