Wingfield High School

Not to be confused with Winfield High School.
Wingfield High School
Address
Map
1985 Scanlon Dr

Jackson
,
Hinds
,
Mississippi
39204-4419

United States
Coordinates32°16′51″N 90°14′30″W / 32.28083°N 90.24167°W / 32.28083; -90.24167
Information
School typePublic
Established1966
StatusClosed
Closed2024
School districtJackson Public Schools[1]
NCES School ID280219000423 [1]
PrincipalRoderick Smith[2]
Teaching staff44.55 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12 [1]
Number of students608 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.65[1]
Color(s)Royal blue and gold
   [3]
SportsBoys Sports

Football Cross Country Basketball Track Soccer Baseball Tennis Golf

Girls Sports

Basketball Track Soccer Slow Pitch Softball Tennis Golf Volleyball

[4]
MascotFalcon
Team nameMighty Falcons
Feeder schoolsPeeples Middle School, Whitten Middle School
Websitewww.jackson.k12.ms.us/wingfield

O.H. Wingfield High School was a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It was part of the Jackson Public School District. Almost 900 children from South Jackson attended Wingfield High School in grades 9–12, as well as over 70 administration and staff. The principal of Wingfield was Roderick Smith. The school closed in May 2024.

The mascot of Wingfield was the falcon. Oscar Houseworth Wingfield (October 1, 1870-April 9, 1953) was a teacher and then the principal of Central High School in Jackson from 1908-1921.[5]

Demographics

There were a total of 859 students enrolled at Wingfield during the 2011–2012 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 49% female and 51% male. The racial makeup of the school was 97.35% African American and 2.65% White.[6]

History

In 1966 the school opened.[7]

1982 shooting incident

On November 12, 1982, an 18-year-old dropout James Hartzog armed with a 20-gauge shotgun killed his girlfriend, 17-year-old Faye Williams, in her algebra class at Wingfield High School. Hartzog then killed himself.[8]

Closure

In 2008 enrollment was about 1,200.[7] Circa 2017, the enrollment count was 1,100. Pam Dinkins of the Clarion Ledger stated that rumors that Wingfield would close had circulated for years in the Jackson community.[9]

The school district stated that the number of students and the amount of money in the system declined, and therefore it decided to close 11 schools after Spring 2024, with Wingfield being the sole high school closed.[10] At the time it closed, the high school had 594 students.[9]

A balloon release was planned as a goodbye ceremony.[11]

Scott Simmons of WAPT-TV stated that two schools that were likely to receive Wingfield students were Forest Hill High School and Jim Hill High School.[7]

New Horizon Church International expressed interest in buying the Wingfield site.[12]

Feeder pattern

The following schools fed into Wingfield High School, prior to its closure.[13]

  • Middle Schools
    • Peeples Middle School
    • Whitten Middle School
  • Elementary Schools
    • Key Elementary School
    • Lester Elementary School
    • Marshall Elementary School
    • Sykes Elementary School
    • Wilkins Elementary School

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Wingfield High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "*Wingfield Administration / Principal". www.jackson.k12.ms.us. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. ^ "MHSAA School Directory". Mississippi High School Activities Association. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  4. ^ "Athletics". Wingfield High School. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  5. ^ Clarion Ledger April 11, 1953 Newspaper obituary via https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94066024/oscar-houseworth-wingfield
  6. ^ "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  7. ^ a b c Simmons, Scott. "End of an era at Wingfield as school closes its doors for good". WAPT-TV. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  8. ^ "Shotgun Murder, Suicide In High School Classroom". The Victoria Advocate, Volume 137, Number 190 (Victoria, Texas). November 13, 1982. p. 9A.
  9. ^ a b Dinkins, Pam (2024-05-22). "Wingfield High School closure: Students, staff, faculty cope with the loss of their 'home'". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  10. ^ "Wingfield High closes doors for good as Jackson Public Schools begins consolidation plan". Mississippi Public Broadcasting. 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  11. ^ Banks, Delesha (2024-05-29). "Wingfield High closes its doors for the final time". WJTV. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  12. ^ Adams, Ross (2024-05-03). "South Jackson church plans to buy Wingfield High School". WAPT-TV. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  13. ^ "School Directory / School Feeder Patterns". www.jackson.k12.ms.us. Retrieved June 19, 2019.