Excellence in education

By Staff
Oct. 18, 2001
Jennifer A. Hermetz of Meridian was one of two freshman maids in the 2001 homecoming court at Mississippi State University.
Hermetz is a liberal arts major and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hermetz.
The maids were selected by their classmates. Presentation of the homecoming court took place at halftime of the MSU-Troy State football game at Scott Field.
Michael Medlin of Brandon attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine July 26-Aug. 4 in Atlanta.
Medlin is the son of David and Patti Medlin of Brandon and the grandson of Jack and Nauvaree Medlin and Robert and Nita Pierce of Meridian.
Michael Medlin, who is interested in a career related to science and health, attends Jackson Academy. He and more than 360 high school juniors and seniors from across the United States attended the forum.
The National Youth Leadership Forum is a nonprofit, educational organization. Students learned about medical ethics, the global effects of infectious disease, genetic research, public health and other subjects related to the field.
Students visited the Atlanta Medical Center; Center for Disease Control; Center for Birth Defects; Emory University School of Medicine; Georgia Institute of Technology Department of Bioengineering; and several other sites.
Not only did students visit the medical institutions of learning and research, they also interacted with doctors, nurses, scientists and professors to better understand medical history, standards and trends.
Throughout the program, Medlin and fellow students experienced problem-based learning in a series of intense simulations and exercises faced by students in medical school.
A Public Health Symposium also took place, which allowed students to develop programs on the issues of adolescent health, health care for the elderly and chronic disease.
Four students from the Explore program at Crestwood Elementary are attending a children's technology conference in Toronto this week.
Fourth-graders Lindsey Nicklas and Rayford Parnell and fifth-graders James Dubose and Amber Edwards are attending the conference with Crestwood Explore teacher Susan Hester and music teacher Dottie Dudley.
The students are scheduled to make a presentation today on the school's Tech-Team; its Explore Community Service project, which included beautification of the 22nd Avenue Overpass; and student-made Web pages.