July 30, 2008

We welcome your items for Bulletin Board. Submit items by e-mail (schoolnews@vicksburgpost.com), postal service (P.O. Box 821668, Vicksburg, MS 39182), fax (634-0897), or delivered in person to 1601-F N. Frontage Road by Monday for publication Wednesday. Be sure to include your name and phone number.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Byron Storey and Courtney Allen, both of Vicksburg, have completed Level I of the Hinds Community College Leadership Program. The program, a division of the Institute for Honors and Leadership Studies, assists students with developing leadership and communication skills.

Janet Koester, daughter of Joseph and Susan Koester of Vicksburg, has graduated as a distinguished Honors Scholar through the Hinds Community College Institute for Honors and Leadership Studies. A biochemistry/pre-veterinary medicine major, she is transferring to Mississippi State University where she has been awarded a Phi Theta Kappa transfer scholarship and an All-Mississippi Academic team scholarship. Koester studied Spanish in Costa Rica and was selected for a six-week internship in Somerset, United Kingdom, through the HCC International Studies Program. She served as president of both Phi Theta Kappa’s Gamma Lambda chapter and MS/LA Regional Phi Theta Kappa. She was selected for Beta Beta Beta biology honor society and Who’s Who in American Community and Junior Colleges.

Monica Renee Jackson has graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi Valley State University. She received the Gillman International Study Abroad scholarship, allowing her to study a semester in Alajuela, Costa Rica. She is completing a summer internship with State Farm Insurance in Birmingham, Ala., and will pursue a master of human resource management degree at Troy University. She is the daughter of Mary Jackson and Lonnie Jackson and the granddaughter of Hazel Bell, the late Henry Bell Sr., Esther Jackson and the late R.D. and Neomi Faye Jackson.

Bethan Smollen-Pearson has been accepted into the 3/3 Political Science/Pre-Law Program at Mississippi College. She was named a dean’s scholar and received the Freshman Leadership Scholarship. She attended Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven, concentrating in vocal music. She is the daughter of Bill Smollen and the granddaughter of Bill and Shirley Smollen, all of Vicksburg.

COMPETITIONS

Paint Horse amateur competitor David Headley of Port Gibson captured the championship in the Amateur Stakes Race, showing 16-year-old mare Slide A Way Sally at the 2008 World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas.

Paint Horse youth competitor Shelton Headley of Port Gibson captured a championship in Youth Stake Race 14-18, showing 16-year-old gelding Heza Lucky Fox at the 2008 World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas. The duo also captured a second world championship in the Open Division Stake Race.

IN ATTENDANCE

Caroline Kemp of Vicksburg attended the Summer College for High School Students on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The program allows students to get a head-start on their college career by taking two courses and earning transferable credit.

HONOR ROLLS

Rachel Phillips of Vicksburg has been named to the president’s list for the spring term at the University of Alabama.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Ann Ashton Jones, a 2008 graduate of Vicksburg High School, has been selected to receive the $1,000 Mississippi Water Resources/Robert Engram Memorial Scholarship. She will pursue a communication degree at Mississippi State University.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Bowmar Elementary – Kindergarten orientation, 1 p.m. Thursday.

Beechwood Elementary – Open house for grades 1-6, 5:30 p.m. Thursday; bring school supplies.

Sherman Avenue Elementary – Kindergarten and first grade orientation, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, gym; open house and back-to-school for grades K-3, 6 p.m. Aug. 7, gym.

Vicksburg High – Ninth-grade orientation, 6 p.m. Thursday, auditorium.

Vicksburg Intermediate – Back-to-School Night, Thursday; grades 3-4, 6 p.m.; grades 5-6, 6:50 p.m.

Vicksburg Junior High – Seventh-grade orientation, 7:15 p.m. Thursday.

Redwood Elementary PTO – Special session, 10 a.m. Friday, auditorium; committee set up, officer elections; Melissa Stockstill, 601-631-0491.

South Park Elementary – Kindergarten orientation, 4:45-5:30 p.m. Friday, cafeteria.

Bovina Elementary – Back-to-School Night and orientation for grades K-6, 5:30 p.m. Friday, auditorium; bring school supplies.

After-School Horseback Riding – Supervised lessons; 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, Silver Creek Equestrian Club, Bovina; various packages available; 601-638-8988.

Teaching Institute for Educators – Aug. 13-15 at Hinds Community College’s Eagle Ridge Conference Center; for individuals or institutions interested in converting from a traditional classroom to one that is learning-centered; cost, $550 per person, includes registration, materials and continental breakfasts and lunches; to register, visit www.pcrest.com/centers/hinds; Jane Flowers, 601-629-6850, for more information.

Innovative Behavioral Services Inc. Lifesavers – Abstinence and character-building program, 2-6 p.m. Aug. 16; Tougaloo Community Center, 318 Vine St. in Jackson; Coach Ken Carter, guest; music, health screenings, games, food, more; 601-952-0894 for more information.

Day of Sharing for Teachers of the Gifted – Sept. 5, R.C. Cook University Union at the University of Southern Mississippi; designed to educate teachers on current curriculum and instructional issues in gifted education; no cost; continuing education units are available; 601-266-5236 or gifted.studies@usm.edu for more information.

Jim Wilson Column