Van Jones, a distinguished author, political contributor and TV personality, visited
Jackson Central-Merry High School on October 12 to film segments for an episode of the CNN
docuseries, The Whole Story.
Joined by his twin sister Angela and a CNN production crew, Van reflected on his time as a student at JCM and his upbringing in the Hub City.
“JCM is a very strong springboard, and if you hit it hard, you can go wherever you want to go. Your goal should be to have your picture up here as well. (Teachers) will do anything to help you and everybody doesn’t have that, but you have that at JCM,” Jones said when asked about alumni photos in the hallways of the renovated JCM campus.
A 1986 graduate of JCM, Jones’ accomplishments are many, including serving as President Obama’s Special Advisor for Green Jobs in 2009.
The three-time New York Times best-selling author has books focusing on social justice, fixing political divides, the environment, and the economy.
“Well, both my parents had gone to college. I was blessed with that. My grandfather was the president of Lane College right there across the street, so college was always on my to-do list. Figure out what it is you want to do and do it. You have a tremendous opportunity in this generation because there’s so much new technology and opportunities to try different things,” Jones said.
“We’re just blessed to have him here walking through the hallways of JCM. One of our goals is to make sure our students are college or career ready, so his words will help motivate our students. We’re striving to be the best high school in Jackson, Tennessee,” JCM principal Ramonica Dorsey said.
Visit the JMCSS YouTube channel to hear comments from the Emmy Award winner including advice he offered JCM students. His books are available nationwide and at vanjones.net
