Very few cougar staff members can say they began working at CHA in the 90's but JJ Farrior is one of them. Though her time at CHA hasn't been continuous, she began working at CHA in 1997. She has worn many hats during her time at Central Hinds including Teacher's Aide, In School Suspension Teacher, Child Care Director, Dance Team Sponsor, and Preschool Teacher. She is currently one of our Five-Year Old Kindergarten Teachers. Mrs. JJ's route to teaching was not a straight path. She first came to CHA as a patron. Three of her children are Cougar Graduates: Hunter, Chase, and Breck. When asked about her memories of CHA she says "I loved watching my own children grow up attending CHA, but also enjoyed watching past students return with their own children. I've seen the school come together in tragedy and joyful times". She says "I became a teacher by accident! I had a hair salon and I went to the school to voice my opinion on the curriculum and was asked if I wanted to work at CHA. The rest is history!" Of her employment at CHA she says "It chose me!". When asked about staff at CHA she says "I truly can not name one teacher that I did not like working with throughout the years. There is a very large sense of "home" at CHA. It's rare to have so many teachers and staff to be a part of a school for over 20 years. Or to see multiple generations of patrons that continue to support CHA". As a preschool teacher she says "teaching the littlest has definitely taught me patience, humility and humor! I truly love teaching and every day is rewarding to me! I believe teaching to be a calling". Outside of CHA, Mrs. JJ is a Licensed Child Care Director, continues to be an active Realtor of seven years and has been a resident of Learned with her husband Bill for over 30 years. She has two dogs, a Maltese named GiGi and a stray of unknown breed named Reba. Though her favorite color is black, she not only cheers on the Green and Gold of CHA but also of the Belhaven Blazers where her youngest son Breck is playing football. One of her favorite things is collecting heart shaped things from nature like rocks. But her most favorite thing of all is being a Granna to Eva and Indie her two granddaughters. We are so blessed to have Mrs. JJ as part of our staff at CHA. Please join us in wishing Mrs. JJ another wonderful year in K5!

Dr. David Henry is an alumni that Central Hinds is so excited to spotlight. Dr. Henry attended CHA from 1st grade until his graduation in 1996. While at CHA he played football, baseball and basketball. He says "We had some good teams in all sports. We made the playoffs in each sport one year or another. We played in the state championship game in football my junior year but sadly lost 10-7 to Prentiss Christian who we had beat earlier in the year." Dr. Henry made the all conference team his senior year in football and baseball. He was also a class officer in both junior and high school. As a student he was awarded the top two awards for his class being named both Valedictorian and Star Student. He was voted by his classmates as Most Intellectual, Most Likely to Succeed, Most Courteous, and Most Athletic. When asked asked if he has any fun memories of his time at CHA he says "Many! Sitting in the grumpy chair the first day of first grade for talking in class (I never really got in trouble again after that - lesson learned!). Mrs, Culipher teaching us the multiplication tables in 3rd grade; learning all the presidents up to Ronald Reagan in 5th grade to the tune of 3 Little Indians (that's how old I am now, Reagan was the current president then); and junior high when we finally got lockers felt like such a big deal. High school focused around sports and friends". He also had many staff members to mention when asked about those that impacted him. He says "Many great influences. Mrs. Culipher in 3rd grade was such a loving teacher. Mrs. Birdsong (who was Mrs. Chisolm then) in 4th grade who I still see regularly at church. In high school Mrs. Fleming was a great teacher, Mrs. Gordon was a legend at Central Hinds teaching English. Mrs. Myers taught us math and was my Star Teacher. I probably spent more time with Coach Gregory than anyone as our coach for football and baseball." Dr. Henry says that his time at CHA prepared him for future success in "so many ways. Learning discipline. School was busy with sports year around. You had to learn how to juggle all the different things and do your best in all of them. Keeping good grades was always internally important to me and sports was fun so I always wanted to get better there too. I think that carried on into adulthood. Learning how to prioritize time, not procrastinate and do your best all the time are important things that now I try to teach my kids and I am still trying to learn myself every day."
After CHA, Dr. Henry first graduated from Hinds in Raymond in 1997 and then with a BS in Physical Therapy from The University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1999. He worked as a physical therapist until 2009. During this time he also completed his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in 2003 and then his Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2009. He says " I did not consider dentistry coming out of high school. I settled on physical therapy with my love of sports and having dealt with an elbow injury in 7th grade received while pitching. While in physical therapy school I met some dental students and had thoughts that dentistry may have been a fit I never considered." After talking with a friend who had recently graduated dental school he made the decision to apply to dental school and was accepted. He says "Dentistry really fits me. I love the long term relationships you have with patients and families over a career of seeing them regularly. Dentistry is detailed and technical and artistic at the same time. It can be difficult and challenging but very rewarding too. The opportunity to own your own small business is interesting in its own right and has been rewarding as well. Fridays off isn't so bad either!" Dr. Henry has two dental offices: one in Clinton (Northside Dental) and one in Flowood.
When Dr. Henry isn't in the office he spends lots of time with family. He has been married to his wife Amy for 24 years. They have 4 children: Kate (20) is a sophomore at Mississippi College. Bryce (18) is a senior, Audrey Lane (13) is a 7th grader, and Max (11) is a 6th grader all at St. Augustine School. His family attends First Baptist Church of Clinton where he has served as chairman of the deacons and plays guitar in the praise band, his wife is in the choir, and his children are very active in youth and college activities. He is also a marathoner/ultra marathoner. He has completed approximately 50 marathons or longer runs in the last 15 years. He even completed his first 100 mile race in November 2024 in 21 hours 4 minutes. He says "this is kind of ironic because one of my least favorite things about Central Hinds football back in the day was when Coach Gregory had us run one mile before practice each day".
Please join us in congratulating Dr. David Henry in all of his successes since leaving Central Hinds Academy. We can't wait to see what he continues to accomplish in the future. We hope all CHA alumni will click the button and fill out our form so we can find more alumni to celebrate with our spotlight! Once a Cougar. always a cougar.