The Jones team planned this campaign and is composed of Janelle Johnson, Brian Williams, Cindy Haidu-Banks and Joslyn Hunscher-Young. This effort, referred to as Fundraising February, is a way to get the whole school involved in fundraising while also spreading awareness of our local history.

Joslyn Hunscher-Young, a social studies teacher, thinks the goal is attainable. CHS was able to raise $70,000 for Food Gatherers in the fall, and knows the power forums have when they come together.

Since June of 2022, the Jones team has raised about $10,000. The type of historical marker they’re striving for is around $30,000, meaning the school is one third of the way there.

“We have 21 forums, so if every forum raises $1000, we’re already [at the fundraising goal],” Hunscher-Young said.

The Jones team decided to focus on this goal due to how hyperlocal it is and the role the CHS building used to have on the neighborhood it is located in.

“Especially for Black History Month, it’s really important to not just recognize the history but also [find] a way we can make that history permanent [and] public,” Hunscher-Young said. “So having everybody invested in some capacity is going to recognize the history of the school and the building.”

The organizing around the fundraising has also been done by the students. The student committee is called the Student Centennial Committee and they meet on Mondays during lunch.

“[The Student Centennial Committee] are the ones that are really spearheading this club,” Hunscher-Young said. “[They want] to keep the momentum [and to] keep learning about things.”

The committee is very invested in sharing the history of Jones School and Black Ann Arbor. They plan to spend the month spreading information, like the humans of Jones and oral history pieces.

Hunscher-Young knows that addressing the building’s history is vital in moving forward.

“In Ann Arbor, with increasing housing prices and a whole lot of other things that have happened to the Black community, from what I’ve heard from elders , who either went to Jones or that used to be in this neighborhood, they feel hurt,” Hunscher-Young said. “Recognizing how that history has allowed us to create the space that we’re in today and being able to use that knowledge to try and create a better future is super important.”