Photos by Wes Kitner and Kyla Hurt
The Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation and The JHS Alumni Association presented a 2016 JHS Alumni Night on March 19 at The JHS Bowl. The evening included JHS alumni participating in their once-upon-a-time (for some) Crimson sport. The late afternoon began with girls’ volleyball, followed by a game of girls’ basketball, all played by alumnae as far past as JHS graduates from 1982 to as recent as 2014. There was something invigorating about being listed as a player on a “girls” team; youth was found (at least in writing) for some of us more “senior” players.
The goal of the entire event was to celebrate a proud Crimson tradition with Jacksonville High School alumni. After the women played, 2001 graduate Tiffany Williams Mathis performed the National Anthem. Then, it was on to the “boys.” Again, “boys” is a term that referred to graduates spanning the graduation years of 1970 to 2015. There was some wonderfully sarcastic heckling between players of every age, something one could dub as an audible sign of the fun being had.
Throughout the later games, past JHS cheerleaders supported their fellow alumni with shouts of “Rah! Rah!” and erstwhile routines. There were even great performances by JHS alumni musicians, presenting sounds of trumpets and trombones from up in the stands of The Bowl where they once sat.
The night was memorable. #OnceaCrimsonAlwaysaCrimson.
