South Pike officials say two programs for academically gifted high school seniors are helping students get a head start on college.
South Pike High School has 19 students enrolled in the Eagle Scholars program, which encourages them to take more rigorous courses and allows them to take college courses at Southwest Mississippi Community College during their senior year.
The Eagle Scholars program, developed at South Pike, is similar to the Mississippi Scholars program, a statewide effort that enlists business leaders to encourage students to pursue more challenging studies. South Pike has 17 Mississippi Scholars, and they’ll be honored with other area students in the program at a banquet set for April 16 at Summit First Baptist Church.
South Pike High School guidance counselor Tyrone Varnado said the school has been a part of the Mississippi Scholars program since 2005.
The school’s vocational counselor, Dr. Barbie Roberson, said the Pike County Chamber of Commerce pays the students’ enrollment fees at Southwest.
Varnado and Roberson said these programs are great opportunities for students to get ahead in college and graduate earlier.
“When kids get to finish college early they have less in student loans,” Varnado said.
He said potential scholars are identified late in their junior year. For students to qualify as Mississippi Scholars they must have successfully completed four English, math, science and social studies courses. They also must have one credit in art and two advanced electives credits. They will be required to complete 20 hours of community service, maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average and a 95 percent attendance rate.
Varnado values the mark the Mississippi Scholars program is setting for students.
“I love the scholars program for the way it embraces academic rigor in requiring advanced college-level courses,” he said. “As a Mississippi Scholar they have an opportunity to receive scholarship money.”
Varnado said he and Roberson also help organize community service projects for the students.
“The kids are involved in the bellringers for the Salvation Army during the holidays,” he said. “They do a toy drive at Christmas every year. There is a turkey giveway and there are various other individual projects they do.”
Students also help with tutoring, and they read to students at the elementary schools, Varnado said.
South Pike High School is the first school in the area to have teachers who are certified to teach some of the college-level courses required in the program.
Elizabeth Brown teaches English Composition I, LaTonja Lenard teaches college algebra and Chander Johnson teaches Biology I.
“We like having the dual enrollment on campus because it saves students on the commutes and keeps them off the roads,” Roberson said. “And fuel is very expensive these days, so it really helps the families. We are very fortunate to have these teachers on our campus.”
