Jackson Memorial High School (JMHS) is the original Jackson high school, located in the heart of Jackson, New Jersey. If you attended JMHS, you will definitely relate to the following:

1. Lack of air conditioning (except in the fine arts building and major offices):

If you attend Memorial any time before this year, when they finally decided to install AC, you are a true champion. Remember those humid late May, early June days on the second floor.

2. You still feel a strong allegiance to JMHS in the Memorial vs. Liberty rivalry:

The only thing Liberty had on us was air conditioning (until recently).

3. You felt a strong Jackson Jaguar pride:

The real Jackson teams. You could not walk the halls without seeing someone wearing a Memorial hoodie or shirt. Football games were the biggest events of the year, but Jaguars had love for all their teams.

4. You were either a part of or attended the JMHS Musicals:

I may be a little biased, but Memorial has the best drama department. Every year, without fail, the students and amazing teachers were able to come together to create magic in our Fine Arts Auditorium. Lots of blood, sweat, tears and love.

5. Whether you were part of Air Force Junior ROTC or not, many after-school hours were spent in their classroom:

Chances are you knew at least one person in ROTC and attended one of their Military Balls.

6. You remember the privilege of driving to school senior year:

and the horrible traffic that followed. All those wasted hours spent waiting in the parking lot. If you drove to school, you usually stopped at Wawa or All Star first.

7. You had a senior quote on the wall:

If you were a senior you could pay to have your name and quote painted on the designated hallway for your graduating class. You could also have a quote painted in the adventure-bound room. What are the chances your quote is still there?

8. At some point in your high school career you took the wooded path to Wawa:

Most students waited until after school, but a select few did not.

9. Grim Reaper Project/ Project Crash:

These two projects went hand in hand in to promote safe driving. Whether you were in lunch or a classroom, the Grim Reaper would find your friends and fellow classmates. Suddenly, you were no longer able to communicate with them because they died from a drunk driving accident. In addition, some students were arrested as the drunk drivers. At the end of the week, there was always a moving assembly. Project Crash furthered this sentiment by providing a visual. A powerful lesson provided by the JMHS staff and students.

10. JMHS Band:

The JMHS band has represented our school over the years at various performances such as at the Rose Bowl and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! You can always hear them practicing when you walk through Fine Arts.

11. You took Adventure Bound:

The fun alternative to gym class (don’t forget the canoe trip).

12. The importance of locker location:

If your locker was in Fine Arts, but you had a class in the back wing of the Memorial building past the Gym, good luck getting there! What are the chances you still remember your combo?

13. All the bake sales and fundraisers in Fine Arts:

You almost always walked away with a cupcake and your wallet a bit lighter.

14. Varsity Jackets were a sign of status:

and now your expensive jacket is sitting in the closet gathering dust.

15. You graduated with at least 400 of your fellow students:

This is especially true to the JMHS alumni that graduated before Liberty was built. Chances are you only met some of your classmates the day of graduation.

16. The days when you could use your ten absences per a semester like vacation days:

Those days are long over.

17. Mr. Mo:

Even if you never had him as a teacher, you still knew who he was.

18. The teachers:

The teachers have changed over the years, but everyone has memories regarding the teachers in Memorial. Hopefully, all memories are positive.

High school is four years of your adolescent life that you don’t get back. Not every high school memory is perfect. There is usually drama with friends or a class, but hopefully all former and current Jackson Memorial High School students have positive memories to reflect on!