Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School

Public school in Montgomery, Alabama, United States

NicknameJaguarsWebsitewww.mps.k12.al.us/o/jag

Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School (formerly Jefferson Davis High School) is a public high school with grades 9 through 12 located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The principal is Dr. Carlos Hammonds. The school is part of the Montgomery Public Schools system.

History

The school was named after the only-ever president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, in the 1960s, a century after the Confederacy collapsed.^[2]

In 2020, the school district's board of education voted to change the school's name,^[3] a decision that was affirmed in 2022 despite two years of opposition from local pro-Confederacy groups. The school is to be renamed JAG High School, in honor of three civil rights leaders: Frank Minis Johnson, a judge who ruled in favor of Rosa Parks to strike down segregation policies in Montgomery; pastor and activist Ralph Abernathy; and Robert Graetz, a minister who helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott.^[4]

Notable alumni

Craig Brazell, former MLB player
Gwendolyn Boyd, former president of Alabama State University and Delta Sigma Theta sorority; valedictorian in 1973
Artur Davis, former Democratic Congressman of Alabama
Ladarius Gunter, former NFL player
Michael Henig, former college football quarterback
Glenn Howerton, actor, writer, and producer
Jamey Johnson, country music singer and songwriter
Robert Johnson, former NFL player
Octavia Spencer (1988), actress
Curtis Stewart, former NFL player
George Teague, former NFL player
George Thornton, former NFL player
Lou Thornton, former MLB player
Jasmine Walker, NBA player
Davern Williams, former NFL player

Enrollment, demographics

Enrollment for 2007 was 1,508 students; 48 percent was male and 52 percent was female. Ethnicities enrolled at the school were white, black, and Hispanic. African-American enrollment was 94 percent, white enrollment was 2 percent, Hispanic enrollment was 2 percent, and Asian enrollment was 1%.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Jefferson Davis High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
^ Griesbach, Rebecca (November 16, 2022). "Renaming of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis schools will be first to test Alabama monuments law". AL.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
^ Johnson, Krista (July 14, 2020). "Montgomery school board votes to change the Confederate names of three high schools". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
^ Bowerman, Ashley (November 10, 2022). "Montgomery school board votes to change the Confederate names of three high schools". WSFA. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
^ "Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery, Alabama (AL)". Retrieved March 10, 2010.