School Season Begins as the Rotary Club, MUW and EMCC Collaborate for a Great Start

School Season Begins as the Rotary Club, MUW and EMCC Collaborate for a Great Start

The end of summer break is fast approaching as students from the Golden Triangle area gear up to resume the 2024-25 academic year. As most public schools adopt a revised schedule that shortens summer breaks, classes are set to commence this week.

Back to School Across Counties

Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is set to start classes on Tuesday while schools in Lowndes County and Columbus are scheduled to start on Thursday. West Point begins its first day on Friday with Noxubee trailing behind with a start date slated for August 1.

The first day back will primarily focus on acquainting students with their new surroundings especially for students with new teachers. They will be settling into the routine that they will follow for the rest of the school season. Administrators, teachers, and staff have been working tirelessly before the commencement of the first day, making vital preparations for the incoming school year.

Saluting our Educators

Here, we acknowledge the hard work of our educators and encourage parents to become partners in their efforts. What better way to do so than to provide a warm welcome back to the school kids!

Strengthening First-Generation College Students

A cordial rose goes out to the Columbus Rotary Club, Mississippi University for Women (MUW), and the East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) who are working together to pave an easier path for first-generation college students.

Lowndes First Generation Youth Realizing Success Together (FYRST)

Together, these organizations have created a program, Lowndes First Generation Youth Realizing Success Together (FYRST). The aim of the program is to form a cohort of 10 first-generation college students at each institution in the 2024-25 year. The students, selected from each institution, will attend seminars, retreats and other events. The aim of these activities is to help them understand their next steps during their time at EMCC or MUW.

Each group is also expected to complete an annual service project. The funding and matching Rotary District grant for the Lowndes FYRST program will be provided by Rotary Club of Columbus. They will also be facilitating a welcome event at the beginning of the first semester, a retreat, and a celebration event at the end of it for both EMCC and The W.

City of Starkville Revisits Loitering and Panhandling Ordinance

Moving over to Starkville, we give a rose to the city on its decision to consider an ordinance that addresses loitering and panhandling. The last statute that handled such issues was repealed due to its extensive realm of control. The city has now announced a public hearing to discuss the new ordinance, a requirement by law. Interestingly, it appears that aldermen are genuinely looking for input from their citizens, a move we consider wise.

Engaging the public in a good-faith effort will help the aldermen to craft an ordinance that is effective in protecting citizens from harassment. At the same time, it should recognize the humanity of those who resort to panhandling to fulfil their basic needs. This demonstrates that a good policy is not made by cut-and-paste but by understanding specific challenges and values of an area.

A Wait and Watch Stance

We will continue to closely follow these developments and update our readers accordingly. Quality, in-depth journalism along with insightful commentary is our commitment to our readers in the Golden Triangle.