A rose to all those who made the greatest sacrifice in defense of our country on this Memorial Day weekend. An estimated 535,000 American military members were killed in action or died of wounds since the beginning of the 20th century. Of those, 7,000 were from Mississippi, and more than 100 were from Lowndes County. Of all our national holidays, Memorial Day is the most somber as we remember what these Americans sacrificed for their country. We are grateful for the groups who have organized Memorial Day events around the Golden Triangle to help us honor their memory.
A rose to the third-grade teachers, aides and students in the Golden Triangle after the initial third-grade reading test data was released. Third-graders in the Lowndes County School District continued to outperform the average on the first round of the state reading assessment this year, with 86% of students passing on the first try, compared to the state average of 75.6%. The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District fell just shy of the state average with 74.3% of students passing — a 6.29% increase compared to last year’s pass rate. The pass rate for the Columbus Municipal School District increased by slightly less than 1% from last year’s scores, though only 60.4% of third-graders passed the initial assessment. These numbers are a good indication that almost all third-graders will pass on subsequent tests.
A rose to the Starkville Academy baseball team, which captured its first state championship. After losing the first game of the best-of-three championship series, the Volunteers bounced back with an 11-2 road win over Brookhaven Academy and clinched the MAIS 4A Division III title with a 5-3 victory at home last weekend. The team will be remembered especially for its poise. The championship series marked the third time the Volunteers (28-11) came back from losing the first game to win the series. We congratulate Starkville Academy on its hard-won championship.
A rose to Airbus, which has teamed up with East Mississippi Community College to create an apprenticeship program that trains local talent for careers at Airbus Helicopters in Columbus. By partnering with East Mississippi Community College, Airbus is addressing specialized labor shortages and building a robust workforce. The successful inaugural cohort has led to a significant increase in applications for the upcoming second class, effectively creating a sustainable, community-focused aviation career pathway. For Airbus Helicopters, the apprenticeship program was born out of two vital needs: providing a bridge to the community and solving a specialized labor shortage. We applaud Airbus Helicopters for its efforts to hire local workers.
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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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.
