Pike County students participating in the Mississippi Scholars program, which challenges them to take advanced classes throughout high school, say the experience has prepared them for the next step in life.
“It’s a really good program because I was actually challenged,” said Kiplyn Taylor, who graduated last week as McComb High School’s salutatorian.
The program is an effort by area businesses involved with the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and schools to prepare students for college or for good jobs through advanced placement and upper-level classes.
The chamber recently held a banquet to honor 166 area high school seniors participating in the program for their hard work.
Taylor said the required classes include AP English, biology, history and other more rigorous courses such as trigonometry.
“In a regular class I could kind of do it with ease,” she said.
Students also had to maintain a 95 percent attendance record.
“It taught me really good study habits for college. I study every day in advance of tests,” Taylor said. “It also taught me to ask for help. I got three different teachers to help me with (trigonometry).”
She said the program taught her the importance of working hard.
The students in the program also must maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average and contribute 40 hours of community service.
“I definitely had to work hard and keep it up,” Taylor said.
The students can be rewarded for their hard work with scholarships.
Taylor received a $250 per semester scholarship and will attend Tougaloo College in the fall.
Parklane graduate Kimberly Klunk received an $8,000 scholarship offer from Belhaven College, but she signed with Millsaps College, where she got a full scholarship. She attributes her success in part to the Mississippi Scholars effort.
“Once you get into it, you realize you really need this stuff and it isn’t that bad,” Klunk said. “It has taught me that I have to work hard.”
She said the scholars program taught her to set her goals high.
“Since I have had to push myself so hard to make good grades, I have realized that I want to do better and achieve higher goals,” Klunk said.
She also will play basketball for Millsaps.
South Pike graduate Sheldon Barnes said the program also required students to take college courses at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
“With the Mississippi Scholars you have to take 21 hours of dual enrollment with SMCC,” he said. “Research has demonstrated that completing more challenging courses is the strongest predictor of college and workplace success.”
He said he will have nearly a whole semester of college out of the way when he starts at SMCC in the fall. He received a $1,000 scholarship from the college and a $250 from the scholars program.
She also completed her community service.
“We would do things like have toys and clothes drives or go down to the homeless shelter and help them,” McComb’s Taylor said.
She said students also donated clothes, jewelry and medical supplies to the W.I.N.G.S. shelter for victims of domestic violence.
Taylor said her participation helped her connect with her community.
“It made me feel closer to my community and made me feel like I was giving back and making a difference,” she said.
