July 29, 2011
‘All are welcome’
Family with 34 children enrolls at Christ the King
Members of the Jackson family visit Christ the King School in Evansville before the beginning of school. Above are Michael Jackson, the dad, Robert Jackson, Mary-Jo Jackson, the mom, Maria Jackson, Elijah Jackson, Gwen Godsey, principal, Fiona Jackson, Mercy Jackson, Jane Parsley, school secretary, and Ross Jackson. The Jacksons are the parents of 34 children, including seven biological and 27 adopted children. The family recently moved to Evansville from the state of New York, and this school year, they will have children at Christ the King, Reitz Memorial High School, and schools in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
When Mary-Jo Jackson heard “All Are Welcome” is this year’s theme for all the schools in the Diocese of Evansville, she had one thing to say.
“Sounds good.”
She and her husband, Michael, are the biological parents of seven grown children and the adoptive parents of 27 children. They’ve just arrived in Evansville from the state of New York, and are in the process of getting their children enrolled in school. Five of the children, Ross, Mercy, Maria, Fiona and Eli-jah, are heading to Christ the King School on Evansville’s east side.
Six will be attending Reitz Memorial High School while others will be enrolled in schools in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation.
The parents say their “original seven” taught them about soccer teams, scouts and music lessons. Those parenting experiences prepared the couple for the “new clan” which consists of children from Russia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, China, Romania, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Korea and the United States.
They’ve watched these children “grow and respond to a family’s love,” and have had “successful interventions for such medical situations as cleft palates, leg amputations, heart surgeries, hearing aids and eye corrections.”
They’ve also experienced “heartbreaking, frightening and immensely sad times with children struggling to overcome the emotional aftermath of early abandonment and neglect.”
Last week, the parents took some of their children to Christ the King to see their new school. They were met at the door by principal Gwen Godsey who told them, “Our theme this year is ‘All Are Welcome.’”
“Sounds good,” said Mary-Jo.
As they walked into the science lab, sixth grader Mercy — who has a constant smile — said, “Science is my thing! I really like science.”
Her older brother, Ross, who’s going to be an eighth grader, took a good look at the gym. He said he knew Indiana was a basketball-loving state. “My mom told me, and I’ve watched ‘Hoos-iers.’”
Fiona is going to be a fifth grader. She has two prosthetic legs, and as she walked through the building she confided that she wants to be a writer. As she approached a staircase, her dad said, “Need help going up?”
Her response, “Dad, I’m not a little kid anymore.”
Elijah, when asked what he thought of the school, answered, “Great!,” and his sister Maria, wearing shades of purple, quietly observed the classrooms, library, computer lab and gym.
Michael Jackson is a pharmaceutical engineering director, and Mary-Jo holds a master’s degree in child development. They are parishioners at Christ the King Church.
They say that “through it all, our love as a couple has grown immeasurably and our faith in God has continued to direct our lives.”