Eva Hardy Jones: Powell School’s Legendary Principal
The Powell School in 1908.
WBHM recently reported on Birmingham’s surplus schools and community frustrations around the vacant buildings. Powell School is among them. Powell was Birmingham’s first and oldest public school, built in 1888. Listeners wanted to hear more about the school’s history, so reporter Mary Scott Hodgin has this profile of Eva Hardy Jones, one of the school’s most famous leaders.
Eva Hardy Jones became principal of Powell School in 1976. Around this time, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, but it and its students were in need.
Many of Powell’s students lived in the nearby Metropolitan Gardens, a massive housing project with 910 units (demolished in 2002 and replaced by the Park Place apartments). When Jones became principal, the school lacked a gymnasium and a library. The building was old, with only 12 classrooms, and students were occasionally moved to the nearby Phillips High School because of structural issues.
Photo Courtesy of Michael Calvert
Bulletin boards display uplifting quotes at the entrance of Powell.
Jones brought hope to Powell. During her time at the school, she filled the halls with inspirational quotes and transformed the walls into painted bookshelves. Community members say she went out of her way to guarantee that all kids received an education, even offering to personally transport students to and from school. In the 1980s, Jones persuaded the school board to purchase the adjacent Trailways Bus Station. Jones converted this space into a gymnasium for students, and it was eventually dedicated as the Eva Hardy Jones Annex.
“One of the remarkable things is, you can still see the influence of principal Eva Hardy Jones in the murals and bulletin boards,” says Michael Calvert with the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. “She didn’t have a library, but she painted this room as if there were shelves with books. And the bulletin board still has, ‘There’s magic in teamwork, working together towards a common vision.’ She was a great principal.”
Photo Courtesy of Michael Calvert
The walls are still painted like bookshelves, an effort by Eva Hardy Jones.
The Trump administration says it wants to eliminate FEMA. Here’s what we know
Every year, millions of Americans rely on FEMA assistance after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and other disasters. The president says state governments should do more.
‘Equal dignity’: U.S. map shows the impact of Obergefell v. Hodges decision
"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law," then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the June 26, 2015, ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. "The Constitution grants them that right."
Michelle Obama addresses *those* divorce rumors — and how she defines her own story
Michelle Obama is in a place in her life where she gets to integrate her public and private self a little more. She tells Rachel that means saying "no" to some of the things that are expected of her.
Forget ‘total obliteration’ — experts say Iran and U.S. need to negotiate
President Trump doubled down on his claims that the U.S. strikes in Iran last weekend "obliterated" its key nuclear facilities. But experts say that regardless of the amount of damage done to Iran's nuclear facilities, deliberate negotiations leading to a lasting agreement are crucial to prevent the resumption of war.
What the Class of 2025 has to say about the state of higher education
Three graduating college seniors reflect on how their final semester, during the Trump presidency, has changed how they think about higher education.
Nursing homes face 2 threats: Trump’s Medicaid cuts and his immigration crackdown
Understaffed nursing homes rely on an immigrant workforce. Cuts to Medicaid and a tough immigration policy amount to a double whammy for the long-term care industry.
