Lanier High School is a public school in Jackson, Mississippi, with 911 students in grades 9-12. Serving a largely African American population in the city of Jackson, Lanier aspires to be one of the best high schools in the nation. It has a “nucleus of students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders who have laid a foundation for Lanier's full potential in training young people to lead the nation.” The school is already home to award-winning programs in music, athletics and other areas.

A team of students, faculty, administrators and community members are working hard to make Lanier a model of the First Amendment in action. “To help make this happen,” says school principal Johnny Hughes, “a committee of community stakeholders will begin with a needs assessment.” All students will be asked to identify their wishes for the school. An advisory group will be formed to make recommendations about school policies and governance that will give students a greater voice in shaping the life of the school.

The essence of Lanier's work as a First Amendment project school will be a multiyear process to organize the local community. Volunteers will conduct meetings in parents' homes, informing them about the potential for change and identifying ways to encourage greater parental involvement.

The school also plans to expand its elective offerings with the help of local colleges. Already, with the help of community partners, Lanier has launched a student newspaper and now offers students education in the rights and responsibilities of a free press.

“What makes Lanier special,” says Susan Glisson, a community aide and the director of the Center for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, “is its dedication to preparing students for leadership in the community and our nation. If America is to realize its own promises, all students must have the opportunity to realize their potential.”

Ouida Atkins, a teacher at Lanier, describes Lanier's hopes for the First Amendment Schools project this way: “The revitalization of the school will spur the renewal of the community, which will in turn reinvigorate the school's wellbeing. If we can do this, then the school and the community will help to restore each other, and teach each other about the freedoms which make us all Americans – and which make such renewal possible.”