By Phoebe Piserchio; Editor-in-Chief
In a shocking recent discovery, The Thunderbolt staff was looking through old Mills yearbooks and stumbled upon the name “Michael Joseph Jackson.” Upon further research, we discovered that the legendary American singer, songwriter, and dancer, Michael Jackson, is a Mills High School alumni and graduated with the Class of 1976.
Jackson attended Montclair College Prep School in San Fernando Valley for the first few years of high school before transferring to Mills in 1975. Subsequently, he graduated in 1976, just before his music career took off. While Jackson’s presence at our school may not have been conspicuous, we can identify one notable connection: an old Mills Varsity letterman jacket he wore in his music video for “Thriller”– one of his most popular songs to date.
Unfortunately, we are unable to get in contact with any teacher that taught here at Mills during the time Jackson attended. However, we did manage to reach out to a couple former students who graduated alongside Jackson. Ben Gonzo, one of the alumni, reminisced about sharing an English class with Jackson, and described him as a humble, energetic classmate. Additionally, Gonzo fondly remembers the soon-to-be superstar practicing his signature dance moves during lunch or breaks. “He would always moonwalk to class,” Gonzo wrote to us. “And we always had a feeling he would be famous one day. He was nominated for a number of senior superlatives. Some of them were ‘Best Hair,’ ‘Best Smile,’ and of course ‘Most Likely to be a Celebrity.’ If I remember correctly, Michael ended up winning for ‘Best Dressed.’”
The second alumni we reached out to, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalls Jackson performing at the talent show (now known as Mills Got Talent) that year. Allegedly, Jackson sung a demo version of “Thriller” on a keyboard, ultimately winning him first place in the talent show. Rumor has it that this is what inspired him to go on and officially release the song later in his career. Today, Jackson’s “Thriller” music video has over 950 million views on YouTube.
The anonymous insider also told us that Jackson was known for putting up abstract art in hidden places around the school. Students would dub them the “Mike’s Murals.” One of these murals, the insider remembers, was of Jackson himself walking on the moon. While there is no concrete evidence of these murals existing today, they supposedly still remain in secret spots around campus.
This newfound connection to one of the most iconic music figures of all time will no doubt go down in the history of Mills. Through the celebration of his legacy, we honor the inspiring and creative energy that he brought to school everyday. With this, who knows who the next Mills alumni sensation will be!
