| Magee Courier-Simpson County News

School Board meeting will be held by Zoom

Wed, 05/11/2022 - 05:12 PM

Every local school district, city, and county HR department now on notice as it relates to restricting employee speech in and out of the workplace and on social media.

A case out of Jackson could force local school districts, municipalities, and county governments in Mississippi to rethink their policies related to restricting employee speech whether in the workplace, on social media, and when talking with the news media.

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Simpson Central term 3 honors list

Wed, 05/11/2022 - 12:39 PM

Monthly meeting for the Simpson County School board will be held by zoom on Thursday, May 12 at 4pm due to covid. Log on to the district website for more information.

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Tue, 05/10/2022 - 11:26 AM

3rd Grade Superintendent’s Honors
Aldridge, Tinsley Catherine; Brent, Keimyjhee Malkie L; Buckley, Kason Erick; Floyd, Abby Elizabeth; Holifield, Curtis Cash; Maldonado, Melissa; Sebren, Oscar Stephen; Smith, Madyleigh Hanna; Taylor, Antonio N; Taylor, Taisley Ann
3rd Grade Principal Honors

MHS Teacher of the month

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JPS receives $9 million to expand pre-K access

Tue, 05/10/2022 - 11:12 AM

Magee High School’s April Teacher of the Month, Jada Deal, was presented $100 courtesy of PriorityOne Bank, which sponsors this program to honor local teachers with a financial reward. Mrs. Deal is the MHS librarian, Senior Class sponsor, Beta Club sponsor, yearbook sponsor and prom director, and she oversees Who’s Who. At the presentation are, from left, Keilah Berry, Jada Deal, and Kayla Ware. Berry and Ware represent PriorityOne Bank.

Jackson Public Schools will expand pre-K access to children in the city through a new early learning collaborative. Credit: Jackson Public Schools

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Mississippi Stories: Sammy Moon

Mon, 05/09/2022 - 04:46 PM

The Jackson Public School District is expanding pre-kindergarten services through a $9 million grant from the state, allowing them to serve more 4-year-olds in the city.

The grant comes from the statewide early learning collaboratives program, which are pre-K programs made up of partnerships among school districts, Head Start agencies, childcare centers, and nonprofit groups. The state’s early learning collaboratives have earned high marks for quality on national reports, but have previously been critiqued for limited access.

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MAC: Mini-grants Available, Apply by June 1

Mon, 05/09/2022 - 09:16 AM

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What does ‘contumacious’ mean? The history behind IHL’s ‘vague’ tenure policies

Fri, 05/06/2022 - 02:34 PM

Below is a press release from The Mississippi Arts Commission:

The Mississippi Arts Commission is now accepting applications for the agency’s Mini-grant program, which is offered twice a year to organizations and individual artists to assist with professional development and capacity building. Applications are now open and the deadline to apply is June 1.

Mississippi's Education and Research where the Institutions of Higher Learning has its offices. Credit: Molly Minta/Mississippi Today

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Simpson Central School Hosts Second Annual Heart Walk

Thu, 05/05/2022 - 03:28 PM

Last month, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees shocked faculty across Mississippi when it voted, without discussion, to modify criteria in some of its tenure.

Faculty, who had no formal input on the changes, say the revised criteria are vague and could be easily used by presidents to target outspoken or marginalized colleagues in Mississippi, particularly considering that IHL used similar language to oust liberal professors during the civil rights movement.

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Platinum Club visits Greece

Wed, 05/04/2022 - 10:48 AM

Simpson Central School (SCS) held their Second Annual Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association on Friday, April 29.
Organized by the SCS Beta Club, students and teachers from all grade levels participated in a 30-minute walk around campus to get their hearts pumping. Students and teachers wore red shirts and red hearts stickers to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease in order to help save lives.

Peoples Bank Platinum Club members toured Varlaam Monastery, above, and sites on various Greek islands.

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Genesis 1 competed in robotics program

Wed, 05/04/2022 - 09:44 AM

Peoples Bank Platinum Club members and friends took off in March on their most ambitious trip yet, a two-week journey through Greece.
Despite the almost 13 hour flight to and from their destination, the travelers agreed that the trip was an amazing experience. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” said Tesa Duckworth of Magee.
After landing in the capital city of Athens and orienting themselves to the eight hour time difference, the group set out to explore the land which is called “The Cradle of Western Civilization.”

Genesis I Christian School students competed at a high level at their recent Sumo Wrestling Robotics competition at Hartfield Academy.

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SCDF recognizes achievements

Wed, 05/04/2022 - 09:39 AM

The Genesis I Christian School robotics program is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. Mendenhall Ministries President Dr. Scottye Holloway is excited for the opportunity that is being provided to the students of Genesis I. President of Mississippi Robotics Ray Holt helped start the program at Genesis I.
Dr. Holloway said, “It’s outstanding to have someone like Mr. Ray around being able to work with our children. We’re blessed to have him and my prayer is that we will more people to pour into our children. Our kids are taking to it like ducks in water.”

AirSouth was recognized by the SCDF as Business of the year. Accepting the award were Dane Cole, owner Jim Sinclair, and Eric Robinson. Eric Adkins made the presentation on behalf of the SCDF.

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MCIR: Hospital staffing, bed space leave mentally ill defendants languishing in jail

Wed, 05/04/2022 - 09:05 AM

The Simpson County Development Foundation held their annual luncheon last week at the Simpson County Country Club.
The guest speaker for the event was Philip Gunn, Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was introduced by Representative Price Wallace. For additional information on Gunn’s remarks, see The Lighter Side page 4A.
In addition to the traditional passing of the gavel, SCDF recognized local businesses for their service to the community over the past year.

George and Dianne Sellers, seen here in their Quitman, Mississippi, home in April 2022, hold a photo of their son, Brad, who has been in and out of mental health facilities. Brad Sellers, 40, is diagnosed with schizophrenia and is charged with assault on a police officer. A psychiatrist has determined he’s incompetent to stand trial but could be restored to competency. Blair Parker Ballou/MCIR

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MDE providing $23.1M of digital subscriptions to school districts at no cost

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 02:24 PM

Brad Sellers celebrated his 40th birthday in February in the Clarke County Jail in Quitman, having been there since June 2021 on a charge of aggravated assault on a Quitman police officer.

He’ll probably bee there for his 41st birthday as well.

A psychiatrist he saw in December determineed Sellers is incompetent to stand trial because of his schizophrenia but could be restored to competency with treatment. His mother, Dianne Sellers of Quitman, said that she was told her son faces a wait in jail of up to a year for a bed to open up at Mississippi State Hospital.

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Mississippi Stories: Rita Soronen

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 02:20 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education:

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is providing $23.1 million of digital subscriptions to school districts at no cost to enhance the digital learning experience.

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Free speech organizations ask IHL to roll back ‘ripe for abuse’ tenure changes

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 10:12 AM

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MCM is led to love community

Thu, 04/28/2022 - 09:12 AM

Two national organizations sent a joint letter Wednesday calling on the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees to roll back changes to its tenure policies after a Mississippi Today report.

PEN America and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) — nonprofits that advocate for free speech in higher education — say the board’s revisions are “untenable” and “raise significant concerns under the First Amendment.”

Pastor Chris Garcia has been with MCMC for 15 years. Sunday services include Sunday School at 9 a.m. and worship at 10 a.m.; evening worship and teaching at 6 p.m.; Wednesday evening devotional and prayer time meets at 6 p.m.

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Report: Proposed college aid program will create ‘new problems’ for low-income students

Wed, 04/27/2022 - 08:46 AM

The Magee Congregational Methodist Church (MCMC) has been a neighborhood church just off Old Highway 49 and down from Magee Outdoor Power for 65 years.
The original location was east of Magee on Stubbs Road when it first began meeting in 1956. In fact, descendants from some charter families still attend, six generations later.

Mississippi State University students walk to class on the Starkville campus. Credit: Molly Minta/Mississippi Today

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MDE: 2021 State of preschool report recognizes Mississippi as one of top five states for high-quality pre-K

Tue, 04/26/2022 - 05:12 PM

A proposed overhaul of Mississippi’s state financial aid programs is complicated, unlikely to address existing issues and could create problems for low-income students, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.

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