NeMiss students earn National Merit scholarships

College-sponsored Merit scholarship winners named
EVANSTON, Ill. – Three students from Northeast Mississippi high schools are recipients of college-sponsored National Merit scholarships.
Merit Scholarship winners announced this week are Kelly A. Shaw of Oxford High School and James K. Burgess and Sarah E. Pellegrine of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus.
Shaw received the National Merit Michigan State University Scholarship. Burgess, of Caledonia, received the National Merit University of Kentucky Scholarship. Pellegrine, of Madison, was awarded a National Merit Mississippi State University Scholarship.
The NeMiss students are among 2,800 winners of National Merit scholarships financed by colleges and universities. The awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

State Reading Fair winners announced

News from the Mississippi Department of Education:

State Reading Fair winners announced

One boy dressed as a cowboy, standing with both hands clutching his belt buckle, a red handkerchief tucked in his collar and a wide-brimmed hat on his head.

Another girl was outfitted all in pink - from her silky headband all the way down to her patent leather shoes - and carried a fluffy poodle in a rose-colored purse.

A boy among the youngest of the bunch decided to take on the identity of the earth’s largest mammal, donning a felt blue whale costume and wavy white hat to remind passersby of the ocean.

About 80 students of all ages recently gathered from across the state at Central High School in downtown Jackson to share enthusiasm for their favorite books by dressing up like characters and developing colorful visual displays to showcase plot elements. All of the students took home prizes for their efforts.

The Mississippi Department of Education has sponsored the event, aimed at instilling a lifelong love of reading in students, for 10 consecutive years. This year’s fair, which was sponsored by Bancorp South, was held May 16 at the Central High School Building.

Students, who had to compete in local competitions to advance to regional competitions, were able to enter in one of three categories including individual, group or family projects. Within each category, students were judged in divisions based on grade level. First place winners at each regional event advanced to the state level reading fair, where they competed against each other in their winning category.

The first place winners are as follows:

Individual Category Winners
Kindergarten
Kerstin Tuck, Martin Bluff Elementary, Pascagoula School District
Grade 1
Lexi Thomas, Noxapater Attendance Center, Louisville Public School District
Grade 2
Preston Ray, Madison Avenue Lower Elementary, Madison Public School District
Grade 3
Joshua Grimes, Union Elementary, Union City School District
Grades 4-5
Chinyere Jones, Power APAC, Jackson Public School District
Grades 6-8
Mikayla May, Newton County Middle School, Newton County School District
Grades 9-12
Emily Hardin, Calhoun City High School, Calhoun City School District

Group Category Winners
Grades K-3
Hal Halford and Gaven Wilson, Oak Park Elementary, Ocean Springs School District
Grades 4-8
Jessie Joyner, Brooke Payne and Hannah Payne, Union Middle School, Union City School District
Grades 9-12
Jamiya Boddie and Marquain Franklin, East Side High School, Cleveland City School District

Family Category Winners
Grades K-3
Braxton Beech, Clarksdale Elementary School, Lauderdale County School District
Grades 4-8
Zack and Katie Rowan, East Union Middle School, Union County School District

Milam Stock Market Team places third

Kim Wyatt at Tupelo’s Milam Elementary sent me this pic and writeup. These students also were recognized at the May 27 School Board meeting.

Every spring Milam places at least one of the top 3 positions of the junior division of the Mid-South Regional of the Tennessee Stock Market game. Pictured here is the team of Jordan Jones and Sara Kline, students of Nancy Barrett, who were the third place winners. They were honored at an Awards reception at AutoZone Park on May 15, in Memphis. They received a cash reward and a third place medal. They also received free admittance to a Memphis Redbirds baseball game.

NAES Field Day benefits Relay for Life

From Kim Day, public information officer for the New Albany School District:

New Albany Elementary students enjoyed a day of fun while raising money for the American Cancer Society. The NAES Relay Team has been a top fundraiser for the Union County Relay for Life for the past several years. This year the students and staff raised over $12,000.

Students participated in several activities and events during the day-long field day. Baptist Memorial Hospital representatives were on hand to teach students about healthy eating habits, physical fitness, and give ambulance tours. The New Albany Police and Fire departments shared safety tips, as well. Children played on giant inflatable slides and obstacle courses, enjoyed sno cones, popcorn, and pizza, and were entertained by fellow students during a talent show.

The closing program featured a performance by New Albany High School Show Choir students and introduction of cancer survivors who were special guests of NAES students. “It was a great day,” said organizer Tammie Reeder. “We appreciate all of the help we received from Baptist Hospital and our community sponsors. We are also grateful to the parents for sending snack money every week to benefit this great cause. This is a lot of fun for the students and it is making a difference in the fight against cancer.”

TPSD’s sensory integration classroom

It’s no secret I’m a fan of the Tupelo Public School District’s Early Childhood Education Center. My 5-year-old just finished a year of PreK there and will start its month-long summer program next week. On Wednesday, DJ photog Todd Sherman and I went to the ECEC, housed in the Martin Luther King school on North Green Street, to check out its sensory integration classroom. Special education teacher Ellen Hill, with help from two of her 3-year-old students, showed us how the classroom’s equipment can help children with sensory integration issues. Watch for my story in an upcoming Daily Journal.

Mooreville High School gym to get new floor

The 20-year-old poured rubber floor in the Mooreville High School gym will be replaced with a new wooden floor before the start of the 2008-2009 school year in August. The Lee County School Board voted to advertise for bids for the project at its Tuesday meeting.

West Point students earn ed achievement awards

The Mississippi Department of Education sent a news release earlier today with information about some Clay County students. Here’s my news brief:

West Point students honored for achievement
WEST POINT – Six West Point High School students are among more than 100 statewide recognized this week by the Southern Regional Education Board.
The Mississippi Department of Education announced on Tuesday that Kayla Allen, Carrie Cowart, Philip Dimino, Corbett Estes, Laura Shackelford and Jikasha Walker have received the SREB’s Award of Educational Achievement.
The award is given through SREB’s “High Schools That Work,” an initiative focused on helping students successfully transition from high school to life after graduation.
In order to qualify for the award, students must complete a college preparatory course in at least two of three subject areas – English, math and science. They must also complete a career/technical, math/science or humanities concentration, as well as meet readiness goals established by SREB.

One graduation down, three to go

I’ve blogged before about how difficult it is to be in two places at one time. Well, it’s happened again. Last night, Nettleton High School’s graduation ceremony was at 7 and Tupelo High School’s was at 8. You’d have thought I’d be able to attend both. Not so, as my back-door access to the THS graduation at the BancorpSouth Arena was only if I got there by 7. What’s an education writer to do? Fortunately, I let my editor figure this one out, and he came up with a pretty good solution. Jeff Clark, my colleague at the Monroe County Journal, was dispatched to the Nettleton ceremony. The plan also benefited photographer C. Todd Sherman, as Jeff was asked to shoot pictures, too.

Now I’ve just got three more graduations to attend. The three Lee County Schools - Saltillo, Shannon and Mooreville - have their ceremonies today at the BancorpSouth Arena.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008.

Congratulations Tupelo High School!

Senior sports writer Gene Phelps is working on this for tomorrow’s Daily Journal:

Sports Illustrated contacted Athletic Director Danny Porter today (May 21st) to notify him that Tupelo High School has been selected as the 3rd best high school athletic program in the nation. This is the second such recognition that Tupelo High School has received from Sports Illustrated in the past four years. In 2005 the THS Athletic Program was chosen as one of Sports Illustrated’s “top 51” overall high school athletic programs in the United States.
Coach Porter commented, “Being selected third in the nation is a tribute to the players, coaches, administration, and parents. We are so proud of all of our athletic teams!” THS won 9 State Championships in 2006-2007.

THS has won 6 State Championships this school year- 2007-2008:
· Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country
· Boys’ Swimming
· Tennis
· Bowling
· Golf
2 North Half Championships:
· Track
· Baseball

The Tupelo Public School District is very, very proud of the accomplishments of our student-athletes, coaches, and community. This honor from Sports Illustrated is just another affirmation that the TPSD is truly a school district “where excellence is tradition.”
Visit http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/high.school.top.10/ to read about this national honor!

Randy D. McCoy, Ed.D
Superintendent

Lawndale Leadership Academy reception

Last week I was invited by Claudia Hopkins to attend the Leadership Academy end-of-the-year reception at Lawndale Elementary School. (You may recall I’ve written about this program before, and even accompanied the sixth-grade participants to the state Capitol in Jackson.) Hopkins and Rene Hooper planned the Leadership Academy, which is modeled after a program for high school freshmen Hooper once worked with in Georgia. With help from alums of the Jim Ingram Leadership Institute sponsored by the Community Development Foundation and CREATE, Hopkins and Hooper organized discussions for the students about teamwork, effective communication and how gender affects an individual’s leadership style. To make a long story short, the students were honored on Friday (May 16) with a reception, and I was one of a handful of volunteers asked to “pin” the students. The day was all about them, but with help from Hooper, the kids turned the tables on Hopkins and presented her with accolades and retirement gifts!