After 20 years of teaching at Academic Magnet High School, Mr. Wright has decided to “end this chapter of his life in order to open a new one.” He has been a pivotal piece of AMHS. Mr. Wright always brought joy and laughter to all of the classes he taught. He opened every class by introducing himself,” I’m Junius Paul Wright the Third and this is (the name of class).”

Mr. Wright  has a different way of teaching. He is not your usual boring, paper writing , English teacher; he always incorporates art and outside the box thinking.  Mr. Wright enjoyed helping the students with their “shoe box projects,”  having his classes steal dictionaries and stuffed animals from other English teachers, and taking his creative writing students to interesting places.  His leaving is bittersweet to him as he said, “I am going to miss all the students, the atmosphere, and especially the teachers and administration.” One thing Mr. Wright won’t miss is grading papers for over 100 students. At Palmetto Scholars’ Academy  (Mr. Wright’s new school), there are only about 350 students through 6 grades which means less paper grading for Mr. Wright. With the graduation of Zoe from AMHS, he will be teaching where his last two kids attend which will allow him to make the single commute to  one school.

Many teachers describe the parting of Junius Paul Wright III as a big loss to the magnet community as he is noted for his inspiring and influential teaching styles. While discussing Mr. Wright’s absence, Mrs. Grayson was moved to tears. She has many fond memories of him, but one that sticks out the most for her is the ‘bromance” between Mr. Wright and her husband. She said,” They are like long lost lovers, it seems as if the world stops for them.” Every teacher, I spoke to just kept saying how much they were going to miss him. Many said his creativity was unlike anyone else and no one will be ever to replace him. Ms Hurt said, “He’s been in the classroom next to me for 20 years. I will miss the yelling of the Romanticism cheer and the booming of the bass of whatever he is sharing with his classes. It breaks my heart that he is leaving us.” Ms. Lankford said that when she describes the English Department she describes him as the visionary. She is disappointed that her own daughter will not have him as a teacher. One of her favorite things about Mr. Wright is the “ding-dong” theory – he always makes us think.

As a student of Mr. Wright, I have never met a more interactive teacher. He is always  involved, helping you as much as he can. Every project we  completed was meaningful; it allowed us to be ourselves and show our creativity. Mr. Wright has been an inspiration to me and my fellow students. I will look forward to what he does in the future, I know whatever he does will be amazing.

“I laughed, I cried, It became a part of me.” – Junius Paul Wright III

Thank you for everything you have done for this institution. We all will miss you immensely.