Jonesboro Public Schools announces new ‘Hurricane Alumni Plaza’

Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — June 2, 2025 — Jonesboro Public Schools announced Monday that it was installing a new plaza.

JPS assistant superintendent Dr. William Cheatham said the new “Hurricane Alumni Plaza” will be a multipurpose space that will serve as a backdrop for Homecoming reunions, an outdoor classroom and a gathering spot.

Construction is expected to begin “any day,” he said. The project is expected to be completed by Aug. 7, in time for classes to begin on Aug. 13.

The plaza project has been in planning for about three years, Cheatham said.

“We built the Performing Arts Center 14 years ago, and then we had the new entrance to the high school that opened two years ago. So, when you looked up there at the high school, there was that area between the auditorium and the new entrance, which was the original back of the old auditorium,” Cheatham said. “At the time, we had a retention pond there for the geothermal. But over the last six years or so, we’ve gotten away from geothermal, and we didn’t need that retention pond anymore, so we thought we’d do some planning.”

The project is designed to grow with the school and support the Foundation for Jonesboro Public Schools’ Buy a Brick Program. The program is meant to enhance the school’s quality of education and to promote academic excellence by procuring and providing the necessary funds for programs.

Through this program, current graduates, alumni, parents and JHS supporters can purchase a personalized brick to be placed in the plaza’s squares. All money raised from donations and brick sales provides JPS Foundation grants for JPS teachers.

Because the plaza will be able to hold up to 4,096 more bricks, Cheatham said the project will help fund grants for many more years.

The cost of an individual brick is $75 and a family brick is $150. There is an additional charge of $10 for a logo and $10 for a symbol.

The project will also provide another fundraiser for the foundation, the ability to sponsor flags. The flags in the plaza can be sponsored by class reunions or sponsors, Cheatham said, adding that sponsorship pricing is still being worked on.

Cheatham said some JHS alumni have played an important part in this project as well, including Tim Cooper and John Mixon from Cooper Mixon Architects, who provided the design, as well as Scott McDaniel of Ramsons Construction Company.

Bricks can be ordered online on the Foundation for JPS webpage. They can be paid for online or at the JPS Administration Office.