A rose to all on this Easter Sunday, an Easter unlike any other in memory. With churches vacant and residents staying home under the state-wide “shelter in place” order, we celebrate this holiday more privately than ever before. Easter, after all, is one of those holidays that brings people together, either at Sunday church services or through gatherings of friends and family. On a day that for Christians represents what can be said to have been the ultimate sacrifice, circumstances have dictated that we make our own sort of sacrifice, this one in the interest of public safety. We take solace in that, as well as in the knowledge that some Easter years from now, we will look back and remember this most unusual of Easters. So, from our homes to yours, we wish you a Happy Easter.
A rose to budding writer, Joshua James, who has already achieved a literary milestone. James, a 5th-grader at Joe Cook Elementary School was selected as the winner of a national competition that asked entrants to create their own character. The competition was staged by Wonder Media, which uses a software animation program to help kids learn about technology, literacy and 3-D animation. Last year, 50 Columbus Municipal School District elementary and middle school students participated in Wonder Media’s “Return To Oz,” animated film. That experience motivated James to enter the Create Your Own Character competition. James’ character — Cyber Sam — is a kid with a speech impediment who is also a cyberbully. James said he added that character flaw to make sure students remained aware of the dangers of cyberbullying. James’ success, as well as those of his fellow students in last year’s film project, emphasizes the importance of applying classroom subjects to practical and fun applications. We congratulate James, who plans to write children’s books and graphic novels as a profession. He appears to be well on his way toward that goal.
A rose to former Mississippi State football coach Joe Moorhead, who despite his unceremonious departure from Starkville in January again displayed his generosity and kindness. This week, Moorhead — now the offensive coordinator at Oregon — had pizzas delivered to the Starkville Police Department to show his appreciation for the officers during the Coronavirus crisis. It was an act of kindness Moorhead did quietly, made public only after the SPD tweeted out a thank you to the coach. It would have been perfectly understandable if Moorhead had shaken the dust off his feet and never given Starkville another thought. No matter what anyone may think of his coaching abilities, his decency is above reproach, as this event clearly affirms.
A rose to the bell-ringers. This week, following a request from Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, churches in the Golden Triangle began ringing their church bells at 6 p.m. as a way of honoring the heath care workers who are on the front line in the battle against COVID-19. Hosemann encouraged not only churches, but everyone to join in. Mississippi University for Women joined the bell-chorus Tuesday and Hosemann hopes citizens will pause at 6 p.m. each day and go out onto their lawns and ring their own bells. For Mississippi State fans, for whom the cowbell is a much-loved part of their sports tradition, this is the first time they’ve had a chance to ring their bells since sports were suspended in early March. We can’t think of a better way to put those bells to good use.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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