The Mendenhall Elementary School Library recently held its inaugural Book Cover Contest, open to kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

The contest began in April with every student receiving an official blank book cover. The students had two weeks to create a book cover about their favorite book of all time, which they completed during library connections.

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Magee High School Trojan, Dylan Webber, has been invited to play in the 2023 Dream All-American Bowl, a national competition that showcases the top high school athletes from across the country. Webber will play at the Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, on June 18. He is 1 of 180 top prospects chosen to participate in this bowl.

The Dream All-American Bowl is an exclusive all-star game played by top student athletes from across the country. For the bowl, student athletes prepare for a weekend long event of developmental activities and a performance on a nationwide platform. Participation allows players to learn from some of the best teachers of the game, former NFL players, and college and high school coaches.

Webber was selected to play in the bowl after being ranked as a Top Performer at the Recruit Nation College Prospect Showcase in New Orleans. He was evaluated by staff and college coaches on the 40-yard dash and pro agility (5-10-5).

According to committee leader and CEO of Dream Sports Group, Shannon Riley, athletes that were selected have exemplified great leadership skills on and off the field and have stood out as leading performers in each position. He also stated that he believes that these are the next stars of the game, and his organizations wants to recognize them for their outstanding achievements and help them get to the next level.

"Webber has good size. He is very tough and physical on the line of scrimmage. He fires off of the ball and drives defenders back to open holes. We are excited to see him display his talents in Indianapolis,” said Riley.

Webber says this is an absolute blessing to have gotten this far, and he wants to make his state proud. He is very humble and says he may not be the best, but he works hard and will continue to gain the skills needed to be the best.

When asked what drives him, he replied: “To be better than the day before, to enjoy the moment and give it all I have. With God all things are possible.

A native of Magee, Webber is the son of Roy and Monica Webber and brother of Anah Webber. He is a recent graduate of the Magee High School Class of 2023. He has received scholarship offers to play at colleges such as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Hinds Community College.

Simpson County School District (SCSD) held its first Career, Military and College Signing Day event today, May 19, at the Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Simpson County Center.

Designed to honor graduating students from both Magee and Mendenhall high schools, the event brought together seniors, families, and community members and partners to recognize the students on their future endeavors.

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Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC) employee Kirk Sullivan was recently recognized by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation during its 2023 Awards Day Luncheon.

An instructor of metal fabrication at SCTC, the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation recognized Sullivan for his 20 years of service as a craft instructor and for his contributions to the development of the construction workforce. Sullivan has been an educator at SCTC for 21 years.

The Mississippi Construction Education Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote careers, recruit capable individuals, and train a quality workforce for the construction industry in Mississippi.

After advancing to the Mississippi History Day State Competition in Jackson, Simpson Central School students Kami Patrick and Garnet Gary have once again taken home a first-place win.

Competing in the Junior Group Exhibit category, Patrick and Gary won first place for their exhibit on civil rights activist Medgar Evers. The title of the project was called Medgar Evers – Leading Mississippi to a New Frontier.

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Crystal Brewer, counselor for Simpson Central School, was recently re-elected to serve as a member on the Board of Directors for the Magnolia State School Counselor Association.

A founding member of the Magnolia State School Counselor Association, Brewer will serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors, effective July 1, and will head the group as board chair. She has held the position of board chair since the creation of the association in April 2021.

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Simpson County School District (SCSD) is delighted to welcome five new administrators to its staff for the upcoming 2023-24 school year. These new administrators will join SCSD at the school and district level.

At the school level, SCSD welcomes one new director and two new principals:

• Dr. Keri D. Armstrong, who will assume the position of director of the Simpson County Technical Center. An 18-year educator, Armstrong currently serves as assistant director of the Marion County Career and Technical Center, where she has also served as a counselor.

• Johnnie Barnes, who will serve as principal of Magee Middle School. With more than 15 years of experience, Barnes comes to the district from Covington County School District, where he holds the position of principal of Carver Middle School.

• Dr. KenitraEzi, who will take the lead as principal of Mendenhall High School. A veteran educator of 20 years, Ezi holds school- and district-level experience, with her previous positions including superintendent of West Jasper School District and assistant superintendent of Laurel School District.

At the district level, SCSD adds two new directors:

• Shelia Copeland, who will serve as the director of finance. With more than 25 years of experience in finance and business administration, she hails from Jefferson Davis County School District, where she has worked the past 15 years as business manager.

• Nestor Gonzalez, who will take on the role of director of technology. Holding 25 years of information technology experience, Gonzalez is currently employed as director of technology for Amentum, a leading contractor for the U.S. federal government.

“Simpson County School District is experiencing a forward momentum, and we are excited to have these new hires join our growing team,” said Superintendent Toriano Holloway. “Many new initiatives and programming are in development for the success of our students, staff, and schools, and we expect great things from each of these professional educators as we continue to move our district forward.”

For more information about Simpson County School District, visitwww.simpson.k12.ms.us.

Simpson County School District (SCSD) will host a Career, Military and College Signing Day on Friday, May 19, to honor graduating students of the Class of 2023.

The Signing Day will be held at the Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Simpson County Center, in the conference room, at 9 a.m. Parents, SCSD alumni, community members and families are invited to attend the event honoring SCSD students on their future endeavors.

For more information about the signing day, contact April Dear, career coach, by emailing adear@simpson.k12.ms.us.

Arlicia Jordan, the Simpson County School District (SCSD) Public Relations Specialist, recently took home several awards at the Mississippi School Public Relations Association’s (MSPRA) Annual Awards Luncheon.

MSPRA is a state affiliate of the National School Public Relations Association, a professional organization with more than 2,500 members who work primarily as communication directors in public school districts and education organizations.

During the annual spring conference held in Jackson, Jordan won first place for Excellence in Writing and was a finalist for both the Excellence in Special Purpose Publications and the Excellence in Electronic Newsletter divisions.

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Simpson County School District’s Director of Child Nutrition, Dr. Derricka Thomas, has been selected by a group of her peers from across the country to speak at a national conference this summer in Denver, Colorado.

Chosen by industry professionals of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), Thomas will lead an education session during the 2023 SNA Annual National Conference, which unites thousands of school nutrition program operators, industry partners and allied organizations for an unparalleled educational and networking experience.

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Simpson County School District (SCSD) has been recognized as a Platinum Power User by career and college readiness platform MajorClarity. This achievement signifies SCSD’s commitment to making college, career and life readiness an important student focus.

Introduced to SCSD students this school year, MajorClarity is an all-in-one career readiness and academic planning platform that helps our scholars make decisions about careers, colleges, scholarships and goals.

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Fourth and fifth-grade students at Mendenhall Elementary School recently collected household items to donate to the Angelwings Domestic Abuse Center as a community service project. The service project was done in conjunction with Simpson County School District's new MajorClarity platform, which introduces students to different career paths and teaches them about responsibilities and duties they must perform in the field of their choice. Lessons in MajorClarity include finance, agriculture, transportation, hospitality, technology, manufacturing, arts and communication, STEM, marketing, construction, human services, law and public safety, business, government, education, and health.

In this photo, fourth graders (left to right) Rylynn Staines, Jadavion Williams, Julianna Watkin and Jamorris Byrd present donations to Angelwings representative Ladonna Paige (back left), alongside school counselor Alicia Keith (back right).

Magee High School senior Kymiah McCann has been named a recipient of the 2023 Mississippi Association of Federal Education Program Directors (MAFEPD) Scholarship.

McCann will receive a $2,500 scholarship to support her post-secondary education. She is one of two recipients to be awarded the scholarship in the state of Mississippi. She will also represent the state in the national competition for scholarships awarded by the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators.

The mission of MAFEPD is to enhance leadership and management of federal education programs in local educational agencies in the state of Mississippi.

The Simpson Central School (SCS) Beta Club represented their school and district well during the Mississippi Junior Beta Club Convention in Biloxi on March 7-0. SCS Beta Club had 28 members to compete in the statewide competition.

Competing in a wide variety of academic and team events, the SCS Robotics Team placed third in Junior Robotics and SCS Beta Club member and fifth grader Fletcher Jenkins placed fourth in Elementary Woodworking.

Elected to a leadership position, SCS Beta Club member and seventh grader Nathaniel Little was named state secretary for the Mississippi Junior Beta Club for the upcoming school year. In addition to carrying out the responsibilities of attending surrounding state conventions and assisting with the state convention next year, Little was awarded an all-expense paid trip to attend a leadership camp in Greenville, Tenn., in July.

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Today, March 31, Magee Elementary School (MES) received a very special patriotic gift from members of the VFW of Simpson County.

VFW Post 9122 members Larry Berry, Harry Williams and Leo Windham presented MES Principal Paul Lawrence and music teacher Tammy Sanford with a new American flag to be placed in the school’s gymnasium.

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On Feb. 25, eighth graders Kami Patrick and Garnet Gary, from Simpson Central School, participated in the Mississippi History Day Southern Regional Competition at The University of Southern Mississippi. The competition is held annually and is sponsored by the Mississippi Department of History and Archives.

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The Magee Elementary School (MES) Show Choir was recently announced as first place winners at the 2023 Petal High School Show Choir Invitational.

Competing in the Elementary Division Competition, the MES Show Choir took first place while performing against two other schools from Oak Grove and Biloxi. The choir received a glass plaque for their win.

The MES Show Choir consist of members --

Front Row, Left to Right): Malachi Graves, Sarah Beth Glenn, Matthew Thompson, Roxanna Barnett, Eriyanna Williams, Mallorie Pickett, Layken Barnes, Ellie Tuggle, Audrey Kemp, Emma Chain, and Jaycob Hanna

(Back Row, Left to Right): Skylar Barnes, Miranda Wilson, Jamie Rayborn, Madalyn Hall, Conseulo Hernandez, Alandria Rhodes, Sabastian Womack, and Abra Presley

The application deadline for the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) program has been extended beyond Feb. 15, which was the priority application deadline.

The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted in December 2021 to award more than $9.8 million in grant funds to five universities to cover tuition and expenses for up to 200 aspiring educators seeking a master’s degree in elementary and special education. Those universities are Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University. MTR now includes 42 participating school districts based on each university’s established process for partnering with geographical critical shortage area districts. Confirmed participating school districts are included in the application and will be updated as needed on the MTR website.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all 200 slots are filled or the universities can no longer accept candidates, whichever happens first. Spring 2023 college graduates interested in applying could receive pending eligibility and go on a waiting list until degree conferral. Candidates who submitted complete applications before Feb. 15 will have priority for acceptance into the program.

Accepted applicants will receive a full scholarship, training alongside a mentor teacher, testing support, and ongoing professional development. They must commit to teach in a geographical critical shortage district serving low-income children, racial/ethnic minorities and children with disabilities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Aspiring educators with a bachelor’s degree are encouraged to apply, but only applicants who meet program criteria can be accepted. In addition to a bachelor’s degree, applicants must either meet the minimum required passing score on the Praxis Core, have a 21 or higher on the ACT/SAT equivalent, or have a 3.0 GPA (60 hours of coursework). When applying, applicants will select up to two university-district partnership programs they want to join.

All complete applications will be provided to MTR universities to determine candidate eligibility. Eligible applications will then be provided to each candidate’s top-choice MTR partner school districts, which may then opt to interview applicants either in-person or virtually. After interviews are complete, the MDE will conduct a matching process based on information from MTR applicants, universities and school districts. Applicants will be notified of their possible acceptance into the MTR program by May 2023.

MTR is one of the state’s strategies to address the national teacher shortage. MDE’s Office of Teaching and Leading has operated MTR since 2018 to increase the number of qualified teachers entering and remaining in the profession. MTR is part of a statewide strategy to expand and diversify the teacher pipeline, so all students have teachers who are well-prepared, appropriately licensed and can serve as role models.  The project is supported by American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to cover the grants.

For more MTR program information or to apply, visit mdek12.org/OTL/MTR.

Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.

Health Science students at Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC) represented their schools and district well with their performance during the 2023 Healthcare Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Central District Conference in Florence.

SCTC joined more than 600 students from across central Mississippi to compete in various health-related events during the annual conference. Students placing first through eighth will advance to the State Leadership Conference, in Natchez, in March. The following SCTC students who will represent the district during the state conference include:

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Simpson County School District (SCSD) held its 2022-2023 District Spelling Bee today, Feb. 2, at Magee Elementary School.

The Spelling Bee consisted of 25 contestants, representing Magee Elementary, Mendenhall Elementary, Magee Middle, Mendenhall Jr. High, and Simpson Central schools. The top three finalists were

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On Jan. 27, students in the Culinary Club of Simpson Central School (SCS) received a visit from Simpson County School District (SCSD)’s Director of Child Nutrition Derricka Thomas. The students who participated in the workshop were grades 5th – 8th.

During her visit, Dr. Thomas led the students through a workshop in which they learned about the child nutrition program and received an opportunity to build their very own breakfast menu that will be served in school cafeterias across the district in March during National School Breakfast Week 2023. The students were exposed to the Background of the School Breakfast Program, Healthy Kids Act 2010, Group Menu Planning Technique, Inventory and much more.

For full story, click here.

Simpson County School District (SCSD) employee Leslie May is now the recipient of a competitive grant awarded by the Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE), a statewide professional organization of teachers, administrators and non-certified staff.

May is one of 43 applicants from across the state selected to receive a classroom grant, up to $40,000, to enhance instructional offerings or educational experiences for students during the 2022-23 school year. May was awarded $854 to fund her project entitled “Robotics – Build, Code and Bring to Life,” which will provide third- and fourth-grade gifted students in the Fostering Learning to Attain Goals (FLAG) program an opportunity to build, code and bring a robot to life.

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Students and staff at Mendenhall Elementary School recently enjoyed one of its favorite pastimes – the Scholastic Book Fair.

With the return of the book fair last year, since COVID, students were excited to shop for new books to add to their reading lists. A wide variety of books were available to choose from on many topics, themes, and reading levels. The most preferred books bought during the fair were The Bad Guys, Dog Man, and Pig the Pug. Dinosaurs and shark books were also a favorite.

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On Thursday, Sept. 29, the Mississippi State Board of Education approved new accountability grades for all state public schools and districts for the first time since 2019, due to a two-year pause in state assessments as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Simpson County School District (SCSD) is pleased to acknowledge improvement in the district’s overall accountability score, with many highlights throughout the district. According to the 2021-22 data, SCSD achieved the following highpoints:

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In observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Simpson County School District is partnering with the local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Rho Iota Zeta, for the Eighth Annual Painting Mendenhall Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Walk.

The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m., at the Simpson County Courthouse in Mendenhall, Miss.  Registration for the walk is $5 per person. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Simpson County School District (SCSD) employee Kenyatta Durr is now recognized as a leader in Mississippi’s economic development, thanks to her completion of the Master Teacher of Economics certificate program from the Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE).

Durr, a health informatics instructor at Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC), successfully completed the Master of Teacher of Economics program this summer from the MCEE. Completion of the program attests to her knowledge of basic and advanced-level economic concepts and her ability to help students achieve economic and financial literacy. Durr was accepted into the program, along with 18 other participants from various backgrounds and industries.

For full story, click here.

Thanks to a school resource program through Spire Energy, Magee Elementary School was chosen as the recipient of a generous donation of cleaning supplies for its teachers.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, representatives from Spire Energy – a natural gas company serving businesses and homes across Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri – presented teachers of Magee Elementary School with gift bags and cleaning supplies to be utilized in their classrooms. The school received items such as paper towels, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and spray, facial tissue and masks, which will be stored in a cleaning supply closet for the teachers use.

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Thanks to a significant investment by AccelerateMS, Magee High School and Mendenhall High School will soon benefit from a career coaching program designed for public high schools across the state of Mississippi.

Earlier this week, AccelerateMS announced an $8 million investment in Mississippi high schools to support a significant expansion of the career coach program in Mississippi public high schools. The program, created through House Bill 1388 and funded through House Bill 1517 of the 2022 Legislative Session, aims to connect and prepare high school students with Mississippi’s most in-demand careers. The $8 million project is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

For full story, click here.

Students at Simpson County Technical Center recently made a visit to Milwaukee Tool in Jackson, a respected national manufacturer of heavy-duty power tools, hand tools, instruments, and accessories for skilled tradesmen.

Second-year students in the metal fabrication, construction/carpentry, and polymer science programs toured the facility, which focuses on industrial design, engineering, rapid prototyping testing and manufacturing.

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Simpson County School District (SCSD) is one of 40 districts across the nation that will be participating in the Redefining Ready Cohort for 2022-23 school year.

Redefining Ready is a national campaign launched by the School Superintendents Association (AASA) to introduce a new multi-metric, research-based approach to determining what it means to be college ready, career ready and life ready while focusing on the whole child with the three main areas of importance to students, parents, teachers, and employers: college readiness, career readiness, and life readiness.

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Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC) student Jody Stevens represented his county and school well this summer during the SkillsUSA National Championship in Atlanta.

A metal fabrication student at SCTC, Stevens placed ninth in the Sheet Metal event at the national championship – a top recognition for a first-year Career and Technical Education (CTE) student. He joined more than 6,500 students from across the nation in competing in one or more of 108 event categories.

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