A rose to candidates for the upcoming municipal elections in the Golden Triangle. A late surge in qualifying on Thursday and Friday has ensured that there will be competitive races in 15 of the 21 elections in Columbus, Starkville and West Point while Caledonia, which selects its aldermen in an at-large format, will feature nine candidates vying for 5 positions. The mayor’s races in Columbus, West Point and Caledonia will also be contested. We congratulate those candidates who will assume positions because they face no competitor. That list in includes incumbent Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill, incumbent Starkville Ward 7 alderman Henry Vaughn, Starkville Ward 3 candidate Jeffrey Rupp, incumbent Columbus Ward 2 councilman Joseph Mickens, incumbent Columbus Ward 5 councilman Stephen Jones and incumbent West Point Ward 4 selectman Keither McBrayer.
A rose to the Columbus Municipal School District for its handling of a proposal that would change the school calendar to shorten the summer break and create more breaks during the fall, winter and spring. Support among the superintendent and the trustees for what the district calls a modified schedule appears strong. In fact, the board could vote to adopt the modified schedule as soon as Monday during its regular board meeting, but that does not rule out the possibility of waiting to get more feedback from stakeholders. No matter what or when the board takes action on the school calendar proposal, we commend the district for its efforts to raise awareness of the idea and seed feedback, especially among parents. The district has used a survey to collect parents’ view on the proposal and has also held virtual public meetings to provide information on what a modified schedule would look like and how it would affect students and their families. We applaud the district’s efforts to make sure parents’ voices are heard.
Another rose to CMSD for all the work that has gone into the upcoming celebration of Franklin Academy’s bicentennial. Franklin’s founding in 1820 represented the birth of public education in Mississippi. Recognizing this achievement and celebrating it as an important moment in the history of both Columbus and the state is important and something we should be proud of. The event will be held Friday and will be streamed on the district’s YouTube channel. Details are available on CMSD’s website.
A rose to Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle for its recent donation of CPR and first aid teaching equipment to the Lowndes County School District Career and Technical Center. Four adult CPR mannequins, four baby CPR mannequins and two automated external defibrillators, valued at more than $1,000, were donated to the career tech center after the hospital purchased new equipment. The equipment will be of great use for students in the career tech center’s Health Science program. The career tech center also offers student training in construction, culinary arts, engineering/robotics, industrial maintenance, teaching and welding. We hope companies in those fields will be inspired to follow Baptist’s lead in finding ways to support these programs.
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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