Glenn C. Jones Middle School- Our Story, Our Legacy

Glenn C. Jones Middle School is the namesake of a long-time, Gwinnett County educator, Mr. Glenn C. Jones. Mr. Jones graduated from Lawrenceville High School in 1932.  That same year, he started his career of educating children at Bethesda School. Mr. Jones moved to Harmony Junior High in 1938 and remained there for 35 years. While at Harmony, he taught a full load of classes, drove the bus, coached basketball, rang the bell for class changes, stoked the coal stoves, began one of the first school lunch programs, and found time to be the principal. His impact on students and their families has been immeasurable; and he continues to provide unending inspiration to the faculty and staff of Glenn C. Jones Middle School where his legacy of helping all children continues every day. 

Dr. Richard P. Holland was appointed as the first principal of Glenn C. Jones Middle School.  Jones opened its doors to 816 students for the first time on August 9, 2004. Upon arrival, the first “Jones Jaguars” entered their classrooms in the “Woodlands”, “Rainforest”, and “Savanna” hallways.  Just before the school’s opening, Jones held its first summer camp for rising sixth graders along with weekly tours for community members who were eager to see the new school. 

The school’s dedication was held on October 17, 2004. Mr. Jones and his family attended, along with an overwhelming crowd of well-wishers and friends. Attendees filled the cafeteria to pay tribute to this most revered and special educator who had taught or influenced nearly everyone in attendance. During the reception, the school unveiled a tribute to Mrs. Agnes Jones—the dedication of the school’s media center in her honor.  

In 2005, Jones Middle welcomed 1,053 students and added the first-of-its-kind Student Leadership Academy. That same year, the school celebrated Mr. Jones’ 95th birthday with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner meal prepared by the cafeteria staff. Students serenaded Mr. Jones with a rousing version of “Happy Birthday.”  

Jones celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2014 with a catered dinner that included current and past faculty and staff members, as well as members of the Jones family.  

The 2016 school year brought many changes to Jones Middle School! To begin, Jones underwent a redistricting phase, bringing Jones’ enrollment from 1450 to 950 students.   

In March of 2016, Jones Middle School celebrated the retirement of Dr. Richard Holland’s and his 37 years of service in education. Dr. Holland was the principal of JMS for 12 years, and the school honored him by dedicating the fine arts hallway— named “The Richard P. Holland Fine Arts Academy”— as daily reminder of Dr. Holland’s love and support of the arts.  

In June of 2016, Jones welcomed a new principal, Ms. Memorie Reesman. Ms. Reesman is a former middle school teacher, Local School Technology Coordinator, and Associate Principal at Norcross High School.  

In 2017, Jones revealed new school colors-cardinal, navy, and gold, as well as a new school mascot. Joining the Mill Creek cluster as the “Jones Hawks” has contributed to an atmosphere of school and community spirit! 

In 2019, came the announcement of Seckinger High School and the creation of a new AI-themed cluster.  

This news sparked a new initiative for Jones Middle School, introducing all of our students to the foundational skills of artificial intelligences, including the use of coding tools and languages, data science, and machine learning.  

The pandemic years of 2020-2021 presented challenges for all students and staff, but they persevered by embracing the digital world of teaching and learning! 

In the spring of 2021, Ms. Memorie Reesman was appointed the principal of Seckinger High School and leader of the new Seckinger Cluster. 

Jones welcomed Ms. Lin Thornton as our new principal during the summer of 2021. Ms. Thornton was a former GCPS assistant principal at both Norcross High School and North Gwinnett High School. Along with a new principal, Jones underwent a year of construction and renovation to make room for an additional 600 reassigned students and new staff. A two-story classroom building, a second gym, and a newly remodeled media center and front office were added to accommodate the growth. Jones also returned to its beloved mascot, the Jaguar- with a new color combination of turquoise blue, black, and silver.  Go Jags!  

Teaching, learning, and continuous quality improvement remain the essential business of JMS. This includes upgrading lessons to expose students to a progression of Future Readiness Skills. During weekly Sacred Planning time, teachers collaborate with a focus on four essential questions: What do we want our students to know and be able to demonstrate? What instructional strategies will we use to teach these skills and concepts? How will we know when students have learned or mastered these skills? What will we do for students who need additional support or enrichment?  

The teachers and staff at Jones are committed to pursuing excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behaviors for all students, resulting in measured improvements and readiness for the next levels of learning, including practical preparation for the technologically rich world into which our students will graduate.