How great would it be if every graduate of Thomasville High School was trilingual? What if every advanced level and mid-level student who crossed that stage to get their high school diploma had already mastered English, demonstrated conversational and practice fluency in Spanish, as well as in either German, French, or Chinese? Those students would find the next stage of their journey — be it college, the military, technical school, or the job market — much easier to enter. And most importantly, those high school graduates would probably find a higher probability of success at the next stage.

How wonderful would it be if every Thomasville High School student was – individually and collectively – engaged in community service initiations throughout their middle school and high school years? Let me be clear. I don’t mean involvement merely as a box to be checked so students can make themselves look better in an essay as part of an application into the college of their choice. I’m talking about participation in community service initiations fully intended to positively impact lives in Thomasville and Thomas County. I’m referring to beautification projects in local neighborhoods. Mass visitations at local hospitals and assisted living communities. Volunteering at local shelters and soup kitchens. Preparing and serving hot meals to the elderly, the homeless, and for those in need. 

What if the powers that be within the Thomasville City School System decided to treat every one of the city schools as a magnet school as it related to fine arts? Can you imagine a turbocharged effort to integrate all types of dance, musical instrumentation, drama and theater, and classical voice training within those schools? I can. Students who are classically trained in voice can do much more than sing with power. They can speak publicly with power. They can think critically with power. They can walk with an air of confidence that comes from knowing they have been guided to be different. They have been trained to be special. They have been prepared to stand out.

How cool would it be for the City of Thomasville to be known for something other than excellent high school football, Flowers Foods, and beautiful roses? What if Thomasville was seen as a hotbed of/for innovative educational practices? What if Thomasville became a destination where self-motivated educators fresh from undergraduate and graduate schools wanted to live and work and share their gifts? Everyone here wins in that scenario. 

As a former teacher, I know that students typically live up to — or down to — our expectations of them. We owe it to them to dream big.

These things are not of the pie-in-the-sky variety. All these things could be both established and maintained. They could happen here in the next 5-10 years if we all committed to these things happening. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s time. It’s past time for the Thomasville City School System to be a source of inspiration and aspiration.

If the stakeholders of Thomasville City Schools — the God-fearing, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens of Thomasville and Thomas County — were engaged and satisfied that our children and grandchildren were receiving a top notch, five star education, virtually none of us would complain about SPLOST because we would know that the money was being well-spent. What I’m proposing is a radical paradigm shift. I’m tired of spending all sorts of money on fancy, state-of-the-art buildings and stadium upgrades. I’m ready for investing all sorts of money on producing and supporting brilliant, state-of-the-art high school scholars.

Thomasville does not have to settle for being in the middle of the pack educationally. Thomasville could and should lead. Why can’t schools in Valdosta, in Savannah, and even in Atlanta see our educational prowess — and want to model their schools after ours?

Of course, a paradigm shift in local education would require better pay for local teachers. Better pay for teachers here will definitely increase morale; which will increase their desire to stay; while attracting even more highly trained teachers to relocate here. Highly trained teachers will increase the likelihood for best teaching practices — which produce better students. Better students mean better schools. 

All hands are needed on deck locally: parents, students, administrators, school board members, and the superintendent. One hand. One band of believers. None can succeed without the others.

Why can’t Thomasville City be a leader in the areas of tutoring, student mentoring, and other support systems for city school students? Sure, it’s nice to be successful on the gridiron and at the gymnasium; but I’m ready for T’ville to be a juggernaut in the classrooms. I don’t want Thomasville City Schools wheezing to the finish line during standardized testing. I want Thomasville City Schools smashing records and setting standards.

What our students do in the classroom today will determine what they do in the boardroom, the court room, and the state room tomorrow.

Inspirationally and aspirationally, it doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what we do.

Rev. Arthur Jones is a Thomasville native.