Talk:Starkville Academy

Stub

This article was tagged today as a stub. I am wondering what additional text would be appropriate save promotional copy. Billhpike, John from Idegon, JaconaFrere Rhadow (talk) 17:51, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

See WP:WikiProject Schools/Article guidelines for some ideas on what to included. In practice, articles like this one tend to get filled with WP:SCHOOLCRUFT Billhpike (talk) 18:22, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

I feel it was misrated and changed it to a start. Possible points to expand would be a list of sports offered (please make sure to indicate what sports are offered for each sex and any where there are coed teams. Limit to varsity only. An independent source such as the sanctioning body would be preferable, but the school is ok in a pinch), a discussion of academic teams and advanced placement courses in an academic section (again, existence can be sourced to the school, but any superlative content needs independent sources. For any superlative content, content should be limited to only the highest level achievement-think state championship), a section on fine arts programs (music, theater and physical art, same restrictions apply to all on superlative content). Have you looked to the "What links here" tab for possible names to add to the Notable alumni list? Things we don't include are non notable staff and student names (except principal, and for a private school, the head of the legal corporation), individual achievement of staff or students, and material primarily of interest only to the school's community (like schedules, menus, extensive description of the commonplace parts of the school's structure, names of plays produced or the marching bands shows) and comparison with other schools. Any one time events should have both widespread and enduring coverage. Hope this is helpful, Rhadow. John from Idegon (talk) 19:24, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

It can also be helpful to use Edward Bett’s find link to see if there any articles that refer to the school, but have not yet been wikilinked. Billhpike (talk) 01:27, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

Athletics

Starkville Academy has won numerous state championships in a variety of sports (Football, basketball, baseball, track & field, soccer, etc.) Not sure where the erroneous claims that the school has never worn a state championship come from, since they are all well documented in newspapers across the state and region. Starkville Academy competes in the MAIS. Need to revert the changes to three of their most recent state championships and add the rest. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JaneP1976 (talk • contribs) 22:22, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

MAIS championship ≠ state championship — BillHPike (talk, contribs) 22:45, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

Please make arguments based in sources and policies. MAIS is magnatudes smaller than the mainstream sanctioning body, a body the school could join if it chose to conform it's policies to the sanctioning body's requirements. It doesn't, so it does not have the opportunity by its own choices to compete for state championships. John from Idegon (talk) 22:53, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

For the purposes of private schools, yes MAIS = State Championship. Comparing small private institutions to large institutions is like comparing Harvard's athletics to Alabama's. Apples and oranges. Who made you the decider? — Preceding unsigned comment added by JaneP1976 (talk • contribs) 22:49, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

Jane, membership in the state athletics sanctioning body is not restricted by either size or public/private status. Membership fees are based on size, and there are numerous smaller schools, and numerous private schools that are members. What the membership in the state sanctioning body is restricted to is schools that are willing to accept the sanctioning body's requirements on non discrimination. Your arguments are totally without merit. John from Idegon (talk) 04:06, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

I am not making arguments. I am stating verifiable facts. The MAIS state championships were cited by local, regional, state and national newspapers that reported them as STATE championships. So, yes, USA Today is a more credible resource on what constitutes a state championship that a wiki editor’s biased opinion. Wikipedia relies on third-party sources, and there are thousands of sources across the Southeastern U.S.(newspapers, magazines, television, websites, etc.) that report these state championships.

Here are more websites that include the MAIS State Championships with the public school state championships:

MaxPreps (official guide to h.s. football):

http://www.maxpreps.com/playoffs/brackets.aspx?gendersport=boys,football&state=ms

Mississippi High School Football Historical Society (AHSFHS):

http://www.maxpreps.com/playoffs/brackets.aspx?gendersport=boys,football&state=ms

AHSFHS home page below. You’ll notice that the state records held by Academies like Indianola Academy are mixed with those of public schools. This organization makes no public or private distinctions in the recording of excellence.

http://www.ahsfhs.org/mississippi/index.asp

Additionally, MAIS state football championships were not the only thing posted that John censored. There was an item about the girls’ basketball team being recognized by the Mississippi legislature, and the fact that the 2012-2013 girls’ basketball team become the first MAIS team in any sport or gender to make the Clarion-Ledger Super 10 rankings at #9. As with the MAIS state championships, both of these items were factual and well cited, but were censored before other editors could see them. Perhaps you missed them, but those items should stand regardless of your petty (and inaccurate) quibbles about MAIS state championships.

For the reading-comprehension-impaired, I will note that these were MAIS state championships when the material is re-posted. That should have been obvious, since the first sentence under the athletics headline notes that the school competes in the MAIS. Just as college athletes compete in a variety of leagues and conferences (NCAA, NCCAA, NAIA), high schools do the same.

If you continue to censor or vandalize factual, relevant, timely, well-sourced and cited additions to these pages, you will be reported.JaneP1976 (talk) 22:12, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

Political agenda

It's become increasing apparent that there is a political agenda present on this page and others. There is an ongoing organized effort to stigmatize every private school in the Southeast with the segregationist past. Many of these schools have been integrated for decades, and some of the past articles cited aren't germane to the current situation. Citations that are germane--state championships and other well documented examples of excellence--are being deleted to conform to the agenda.

One example of this agenda is the 1984 NAACP lawsuit. The outcome of the lawsuit is not cited. This is an example of "paltering"--releasing selective facts to influence an opinion. Without stating the conclusion of the lawsuit, the information is incomplete, and does not serve a purpose. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JaneP1976 (talk • contribs) 22:31, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

For people of color, the school’s racist history is more germane than the school's MAIS championships. I would welcome the addition of information about the conclusion of the 1984 NAACP lawsuit. — BillHPike (talk, contribs) 22:41, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

Bill, then please find the results of the lawsuit (and what it was about) and share. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JaneP1976 (talk • contribs) 22:48, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

JaneP1976, sign your posts by typing four tildes at the end. This isn't optional either. I won't be responding to your fallacious argument here. You are making personal attacks. Argue for your preferred version by citing reliable sources and arguing to Wikipedia policies and guidelines. Keep in mind that the WP:BURDEN is 100% on you to convince any opposing editors of the validity of your position. Your style of argument will never do that. Without consensus, there will be no change. John from Idegon (talk) 23:09, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

JaneP1976, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. An encyclopedia does not portray the "current situation", that's a job for the school website. Wikipedia is not WP:CENSORED to make the school look good, or cover up the facts surrounding it's founding, its demographics, the level of sports competition nor its academics. Please do not remove reliably sourced information in attempt to whitewash history. But by all means, do feel free to provide additional information! For instance, if Starkville Academy has integrated, please feel free to provide that information, so long as you have a reliable source to back it up. I'd be especially interested to know about the number of African American teachers, coaches and administrators they've hired. Thanks!Jacona (talk) 00:55, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

Yes please, do tell us that. It would be great if they'd do that, so the 8 black kids who attend, wouldn't feel so out of place amongst the 600+ white kids (in a city and county that are majority black). Yup this is a fine institution with a long history of racial equality. John from Idegon (talk) 03:58, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

From the website: "**Starkville Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnic origin, disability or sex in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, athletics, and other school administered programs." They started claiming something like this publicly back in the 70s, but in order to apply you had to pay a large application fee that was forfeited if you weren't admitted, and no blacks were ever admitted. I'm pretty sure they have never had a black employee, not a teacher, coach, administrator, or even low paid office staff. Possibly they've hired a non-white janitor or maintenance worker? JaneP1976, with your connections to the school you should know definitively whether this is true. Please let us know, and we'll see about getting the information into the encyclopedia.Jacona (talk) 14:28, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

1984 lawsuit

Removing the 1984 lawsuit (again). "Allegations" and "Claims" are not facts, and do not belong on Wikipedia. If someone can find multiple, verifiable, factual reports about the outcome of the suit, they can always post them later. JaneP1976 (talk) 22:36, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

"Outflow" claim"

The claim that Starkville Academy experienced an “outflow” of students isn’t supported by the cited document. Please carefully re-read the source article for the school consolidation statement. Nowhere does it state that Starkville Academy had an outflow during the school consolidation. While 46 students from Starkville Academy and another Christian school (italics mine) transferred to the public school, it’s not evident whether SA lost students—it’s possible that, with new arrivals, SA attendance actually increased. Perhaps 15 SA students transferred to SHS, while 25 new students enrolled at SA. That would be a net gain for SA, not an outflow, and we don’t have those figures here, because SA did not provide enrollment figures for the cited article.

The outflow claim has also been repudiated by the more current Website https://www.cityofstarkville.org/248/Private-Schools (official City of Starkville website). Current SA enrollment is listed at 821, a significant, 25% increase from outdated 2015 enrollment figure of 657 cited on this Wiki. Suggest tabling this “outflow” item until accurate year-to-year data can be cited. At any rate, it appears that SA is thriving. JaneP1976 (talk) 22:51, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

The source says what it says. If you want to cite the current enrollment, please do so. BTW, JaneP1976, you have not responded to questions another editor left on your talk page about possible conflict of interest you may have with this article. Do you have a connection to this school? Thanks!Jacona (talk) 18:18, 31 July 2018 (UTC)

Bullying on this page

In addition to the political bias on this board, there has been systematic bullying. Every new post that discredits or contradicts the political agenda of certain editors has been removed, and the new editors reported and intimidated. Editors are also accused of working for the school. It’s interesting that the first charge out of the current editors is usually that new editors are working on someone’s payroll—I think they doth protest too much.

The examples of bullying experienced by editors on this board include, but are not limited to:

1. Stalking and personal confrontations on their personal editorial page
2. Accusations and insinuations of conflict of interest
3. Tearing down, censoring, or vandalizing, well-sourced, factual additions to the encyclopedia without proper editorial review
4. Reversion of removed items that are not factual or well-sourced, like the “claims and allegations” post noted above. Claims and allegations are not facts, and have no place in an encyclopedia. Claims and allegations are tabloid fodder.
5. Snide personal comments.

If you are a new editor and have been bullied, you are not alone! Please immediately report any of the above instances to Wikipedia. A public record of those who engage in this behavior is being compiled, and it will be addressed.JaneP1976 (talk) 22:51, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

JaneP1976 If you feel you are being bullied or otherwise treated uncivilly, Please report it at WP:ANI. Bullying and uncivil behavior should not be tolerated. I suggest you first take some time to follow the welcoming material on your talk page and learn more about how the encyclopedia works, including visiting the teahouse to ask questions. Happy editing!Jacona (talk) 18:24, 31 July 2018 (UTC)