Jones County MS Scholars Training

Community Involvement

Salute to Scholars

Brookhaven Volunteers Honored

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Giving Students the Foundation to Succeed
by Increasing
Academic Rigor

Salute to Mississippi Scholars Event a Success

Becky Montgomery of Mississippi Power speaks during the Salute to Scholars Program at MEC's Annual Meeting.

Bridging the Gap was the theme of the first ever Salute to Mississippi Scholars event, which was held April 15 at the Jackson Convention Complex with over 100 participants.Speakers for the events included Public Education Forum Chair Rebecca Montgomery; outgoing MEC Chair and President of AT&T Mississippi Mayo Flynt, along with State Senator Doug Davis and State Representative Kelvin Buck, chairs of the respective University and Colleges Committees. Panelists included Kenny Goza, Entergy customer account manager, Dianne Payne, executive director for Jackson County Civic Action, and Angela Glissen, programs and projects coordinator in Economic Development at the Community Development Foundation, Tupelo/Lee County. The event provided an opportunity to share best practices and focused on partnerships.

Public Education Forum (PEF) Officers 2010

Chair: Gloria Harvey, Manager - Regulatory & External Affairs, AT&T

Vice Chair: Melanie Morgan, Senior Vice President/Director Corporate Communication & Board Relations, Trustmark National Bank

Treasurer: Martha Cooke, Administrator, School Book Supply Company (MISSCO)

The Public Education Forum is working through local communities, business leaders and groups to challenge high school students to strive for excellence. Becoming a MS Scholar is within the reach of every willing student. MS Scholars extends beyond the state’s current graduation requirements, while leaving ample time for elective classes.

Success: Brookhaven/Lincoln County

50 volunteers made presentations to 800 students.

500 students and parents participated in April banquet

202 seniors were recognized as MS Scholars from 7 high schools

96 of those Scholars received scholarships funded by local businesses and organizations and 11 colleges and universities from around the state.

$106,000 combined scholarship, a total that beat last year’s record $92,000 in contributions by $14,000

Had there been enough students to claim all the scholarships being offered by the colleges and universities, $146,000 could have been awarded, stated Mississippi Scholars Fundraising Chairman David Culpepper in Brookhaven/Lincoln County.

Jasper County

Jasper County Rotary Club sponsored the first ever MS Scholars luncheon on May 3 at City Hall in Jasper County.

23 sponsors provided $250 in scholarships to 30 MS Scholars in Jasper County for a total of $7,500 in scholarship distribution.

The following is a breakdown of MS Scholars by school:

9 - Bay Springs High School

9 - Stringer Attendance Center

12 - Heidelberg High School

Marion County

Marion County Development Partnershipsponsored the first Marion County MS Scholars Banquet at Woodlawn Student Center on May 6. Marion County joined MS Scholars during the 2009-2010 school year.

$1,000 in scholarships provided through Marion County Development Partnership

The following is a breakdown of MS Scholars by school:

6 - East Marion High School

4 - West Marion High School

The key ingredient to the success of the Mississippi Scholars program is having the business communities’ involvement and delivering the message to students that their high school coursework is critical to their success.

Click here to read the SSI September 2009 Newsletter

Click here to read the most recent publication by The State Scholars Initiative.

Click here For the Scholars End-of-Year Report

Be Current with MEC:

Testimonials

“Mississippi Scholars is a highly successful initiative because community and business leaders make an investment in their local schools. These leaders go into high school classrooms and make presentations encouraging and challenging students to raise the bar for themselves and take more rigorous courses. In May 2009 over 3,000 students heard the message, met the challenge and graduated as Mississippi Scholars. Just think what our students could do and our state could become with a more qualified workforce that strived to get ahead rather than just get by.”
Becky Montgomery
Mississippi Power Company
Manager of Community Affairs
Past Chair, Public Education Forum of Mississippi

“Participating in the Mississippi Scholars program has been a true value to our community and state. Each year we see more and more students challenging themselves and graduating as Mississippi Scholars. I wanted to be an integral part to the Community Development Foundation’s efforts and to continue to promote graduation throughout our state."
Wayne Averett
The Renasant Center for IDEAs in Tupelo, Mississippi

"Choosing to be a Mississippi Scholar was difficult. I have always struggled with math, and required courses included trigonometry, chemistry and pre-calculus. I made it through them all with passing grades. If it weren't for Mississippi Scholars, I would not have taken these challenging classes and I would not be as college-ready as I am now. Thank you for challenging me to be the best I can be!"
Caroline Driskell
2011 Graduate, Brookhaven High School, Brookhaven, Mississippi

“If you want a good life for you and your loved ones, you must be ready for any obstacles. You need an education, a good, well-paying job and a firm structure to support your choices. Without those things, you lack the basis for a stable life. Without something to fall back on, how will your children get an education? Think about it.”
Isis Cole
East Central Middle School

“I am going to take school more seriously than I did before, because an education is what I need and I'm not going to let anyone or anything stand in my way.”
Timothy Jones
Magnolia Junior High School