Excellence in Education

By Staff
May 2, 2002
A.J. Chesney, a junior at Union High School, will participate in the Trent Lott Leadership Institute for high school students this summer at the University of Mississippi.
Participants will engage in debate, discussion and decision-making activities while learning leadership skills. They will visit Washington and meet with federal officials and leaders of industry. The students also receive six hours of college credit.
Chesney was nominated as a participant in the program by his school guidance counselor, Polly Gordon.
Chesney is one of 20 students selected from nearly 500 nominations to receive partial scholarships within the program.
As part of the leadership training, participants must raise a portion of the scholarship cost and are responsible for the cost of books, some meals and some of the travel expenses. Corporate sponsors of the Lott Institute provide the remaining costs.
Chesney is the son of Tim and Melanie Chesney of the House community. He is the grandson of Lin and Janice Chesney of Union and Don and Beth Howington of Little Rock and the great-grandson of Eldie Howington of Meridian.
He is a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Little Rock and he works at the Shorewood Inn Restaurant in House.
In school, he is a member of the Pride of Union Marching Band, the Beta
Club, Future Business Leaders of America, the debate team and the mock trial team.
DECATUR Philadelphia businessman David Byars was recently welcomed as a new member of the East Central Community College Board of Trustees.
Byars is the owner of Byars Furniture Co. He is a graduate of Philadelphia High School and Mississippi State University.
He also attended classes at ECCC.
DECATUR Members of East Central Community College's Wall O' Sound Marching Band participated in the College Band Directors' National Association Honor Band this semester.
ECCC band members chosen for the honor were: Andy Murphy, percussionist; Damein Wash, clarinetist; and Anthony Barfield, trombonist. Thomas W. Carson is director of bands at the community college.
The honor band met during the association's Southern Division Conference in Atlanta on Feb. 20-23. After two days of rehearsals, the band concluded the conference with a concert.
OXFORD A team of students from Meridian Community College received special recognition for most questions answered by a team that did not place in the 18th Annual Ken Wooten Scholars Bowl competition at the University of Mississippi.
Representing MCC were Chad Nicholson and Kenny Moses. Jim Dauphine served as the MCC adviser for the competition.
Sixteen teams of top scholars from community colleges throughout Mississippi visited the Ole Miss-Oxford campus for two days of competition in a quiz-bowl format, fielding questions in the academic areas of science and technology, mathematics, humanities, fine arts, and social and behavioral sciences.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College-Jeff Davis won first place in the competition. Copiah-Lincoln Community College-Wesson placed second and Northeast Mississippi Community College placed third.
The Scholars Bowl, an annual competition for community and junior college students, is sponsored by the University of Mississippi's Office of Admissions and Institute for Continuing Studies.
CLINTON A group of students from Lamar High School attended the 28th Annual Mississippi Science and Mathematics Tournament on the campus of Mississippi College Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
Representing Lamar were: David Culpepper, Dave Hicks, Carrie Jones, Jessica Lindsey, Melissa Love, Amanda Marsalis, Natalie Myatt, Sarah Pankiewicz, Pat Phillippi and Lisa Swartzfager.
Phyllis Skipper served as the tournament coordinator for the high school.
Sponsored by the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science at Mississippi College, the tournament recognized students and their high schools for outstanding achievement in these fields of study.