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Wal-Mart gives $80,000
to Public Education Forum
The Walmart Foundation awarded an
$80,000 grant to the Public Education Forum of Mississippi, which is an
affiliate of MEC. Tice White of Walmart (second from left) presents check to
Vickie Powell, vice president of foundation programs to support Mississippi
Scholars. Also pictured are Rafael Brown of Walmart, Melanie Morgan of
Trustmark, PEF Treasurer, and MEC President Blake Wilson.
Salute to Mississippi Scholars Event a Success
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.
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 Partnership sponsored 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.
To read the SSI September 2009 Newsletter
To read the most recent publication by The State Scholars Initiative.
For the Scholars End-of-Year Report
Mississippi Scholars Students honored at ceremony in Brookhaven.
Mississippi Scholars Mission
To encourage and motivate all high school students to complete a defined, rigorous academic course of study that prepares them for successful transition to college or university coursework or vocational and technical training necessary to enter today's competitive job market.
What is Mississippi Scholars?
The State Scholars Initiative is a national program, operating across the country. It utilizes business leaders to motivate students to complete a more challenging course of study in high school.
Mississippi joined the State Scholars Initiative in 2003. Since then, more than 11,000 MississippiHigh School students have graduated with the Mississippi Scholars distinction.
The Mississippi Scholars course of study gives students the foundation they need to succeed in a technical school, community college, university, the military or industry.
Click here to view eighth grade PowerPoint presentation or click here to download.
To find out who to contact in your area to learn more about Mississippi Scholars, click here.
The work reported herein was supported under State Scholars Initiative, PR/Award Number (V051U020001), as administered by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education or the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
“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 Chair, Public Education
Forum of Mississippi
“Participating in the Miss.
Scholar’s 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
"Taking the Mississippi Scholars
course of study really challenged me throughout high school and better prepared
me for college. I would like to challenge the future students of Shannon High
School to step up and take these classes. It will not be easy, but taking these
classes will pay off in the future.” Randy Collier
Graduating 2009 senior of Shannon High School, Shannon, Miss.
