PANAMA CITY − One of Bay County’s historic schools, Jinks Middle School is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Founded in 1950, the school at 600 W. 11th St. in Panama City has not seen much change, even after the devastating Hurricane Michael.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary, Jinks Middle School will host an alumni tailgate to celebrate. The tailgate will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m during a football game against Surfside Middle School.
Chris Coan has been principal of Jinks Middle School since 2024.
“We want to welcome all of our Jinks alumni to the tailgate to share precious memories with one another,” Coan said. “The precious thing about our school is that it has rarely changed (appearence wise) since the 1950s. There’s been small changes since then, but we want people to enjoy the rich history we have.”
Coan said he wants to give the best environment to the students.
“We want students with the best educators and faculty,” Coan said. “We are committed to excellence here. We are still making strides to being an A school and we want to propel these students into success in their high school careers.”
According to the school’s website, its core principles are Respectful, Responsible and Ready To Learn.
“(We want to) develop well-rounded, goal-oriented, lifelong learners, and actively-engaged students while providing a safe and compassionate school family that fosters self-esteem, high expectations and respect for individual differences while in partnership with our community.
“Our alumni are always welcome,” Coan said. “Our alumni are always welcome no matter what their profession may be. Car dealers, doctors, lawyers all had the same start in middle school at some point in their life and we want to make them feel welcome.”
To RSVP the tailgate, contact coancm@bay.k12.fl.us. There is a $10 suggested donation to the school for anyone who would like to give back.
“Our athletic achievements stand out to us as a school,” Coan said. “To see our students performing on the gridiron and the classroom and to see our faculty showing our school spirit means everything to us.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Celebrating 75th anniversary, Jinks Middle School plans alumni tailgate at football game
Reporting by DeonTay Smith, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
