Poplarville Mississippi

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Poplarville High School Team Places First in Ocean Sciences Bowl

A different type of hurricane warning was in effect when a team of Poplarville High School students blew away its competition in the annual Hurricane Bowl contest at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs, Miss.

Poplarville High School Team A, (left to right) Becky Starke, Justin Williams, Shelby Ramming, coach Elizabeth Jones and Nigel Simmons, took first place at the annual Hurricane Bowl held at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs. (Not photographed, team member Rob Merrell.) The team heads to Galveston, Texas in April to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. (GCRL photo, Martha Duvall)

Coached by Mel Hall and Elizabeth Jones, Poplarville “Team A” was comprised of captain Justin Williams, Becky Starke, Shelby Ramming, Nigel Simmons and Rob Merrell. The GCRL regional competition is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB®), which is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Poplarville winners, as well as winners from 24 other regional sites, will compete at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Galveston, Texas, April 29-May 1, 2011.

Each year GCRL’s Marine Education Center plays host to 18 teams of high school students from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Hurricane Bowl is the central Gulf Coast competition and is a rapid-fire, question-and-answer contest focusing on ocean sciences.

Coastal Mississippi teams were big winners in the Hurricane Bowl with Long Beach High School “Team A” earning second place, Bay High School of Bay St. Louis coming in third, Ocean Springs High School taking fourth place, and Long Beach High School “Team B” in fifth place.
Whites Creek High School of Whites Creek, Tenn., took home the Sportsmanship Award.

The Hurricane Bowl, as well as the national competition, includes question-and-answer “buzzer” rounds, team-challenge questions, educational field trips and social activities that encourage interaction among student peers and marine scientists. For more information on the competition or to view sample quiz questions, visit www.nosb.org.

GCRL’s Marine Education Center is the lab’s public education and outreach arm. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, GCRL focuses on sustainable coastal and marine resources, development of new marine technologies and the education of future scientists and citizens. The GCRL is home to the Department of Coastal Sciences, the Marine Education Center, the Center for Fisheries Research and Development and the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. It is in the university’s School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, College of Science and Technology. More information can be found at www.usm.edu/gcrl.

Filed under: Featured, K-12, USM, GCRL’s Marine Education Center, mississippi, National Ocean Sciences Bowl, Ocean Springs High School, Poplarville High School, Poplarville Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi

PRCC to hold cheerleading clinics, tryouts

POPLARVILLE – Pearl River Community College will hold a series of cheerleading/stunt clinics leading up to tryouts for the 2011-12 cheerleading squad.

Clinics will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 11, Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at Shivers Gymnasium on the Poplarville campus.

A mandatory clinic will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 4 at Shivers Gym.

Tryouts will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 5, at the gym.

Cost for each clinic is $5.

For more information, contact Tom Smith at 601 543-4462, 601 403-1253 or tlsmith@prcc.edu.

Filed under: Pearl River, Sports, Cheerleading, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi, Tom Smith

Comments sought for PRCC nursing reaccreditation review

POPLARVILLE – The Pearl River Community College associate degree nursing program will host a site review next month for continuing accreditation of its program.

Interested persons can  meet the review team and comment on the program at a meeting at 3:45 p.m. Friday, March 4, in the PRCC Nursing Building tiered classroom.

Written comments can be submitted to Dr. Sharon Tanner, chief executive officer, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 303026; or by email to sjtanner@nlnac.org. Deadline for written comments is Wednesday, Feb. 23.

For more information, contact Peggy Dease, PRCC director of nursing education, at 601 403-1016.

Filed under: Medical, Pearl River, education, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi

Legislators meet with PRCC students, faculty

Folks at Pearl River Community College heard a little good news Monday – they’ll probably get through the school year without losing any more funding.

Eighteen consecutive months of falling tax revenue meant most state agencies, including community college, were asked to cut their budgets more than once in fiscal 2010.

“The good news is five out of the last six months, we’ve met tax projections,” said Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg. “I don’t think there will be mid-year budget cuts, but the growth is microscopic.”

Members of the Forrest County Center PRCC Faculty Association and students met with four area legislators, Sen. Tom King, R-Petal; Rep. Larry Byrd, R-Petal; Rep. Harvey Fillingane, R-Sumrall; and Barker.

“I enjoyed it,” said radiography student Logan Holden of Poplarville. “I thought it kind of gave us a bird’s eye view of the state and what’s going on.”

While the state’s economy grows at a snail’s pace, enrollment at the state’s 15 community colleges is booming, said PRCC President Dr. William Lewis.

Sen. Tom King, R_Petal, left, and Rep. Toby Barker, R_Hattiesburg, talk with Pearl River Community College radiology student Logan Holden of Poplarville Monday while Rep. Harvey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, greets another student during an open house at the Forrest County Center. PRCC Public Relations photo

Statewide, 88,000 students are enrolled in a community college this semester, 11,000 more than are attending a four-year institution, he said. Of the state’s freshmen, 70 percent are attending community college and 97 percent of community college students live in Mississippi, he said.

“We have a lot of needs,” Lewis said. “We continue to grow. We continue to need help. These are the folks we can count on.”

The economy downturn appears to have bottomed out but recovery won’t be quick, Fillingane said.

“As far as real solid growth goes, we’ll  have to have new jobs,” he said.

King agreed recovery will be slow.

“They’re telling us 2014 or 2015 to get to where we were five years ago,” King said.

Byrd predicted South Mississippi will benefit from reapportionment this year as well as economic factors such as expansion of the Port of Gulfport and the opening of the Stion solar panel plant in Hattiesburg.

“Because of the shift in population, we’ll see more lobbying efforts for South Mississippi,” he said.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Government, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, Harvey Fillingane, Larry Byrd, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi, Toby Barker, Tom King, William Lewis

PRCC receives $350,000 from Asbury Foundation

POPLARVILLE – The Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg recently gave $350,000 to Pearl River Community College for scholarships and dental hygiene equipment.

The grant will be used to further the education of students living in the eight counties served by the foundation, said executive director Bill Ray.

“They are usually students who stay at home and contribute to the Mississippi economy,” Ray said. “The money is well spent.”

A portion of the money – $150,000 – will be used to purchase digital imaging equipment, computers and software for the dental hygiene program at the Forrest County Center.

“This is a huge upgrade,” said Dr. Stan Hill, program director.

Students in the two-year program will learn how to manage charting and other aspects of a dental practice by computer as well as imaging, he said.

“Not everybody has gone digital in private practice, but it’s coming,” Hill said.

The equipment will be installed this spring, giving the instructors time to become familiar with it before putting it in use during the fall semester.

The remaining $200,000 of the Asbury grant will be used for scholarships through the PRCC Foundation.

Three full-tuition scholarships were awarded this semester, said PRCC Foundation executive director Ernie Lovell.

Although the Asbury Foundation did not restrict the scholarship funds, the preference is to assist students enrolled in an allied health or nursing program. The Asbury Foundation’s charter requires recipients of its grants to live in Covington, Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River or Perry counties.

“ Pearl River Community College is extremely grateful for the continuing support that the Asbury Foundation has shown with these latest gifts to the college,” said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president. “Their partnership with our institution is vital to the success of our efforts to provide quality higher educational experiences for the citizens of South Mississippi.”

The Asbury Foundation was created in September 1997 with $35 million in assets from the sale of Wesley Health Systems. The foundation awards grant to strengthen education and health care in South Mississippi.

Filed under: Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Marion County, Oak Grove, Pearl River, Petal, Purvis, Sumrall, Asbury Foundation, Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg, covington, Ernie Lovell, Jefferson Davis, Pearl River Community College, POPLARVILLE, Poplarville Mississippi, PRCC Foundation, Stan Hill, Wesley Health Systems, William Lewis

PRCC Foundation donors, scholarship recipients meet

POPLARVILLE – The Pearl River Community College Foundation has awarded 87 scholarships funded by individual donors and organizations.
The donors and the students who are benefitting from their generosity met on Nov.18 at the annual Scholarship Donor Dinner on the Poplarville campus.
Approximately 500 scholarships, valued at about $3 million, have been awarded through the Foundation since it was established in 1987, said Ernie Lovell, executive director.
Students who received scholarships but were not at the dinner include:

  • Stephen Hass of Kiln received the Dr. and Mrs. John W. Askew Dental Hygiene Scholarship.
  • Bonnie Meyers of Waveland received the Edith Dantagnan Nursing Scholarship.
  • Pamela Scheuermann of Picayune received the Hestian Society Scholarship.
  • Sarah Kellar of Picayune received the Berlon Lee Scholarship.
  • David Albriton of Columbia received the Garland Parish Memorial Scholarship.
  • Josh McCauley of Hattiesburg received the LaRue and Mary Jean Saulters Scholarship.
Filed under: Hattiesburg, Pearl River, education, Ernie Lovell, Pearl River Community College, Pearl River Community College Foundation, Poplarville campus, Poplarville Mississippi, scholarship

PRCC Announces Association of Supervisors Scholarships

Recipients of Mississippi Association of Supervisors scholarships at Pearl River Community College are, front row from left, Bailey Boyte of Poplarville, Shyedra Applewhite of Bassfield, Chrysten Bounds of Sumrall, Darqueitta Cook of Hattiesburg, Kelly King of Purvis, Alyssa Graeter of Poplarville, donor representative Donna O’Quinn; back row, Brittany Fortenberry of Columbia, Ashley Horning of Prentiss, Dylan Delcuze of Waveland, Anthony Lusco of Bay St. Louis, Emmanuel Ridge and Jacob West, both of Hattiesburg. They attended the annual Scholarship Donor Dinner on Nov. 18 at PRCC.

PRCC Public Relations photo

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, Alyssa Graeter, Anthony Lusco, Ashley Horning, Bailey Boyte, Brittany Fortenberry, Donna O'Quinn, Dylan Delcuze, Emmanuel Ridge, Jacob West, Kelly King, Mississippi Association of Supervisors, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi

PRCC Christmas Extravaganza tickets on sale

POPLARVILLE – Tickets are now on sale for the Christmas Extravaganza featuring recording artist Lindsey Lee and sponsored by the Pearl River Community College Alumni Association.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at Blue Jack Ridge near Poplarville.

Lee, whose family lives in Hattiesburg, attended Pearl River in 2008 and performed with RiverRoad showchoir. She recently finished touring all of the House of Blues venues in the U.S. with Mike Posner on his “Up in the Air” Tour 2010. She released “Fall Out,” her first single, earlier this year on Itunes. Lee now lives in Nashville.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the gate. There is no charge for children 5 and under.

In addition to Lee’s performance, a ticket includes meeting Santa Claus and his elves and visits to the Santa’s Live Petting Zoo and the West Town and Kid’s Corral.

Other activities include pictures with Santa, starting at $20; refreshments for sale, gifts, toys, t-shirts and other items for sale in the general store, $2 bowls of chili from the chili cook-off and a cake auction.

Anyone can enter the chili cook-off by Candace Harper at 601 403-1183 or emailing her at charper@prcc.edu. Prizes will be gift cards.

Deadline for advance tickets is Monday, Nov. 29. Order them by calling 601 403-1183 or mailing a check to the PRCC Christmas Extravaganza, P.O. Box 5389, Poplarville, MS 39470.

Filed under: Christmas, Forrest County, Holidays, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, Candace Harper, Lindsey Lee, Mike Posner, Pearl River, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi, Santa’s Live Petting Zoo

PRCC’s Women’s Health Symposium Receives Major Grant

POPLARVILLE – The Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation recently awarded a $15,000 grant to Pearl River Community College as grand sponsor of the 2011 Women’s Health Symposium.

The symposium will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29, on the Poplarville campus.

As in past years, the symposium will include free health screenings, break-out sessions dealing with specific health topics and a luncheon. Motivational speaker Sally Baskey of Arlington, Texas, will be the keynote presenter.

“Pearl River Community College’s Women’s Health Symposium provides important health information to women throughout South Mississippi,” said PRCC President William Lewis. “We are appreciative of the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation’s continued support of this event, which has grown annually since the first symposium five years ago.”

Approximately 300 women attended the 2010 symposium.

“For the past several years, the foundation has been a major sponsor in this event, which is always attended by several hundred people in our service area,” said Dr. Ted Alexander, chief executive officer of the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation. “The foundation looks forward to being a part of this health-related activity again.”

Registration materials for the 2011 symposium will be available in December.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Marion County, Medical, Oak Grove, Pearl River, Petal, Purvis, Sumrall, Pearl River Community College, Pearl River County Mississippi, Poplarville campus, Poplarville Mississippi, Sally Baskey, Ted Alexander, William Lewis