The Wechsler School Foundation is gearing up for the Sixth Annual Wechsler Awareness Day and Homecoming, which is planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the school at 3015 15th St. in Meridian.

 Built in 1894, the Wechsler School was the first brick public school for black students in Mississippi to be built using public funding. It was named for Rabbi Judah Wechsler of Congregation Beth Israel, who led the effort to provide public education for black children.

In previous years, the event was held over three days, but this year the will held only on Saturday.

Edward Lynch, president of The Wechsler School Foundation, said money raised at the event will be used for the operating costs at the school, such as lighting, insurance on the building and running the organization’s website. The foundation is working on renovating the school, and Lynch said he wants the building to become a  destination for tourists wanting to learn about the city’s history.  

“Wechsler can be another attraction for the city of Meridian,” he said. 

The celebration will start with a parade at the Meridian Public School District office at 1019 25th Ave. Serving as grand marshals for the parade will be Meridian’s 13-year-old World Series All Stars. The day will also feature jump Houses, food, games, presentations on Meridian history and the annual basketball tournament of champions.

Lynch hopes the day will remind the community about Wechsler’s importance.  

 “We are all one community and Wechsler has been significant in the lives of so many people in this community,” Lynch said. “I’m just hoping that they will just see an opportunity… to do something for a major African-American icon, which has not only served the African-American community, it has served  the community at large over the years,” he said.

The school originally taught students through the eighth grade. The school expanded over the years and by 1921 became the only public school in east-central Mississippi to offer high school diplomas to black students. Wechsler also hosted the Meridian-State Normal for Teachers, a summer program that helped undereducated black educators become better qualified to teach.

In 1937, a new high school was opened, named for longtime Wechsler principal T. J. Harris. Wechsler continued to operate as an elementary and junior high, and later as a kindergarten until it closed in 1983.