Thomas E. Edwards, Sr. High School, formerly Ruleville Central High School (RCHS), is a public high school located in
Ruleville, Mississippi
Ruleville is a city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta region. The population was 3,007 at the 2010 census. It is the second-largest community in the rural county.Moye, J. Todd. '' Let the People Decide: Bla ...
, United States. It is a part of the
Sunflower County Consolidated School District
The Sunflower County Consolidated School District (SCCSD), formerly the Sunflower County School District (SCSD), is a public school district with its headquarters in Indianola, Mississippi in the Mississippi Delta. The district serves all of Sunf ...
and had 381 students enrolled in Nov. 2012.
The school serves communities of
Sunflower County
Sunflower County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,450. Its largest city and county seat is Indianola.
Sunflower County comprises the Indianola, MS Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
, including the cities of
Drew
Drew may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
;In the United States
* Drew, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Drew, Mississippi, a city
* Drew, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Drew, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Drew County, Arkansas
* ...
, Moorhead, Ruleville, and the Sunflower County portion of
Shaw
Shaw may refer to:
Places Australia
*Shaw, Queensland
Canada
*Shaw Street, a street in Toronto
England
*Shaw, Berkshire, a village
*Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton
*Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, and
Sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...
; and several unincorporated communities including
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
Ruleville Central High School was originally named Ruleville Colored School. In the early 1930s, noted Mississippi artist Bailey Magnet created
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
sculptures for the school.
The city of Ruleville was home to civil rights leader
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting rights, voting and women's rights activist, Community organizing, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the co-foun ...
. After her death in 1977, an overflow memorial service accommodating people who could not attend the primary memorial service at a church was held at Ruleville Central, with over 1,500 people in attendance.
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...
, the
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...
, spoke at the RCHS service.
In 1998, a tornado caused extensive damage to classrooms and the gymnasium, with of water flooding. Principal Jimmy Smith estimated $1 million as a "conservative" estimate of damage,Tornado rips through Miss. town " ''
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'' at ''
The News and Courier
''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
''. p. 1A, continued on 6A. Retrieved from
Google News
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Google rel ...
(1 of 68) on March 23, 2013. and Mayor Harvey Springer added that looters had entered the school.
Dorothy Burton served as principal from circa 1999 to her retirement in spring 2002.
Noah Ingram, a student at RCHS, rushed for a state-record 506 yards and six touchdowns during a Sept. 2000 football game against Gentry High School.
In Sept. 2006, tragedy struck the school when one of its students, Robert Cassidy, was paralyzed from the chest down on the opening kickoff of a football game against Gentry High School. Cassidy's injuries garnered an outpouring of support from the community.
On July 1, 2012, nearby
Drew School District
The Drew School District was a public school district based in Drew, Mississippi. The school district's attendance boundary included Drew, Rome, and the employee residences of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman), located in an unincorpora ...
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'' at '' The Republic''. May 17, 2012. Retrieved on June 12, 2012. As a result, the Sunflower County School District's attendance boundary expanded, and the high school division of
Drew Hunter High School
Drew High School was a public high school located in Drew, Mississippi. It was a part of the Drew School District. The school district's attendance boundary included Drew, Rome, and the employee residences of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (P ...
was closed, with its high school students rezoned to Ruleville Central.
Notable teaching staff include former Olympic basketball player
Lusia Harris
Lusia Mae Harris (February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. Harris is considered to be one of the pioneers of women's basketball. She played for Delta State University and won three consecutive Ass ...
. As well, veteran teacher Cordina Barber was the recipient of a Shine-A-Light award from
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
in recognition of her work with the schools' Parent Teacher Student Association to organize a two-day student boycott in March 2010 to draw attention to the school's conditions.
In 2018 the district announced that the school will be renamed for Thomas Edwards, after a previous superintendent. Every member of the board voted for the rename. However community members filed lawsuits against the school district to try to force the name to be changed back.
University Press of Mississippi
The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi.
Universities
* Alcorn State University
*Delta State University
*Jackson State University
*Mississippi State U ...
, 1997. , 9781617033391.
* Nash, Jere and Andy Taggart. ''Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2008''.
University Press of Mississippi
The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi.
Universities
* Alcorn State University
*Delta State University
*Jackson State University
*Mississippi State U ...
Tripod.com
Tripod.com is a web hosting service owned by Lycos. Originally aiming its services to college students and young adults, it was one of several sites trying to build online communities during the 1990s. As such, Tripod formed part of the first wav ...