| James Clemens High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
11306 County Line Rd. 35756 United States | |
| Coordinates | 34°42′21″N 86°47′31″W / 34.7059°N 86.7919°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | "Where opportunity meets inspiration" |
| Established | 2012 |
| Oversight | Madison City Schools |
| CEEB code | 011701 |
| Principal | Kerry Donaldson |
| Teaching staff | 117.65 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,152 (2020-21)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 18.29[1] |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Navy blue and Carolina blue |
| Mascot | Jets |
| Nickname | Jets |
| Rival | Bob Jones High School Sparkman High School |
| Newspaper | Jet Stream |
| Website | www |
 | |
James Clemens High School is a public high school in Madison, Alabama, United States. The school is a part of Madison City Schools. The school is named after James Clemens, the founder of Madison, Alabama. James Clemens was the second high school to be built in Madison, a necessary endeavor to serve the rapid growth of the community. The city was rezoned for two high schools with Liberty Middle School feeding into James Clemens.[2] It is the 4th largest high school in Alabama by enrolled students, only Thompson, Baker, and Hoover High Schools have more enrolled students.[3]
James Clemens offers over 70 clubs and organizations, many of them service based, such as Interact Club and Junior Civitan, providing funds and services for the surrounding community.[4]
James Clemens High School is home to the JROTC Jet Battalion, with over 100 cadets enrolled. The program instructors are/were Colonel Courtney Taylor (2012-2016) and Sergeant Major Samuel McCray (2013–present), with Major Rezell Linen taking over as the Senior Army Instructor (SAI) after Colonel Taylor reitred from the SAI position. The Jet Battalion's Color Guard presents The Colors at every home football game, basketball game, and soccer game. The Jet Battalion also cleans the Madison City Schools Stadium after every home game. As of 2015, the Battalion is rebuilding a Grumman F-9 Cougar to display on campus. The Jet Battalion's Color Guard, PT, and Drill Team compete in local meets, and have won several awards, one of which being the "HOOAH Award", received at the annual JROTC Day hosted by Redstone Arsenal.[5]
On December 14, 2022, videos were released of James Clemens assistant principal James Watts engaging in a physical altercation with a female student on a bus while it was loading other students. Two students had allegedly gotten into a physical altercation with each other on the bus, at which point Watts and other administrative members of the school staff were called to help defuse the situation. Watts started arguing with one of the students, and the student allegedly bit his arm. Watts then grabbed the student by the neck and hit her. Several other students started confronting Watts after this. Following the incident, both of the students who engaged in a physical altercation with each other were suspended.[6]
Madison City Schools superintendent Ed Nichols spoke on the incident the next day, where he defended Watts' actions, stating, "I’m never going to tell someone if they are being assaulted, that they can’t defend themselves from further harm."[6]
On March 21, 2023, the family of the student involved in the incident filed a lawsuit against Watts, as well as the Madison City Schools Board of Education and former James Clemens principal Brian Clayton. The lawsuit claimed that the student was in special education.[7]
On April 20, Madison City Schools announced the new principal for James Clemens as Dr. Donaldson (also called Dr. D. He would become the official principal ever since the previous principal, Dr. Clayton left in December 2022. He is known for his announcements on Fridays where he sings along to songs requested by students at James Clemens.[8]
James Clemens provides students with the opportunity to compete in many of the major high school sports.[9]
| Boys' athletics | Girls' athletics |
|---|---|
| Football | Volleyball |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Baseball | Softball |
| Wrestling | Cheerleading |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Golf | Golf |
| Soccer | Soccer |
| Swimming and diving | Swimming and diving |
| Bowling | Bowling |
| Lacrosse | Lacrosse |
