A rose to the community group New Hope Strong, for organizing and staging this weekend’s inaugural New Hope Festival. The event kicked off Friday with a movie, followed by a full slate of events scheduled for Saturday which includes a car show (100-150 cars expected), an arts/crafts/food fair and live entertainment featuring five groups. The event has attracted 90 vendors, an impressive number for a first-year event. Festivals such as this are a staple of our communities. Caledonia, Artesia and Crawford have used them to celebrate their communities, promote civic pride and rally support for community projects. The New Hope Festival comes as residents weigh the merits of incorporation, so the event will serve as a good opportunity for everyone to share their views and discuss the idea in a friendly atmosphere. No matter what decision is ultimately made, having an annual festival helps build a stronger, more unified community.
A rose to Caledonia High School teacher Melanie Counts, who was designated by the Mississippi Department of Education as 2024 Teacher of the Year finalist. Counts, who teaches English II, is in her 17th year as a teacher and has built her teaching philosophy on building the same kind of relationships with her students as those from which she benefited in her high school days. “I want to be that involved and invested,” Counts said. It’s harder in a school setting as large as I’m in, but developing those relationships is so important. And my teachers were so good at that.” Counts was chosen as the Lowndes County School District’s Teacher of the Year earlier, but being chosen as a finalist for state teacher of the year was an unexpected honor. The winner of the award, chosen from four finalists, will receive a $5,000 stipend and the opportunity to share their expertise to help improve education in Mississippi. We’ll be rooting for Counts to claim Mississippi’s Teacher of the Year honors.
A rose to the Mississippi State men’s basketball team for making its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the first back-to-back appearances in “The Big Dance” since MSU went to four straight championship tournaments from 2002-2005. The Bulldogs bowed out of this year’s tournament with a 69-51 loss to perennial power Michigan State on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. While the Bulldogs’ stay in the tournament was brief and disappointing, the revival of the program under coach Chris Jans is cause for continued optimism. After leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in both of his two seasons at State, Jans will face a major challenge in rebuilding a roster that featured four graduate students and a senior in key roles. Fortunately, the Bulldogs return All-SEC Freshman and Bailey Howell Award winner Josh Hubard as a player to build the roster around. Congratulations, Bulldogs on a memorable season.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.