A rose to the Dream Center, which has worked out an agreement with The Mississippi Food Network to become a food pantry distribution center. The Mississippi Food Network distributes more than 1.5 million pounds of food and feeds more than 150,000 every month. The Dream Center is now among the 430 member agencies who help get these food items to those in need throughout the state. We’re going to take food distribution to a level never imagined in this area.” Dream Center Director John Almond said. Since its founding four years ago, the Dream Center, who operates in West Point, has developed a reputation in the Golden Triangle for its charitable efforts, which began with a program that provides beds to children ages 3 to 17. So far, the Bedz4Kids program has partnered with local churches, businesses and private citizens to build and distribute more than 1,200 beds. The Dream Center will use a similar model for its food pantry distribution, with partners picking up the food at the Dream Center, which will act as a warehouse for the food provided through the Mississippi Food Network. We have no doubt The Dream Center and Mississippi Food Network will be a winning combination.

A rose to the Mississippi Legislature and Mississippi State University for their collaboration in expanding access to K-12 computer science education. Code.org has recognized the work done in our state as a national leader, citing the state’s 18% growth in the number of K-12 schools offering computer science programs. MSU’s Center for Cyber Education has been a main driver of this increase, leading educator training for teachers across the state so they can return to their schools and teach computer science. In 2021, the legislature passed the Mississippi Computer Science and Cyber Education Equality Act, which requires all public schools in Mississippi to offer computer science by the 2024-25 school year. As the state works toward that goal, more than 20,000 middle and high school students took foundational computer science courses in the 2022-23 school year. Computer literacy is a fundamental part of today’s education, allowing our students to equip themselves with the vital skills they will need to enjoy successful careers in virtually any field. We applaud the efforts to provide our students with these opportunities.

A rose to the Columbus Girlchoir, which will continue what has become one of the staples of the Christmas season in our community with its annual Christmas Concert. This year’s concert will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Artz Fellowship Hall of the Fletcher-Jones Building at First Methodist Church. The concert is free and open to the public. Founder and Artistic Director Cherry Dunn said the concert will include Christmas carols that are not typically performed in other venues, including “Adestes Fideles,” “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime,” “What Songs Were Sung” and more. The performance by the 21-member choir will also include popular songs “The First Noel” and “Up on the Housetop.” Dunn started the Columbus Girlchoir in 2004. Over the past two decades some choir members have grown up to become board members of the Girlchoir, helping preserve this holiday tradition through a new generation of singers. Columbus is blessed to have events such as this during the holiday season.

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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