Attending the Jack Britt Student Penitentiary was a bitter-sweet experience. The administration kept a tight rein on student activities and behavior during the school day and in extra-curriculars. Ms. Garrison, our principal, was the driving force behind the administration’s strictness. In order to change your schedule you were required to fill out a change of course slip and then schedule a meeting with Ms. Garrison. She would then decide if you were allowed to change classes. If you enrolled for an Advanced Placement class and wanted to withdraw from it, you would be placed in the regular equivalent, not the honors section (even for high achieving students). Upon entering the school each morning, assistant principals were strategically posted throughout the atrium to monitor conduct, but the most they ever did was report students for dress code violations. During passing periods, one assistant principal stood on each landing of the two staircases in the atrium and kept a hawk-eye watch for dress-code violators.
In the classroom, much of the education depended on the teacher, but the pressure from Ms. Garrison on the teachers was obvious and often mentioned publically. So much emphasis was placed on presenting facts and ensuring that students perform well on classroom and standardized tests. Jack Britt taught me how to submit to authority, “follow” rules, and accepted the stifling of creativity in classrooms and organizations. Many say, “Jack Britt is the best school in Cumberland County. Look at their test scores! Some of the highest in the state. Ms. Garrison is doing great things at Jack Britt.” Their folly in such conclusions is that many have not attended Jack Britt as a student and will never know the truth behind those ‘great things.’