South Pike High School was visited by motivational speaker Terry W. Johnson last semester. Johnson, a retired army officer is the CEO of “The Champion Within”.

His presentation, presented on November 5, 2009 was entitled: “Empowering Parents”.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 10, 1980 and retired from the military in June 2000 with 20 years of service.

2009-2010 Teachers of the Year for the McComb School District are Cynthia Butler - Kennedy Elementary; Susan Huckaby – McComb High School; Carolyn Wells – Higgins Middle School; Shanta Green – Otken Elementary School; Johshonda Robertson – Summit; Donna Thomae- McComb Business and Technology Complex; and Bernadine Welch – Denman Jr. High School.

The McComb School District 2009 – 2010 Teacher of the Year is Susan Huckaby.

By Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs / Special Report from Teaching Tolerance

Vickie Malone’s students see integration when they gather in her classroom at McComb (Mississippi) High School. Black and white youngsters talk and study with peers they’ve known since elementary school. But Malone doesn’t want her students to see integration.

She wants them to think about it, to understand their families’ roles in the struggle that, to some extent, continues in their Mississippi town.  She doesn’t want them to learn history; she wants them to do history.

 McComb School District Public Relations Director, Monique Gilmore has been named the president of the Mississippi School Public Relations Association.  She will serve for the 2009 – 2010 school year.  

Gilmore is a native of Cincinnati, OH and a 15 year Army Veteran.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and has been employed with the McComb School District for 7 years.  She is the former director of the McComb School District’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program which earned national recognition for collaborations with community partners.

In keeping with The Mississippi Tribune’s theme of “news from the community, about the community” one of the Mississippi Tribune publishers, Charles Ashley interviewed the Principal of Higgins Middle School, Kelli Little.

Ashley: Principal Little are you married and are there any kids?

Little: Yes, I’ve been married to Pat Little for 20 years and we have two (2) beautiful children. There is Lauren Little, who is in the 10th grade at McComb High and Jared Little, who is in the 5th grade here at Higgins Middle School.

Ashley: Tell our readers about yourself.

Little: I grew up in McComb, Pat and I both are graduates of McComb High and our children are following in our footsteps.