Monday, March 23, 2015

Well, it's happened. Spring is upon us. The days until final exams and graduation are rushing past us at what seems the speed of light (the seniors have even begun their graduation countdown calendar). Hopefully, the snow and ice are behind us. As you know, we missed several days due to the weather. However, with the days built into our calendar for just such an event and the MAIS waiving several days due to the State of Emergency declared by the Governor, we will not be required to make up any additional days.  

However, in all of this hustle and bustle, great things are still happening at MHS. On the athletic fields to the classroom, our students are finding success in many different endeavors.

Our students continue to gather accolades. We are very proud of Mary Latham Pittman finishing in the top ten in the Mid-South Spelling Bee. She competed with other Mid-South county winners from Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee in the annual Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee. We have recently been informed that Caitlyn Perkins and Emily Cockrell were selected to attend the 2015 Governor's School at the "W" this summer and Yates Pepper was selected as an alternate. Senior Rob Beuker has received his appointment to the US Air Force Academy to name just a few.

MHS students also competed in the MAIS District Science Fair where they garnered 42 of the possible 51 places. The first and second place winners (28) now advance to the MAIS state fair in Pearl later this spring.

2015 State AAA D-2 Champions!
Our Chiefs Basketball teams finished an incredible year that saw our varsity Chiefs winning the State AAA D-2 title for a second year in a row and advancing to the Overall Tournament at Mississippi College. In the Overall, the Chiefs advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Marshall in overtime. Our Lady Chiefs advanced to the second round for the first time in several seasons while our junior high Chiefs and Lady Chiefs both advanced to the district championship games. Coach Chastain’s junior high Lady Chiefs captured the North AAA title. Several of our athletes in our fall sports signed scholarships to continue their athletic careers. David Herrington signed with Northwest in football and baseball and Matt Womack signed to play football for the SEC Champions, the Crimson Tide of Alabama.

Spring sports are also in full swing. Our baseball team continues its successful march toward an unprecedented 4th state title with a trip to the Perfect Game Tournament in Atlanta over Spring Break. The Chiefs went 2-2 including a win over the nation's #2 ranked team (IMG Academy). They have started conference play, and weather permitting will play at home this Friday (March 20) versus Heritage Academy. Coach Winn Scott and the tennis team notched their first win as well earlier in the week and track, softball, and golf are also getting underway very soon.

That’s a lot, but our students and teachers understand the importance of extracurricular activities. Sacrifice, hard work, goal setting, and time management are just a few of the benefits that help round out our students’ educational experience. As our students leave and enter college, they have within them a spirit honed with these attributes, which in turn will serve them well in their future endeavors.

But that’s not all! MHS students are also reaching out in avenues of service. The Interact Club is currently making plans to participate in the city-wide cleanup day May 2nd while at the same time raising money for their international service project the Heifer Foundation.

Mrs. Poe’s Projects Class is working with first-grade students on stop animation. It’s a great learning experience for both groups. Barbie drives her Jeep and Chiefs is spelled out with jellybeans. Coming up next is green screen broadcasting. Here the students will be producing clips where similar to what you see the local weatherman do on TV. The students are looking forward to broadcasting virtually from all over the world – even outer space!

There is literally something great happening each day at MHS! I hope that you will take the opportunity to congratulate our students, but more importantly thank our wonderful teachers and coaches for their tireless dedication and efforts to make our school and students the best!

After all, we are not just a school, but a family. #NJASAF