Jacksonville Elementary principal speaks on 6-year-old student who was shot and killed
JACKSONVILLE, Ark.- Jacksonville Elementary School’s Principal, Kenneth Miller, says when they learned that 6-year-old A’mir Houston was shot and killed Sunday night, it dealt a devastating blow to the school community.
“It definitely was a huge blow. No one ever wants to lose a student,” Miller said. “A’mir was a burst of joy, he’s the type of kid that comes in every single morning, wants to give everybody a hug, you see him in transition, he’s making sure he’s following expectations.”
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Miller described A’mir as the kind of student that every teacher loves to have in their classroom.
“I think the main thing that we try to share with the family is, I use that phrase of him being a light, that’s really what you come to this profession for is students like A’mir who love learning and love people. We’re thankful to have been a part of that journey with him,” said Miller.
Miller said A’mir absorbed knowledge like a sponge and was eager to show how much he was capable of.
“One of the things I appreciate the most about our time with A’mir is that he was a student who always wanted to celebrate what he could do and what he was learning, and he wanted to show you,” said Miller. “He was passionate about being able to make sure that the adults around him knew that he was learning and growing, and we always enjoyed being able to share that confirmation with him because he just was full of so much life.”
Jacksonville Elementary will host its Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony on Thursday morning, where school leaders will take a moment to pay tribute to A’mir with his family in attendance.
“We plan to have a special presentation for them and also share some words in his honor and present them with a plaque in memory of A’mir,” said Miller.
Miller said they plan to help A’mir’s family as they navigate these unimaginably difficult times.
“They have some difficult days ahead, but we want them to know that we’ll be walking alongside them and doing anything we can do to support them. I know there will be some future tributes as well and so we’re going to try and make sure we can do all that we can to support them through each of those steps,” said Miller. “I think more than anything we just want to do all we can to support that family because they very much are our family and A’mir will always be our family.”
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The impact of Amir’s death is being felt far beyond the walls of Jacksonville Elementary School. A candlelight vigil will be held in tribute to A’mir on Saturday at 7 pm at the Jacksonville Community Center.
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