Sumner Hill High School plans June 30-July 2 reunion
Special to The Clinton Courier
Pictured (l to r) are graduates of the original Sumner Hill High School, front row: Alice K. Brown, Shirley Burns, Sarah K. Beechem, Lula Tripp, Lucy G. Course, Shirley Miller, Marilyn Jean Minton, Yvonne Toaster, Elmira Williams, Earlean Tillman and Alice C. Jackson; and back row: Clotie Graves, Elease A. Kelly, Betty G. Spencer, Priscilla W. Edwards, John Hodge, Archie Hodge, George Martin, Jermaine Brown and James Hawkins. The group is preparing for their reunion, set for June 30 through July 2.
Long before Sumner Hill Junior High School became a part of the Clinton Public School District, Sumner Hill High School was the second high school for Blacks in rural Hinds County, as a result of the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Students attended Sumner Hill High School from Bolton, Byram, Clinton, Pocahontas, Terry, and West Jackson, and the school made an impact on local communities by producing thousands of graduates who contributed to society by excelling in their chosen professions.
On June 30 through July 2, many of the graduates will come together to celebrate Sumner Hill High School’s rich history and traditions with a multi-year school reunion for all students who attended Sumner Hill High School.
Since the students who attended Sumner Hill when the school first opened and in the years that followed had a solid foundation that was nurtured by the community, the graduates are inviting the community to celebrate with them by participating in a parade on Saturday, July 1. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Clinton’s City Hall and will end at Sumner Hill Junior High School. Parade participants are asked to begin lining up at 7:30 a.m. and are advised that no ATVs will be allowed in the parade, and no candy may be thrown.
The Reunion will conclude on Sunday, July 2, at 4 p.m. with a celebratory memorial /worship service and concert in the Sumner Hill Junior High School auditorium. The event will be open to the public and is free. Sumner Hill High School graduate and retired Jim Hill High School choir director James Hawkins will conduct the Reunion Choir.
For more information about the reunion, contact James Robinson at 601-940-6277, Alberta Ross Gibson at 601-941-1938 or Esther “Lou” Ransom at 713-540-4154.
