JACKSON, Miss.—With a string of balloons held firmly in her hand, Constance Washington lifted her head toward the afternoon sky and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
She spent over a decade teaching at Wingfield High School, one of 13 Jackson Public Schools slated to be consolidated or closed for good this year.
Washington stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other educators, students and alumni on Wednesday, May 29, to commemorate the last day of classes and celebrate what was.
“Two wings, one falcon,” the crowd chanted, a nod to their mascot.
A countdown of “Three, two, one” cued the gatherers to release their balloons.
A Wingfield High School alumnua is pictured on May 29, 2024, recording a video of photos lining a wall inside the school. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad
Washington shouted enthusiastically as she let the balloons drift from her grasp. Still, she couldn’t hold back her tears over the closing of the school to which she feels so connected.
“I’m emotional because not only have I been here for a decade, all five of my children attended here,” Washington said. “I told some of my colleagues, the closing of Wingfield to me is like having a funeral for a loved one that I’ll never get to see again.”
The educator paused for a moment to greet a student who had walked up and reached out for a hug before he headed home.
“No matter what comes here, it’ll never be the Wingfield that I know and love,” she said, turning and pointing up toward the school’s name sprawled across the side of the building.
“This was family. These people were my family. These people have been here for me, for my children. You don’t get that everywhere you go,” she continued.
History of Wingfield High School
In an interview with the Mississippi Free Press on Wednesday, 66-year-old Wingfield High School alumna and former JPS school teacher Terri Palmer reflected on her transition into the previously all-white school as a sophomore decades ago.
“I had never heard of Wingfield,” Palmer said. “I guess it was over here for them.