Massey expects Pathways to Success to be fully implemented and running successfully within the next four years. “We will make plans and changes over the next few years as we watch the first group of eighth graders go through the initiative,” she said. Districts will have options in deciding how to make Pathways to Success work for their students. “No district will look the same,” said Smith. “All will have flexibility to use the iCAP process to meet their needs and the needs of their students.” Each school district will identify how it can best implement Pathways to Success. To assist districts as they implement the initiative, future professional-learning opportunities will be offered. “Counselors, teachers, administrators, parents and students themselves form the coalition that can guide the choices students make to ensure a successful future,” said Lynn House, deputy state superintendent for Mississippi. Using the whole-school approach, Pathways to Success will help each student graduate from high school with a plan of action for the future, and it will provide a knowledgeable and skilled workforce statewide. Smith said, “Pathways to Success is just a conversation, just a way to talk to students about their futures.” Maybe so, but what begins as a conversation in elementary school and becomes a plan in the eighth grade and is revised throughout high school will result in a promising future for high school graduates and Mississippi’s economy.
STUDENT
Nettleton FFA students grow food for the community
Spotlight
Nettleton High School, in Nettleton Miss., received a Land O’Lakes Foundation grant to develop an Answer Plot Community Garden in the area. Over the summer, the Nettleton FFA students harvested hundreds of pounds of corn and peas on the one-acre plot. These vegetables were served in the soup kitchen line at a local shelter and donated to the Tupelo Salvation Army’s food pantry. According to the foundation’s website, Answer Plot gardens are “part of an ongoing effort to help alleviate hunger in rural communities.” Currently, there are six gardens around the country with Nettleton being the only Mississippi location. The foundation provides necessary equipment, including planting guides, seeds and a camera to document the garden’s progress, and the FFA club provides labor in the form of tilling, planting, weeding and harvesting. The Nettleton students were so affected by a visit to the Salvation Army food pantry that they have begun volunteering there in addition to their garden harvesting.
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Awards
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America
The Mississippi Family, Career and Community Leaders of America attended the FCCLA 66th Annual National Leadership Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., on July 10-14 of this year. The following students were recognized as winners at the national convention: Poplarville High School CTC • Deanairio Bolton, Gold in Career Investigation • Skylor Shamp, Gold in Job Interview • Adrienno Alonzo, Bronze in Chapter Service Project Display • Alexis Seal, Bronze in Chapter Service Project Display • Nikki Seal, Bronze in Chapter Service Project Display • Cortney Ladner, Bronze in National Program in Action Newton County CTC • Cece Hillman, Silver in Life Event Planning • Alli Rawson, Silver in Life Event Planning • Madison Herrington, Silver in Life Event Planning Winona County CTC • Maria Rodriguez, Silver in Culinary Arts • Kadyesha Stovall, Silver in Culinary Arts • Quintena Basken, Silver in Culinary Arts Carl Keen Vocational Center • Venai Brown, Bronze in Illustrated Talk • Miracle Williams, Bronze in Illustrated Talk • Chelcy Gillie, Bronze in Chapter Showcase Display • Martha Jordan, Bronze in Chapter Showcase Display • Elissa McCool, Bronze in Chapter Showcase Display
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