Logan has strep.
That is all.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Happy Birthday........
Luke!! 6 years old today!
(I edited to put in a more appropriate photo - shopping in Party City today)
Monday, August 11, 2008
MSMS 20 year celebration, Part 3
Friday, continued (Friday was a really long day!)
At the Alumni Meet and Greet/Open Forum, Mr. Brown and all the other members of the administration got up and gave brief (and some not so brief!) updates on the state of the school. A lot of the current administration is new, but they really impressed me with their enthusiasm for the students and, dare I say it, the alumni. After the admins were done, Aubrey gave sort of a then and now speech, since he's been around to see all the changes. Then Orlando Hill, class of 1999, showed up and gave an update on the newly elected Board from the Alumni Association. The only other board member in attendance was Jeremy Crawford, class of 2004. When they opened the floor for alumni to air their concerns, Jennie immediately got up and hung all the laundry out to dry. I mean, as well as she did on her first speech, this one was equally as impressive. I think you all know what she got up and said, so I won't rehash it here. But girlfriend threw down.
And, quite unexpectedly, Mr. Brown addressed our concerns, even agreeing with most if not all of them. I really believe that they are working to get things straightened out, so that the school can reap the benefits. It's my impression that there was a lot of inaction and apathy for the last few years, so they already were in a pretty undesirable position to begin with. Throw in what the legislature did to them, and it was a disaster. They WANT alumni input/feedback - I think Mr. Brown would have talked to Jennie and me nonstop for the entire weekend if we had allowed it. We ended up going to his office after the meeting and writing a few checks. It felt good to actually do something to help, outside of the Foundation.
I feel significantly better about my hopes for MSMS administration that wants to involve alumni. He wanted to know what they could do for us, as far as reunions and whatnot go - I told him that we are pretty comfortable with doing reunions on our own, but that I felt that the school should host a Homecoming type event every single year at the same time of the year. Something that people can count on and plan for when they're able to. If they can get the alumni on campus and give them a weekend like they just did (or even better - with actual food at the picnic!), the alumni will start to respond. Jennie kept reiterating that they needed to be patient, because there have been many years of neglect, but that eventually people will most likely come around.
So after that, we ran into a group of class of 2005, including the MSU blog guy, so we stopped and chatted for a good while. I enjoyed hearing their stories. So similar, yet so different. They kept us out way too late (um, 11:30pm or so? LOL!). I don't think MSMS had even had curfew yet by the time we were heading back to the hotels.
Saturday
We planned to meet at Hooper for the Emissary tour that started at 10:30am. Of course, they had the Emissary tours departing from the tent out on the lawn that used to be Simmons, so we had to track them down and join a few minutes late. We toured most of the places we had already seen - Hogarth Dining Center, Hogarth Student Union, Shackleford, Performing Arts Studio - but we got to go into the 2 dorms that they use now, Goen and Frazer. After that, we went in the new MUW Stark Recreation Center, which was built to replace Pohl Gym that was destroyed in the tornado a few years ago. Side note: Peyton Hall was significantly damaged in that tornado resulting in a pretty quick move-out, and Fant sustained some damage that eventually resulted in MSMS leaving it behind after a couple of years had passed. The new rec center is fantastic, and MSMS has free use of it. Apparently, the activities center right in front of Fant that we used isn't habitable anymore either. Props to the W for having so many spare buildings around for us. LOL!
After the tour, we went to the tent for the picnic events. The Alumni Association provided soft drinks and ice cream, so they are actually collecting some dues now. We got to meet and chat with Patti Vizzini, the President of the PLUS organization. She was also quite impressive. She really wants to reach out to alumni for help. She helped start up a Needs/Wants/Wishes list from the faculty and students that she hopes she can get into the hands of alumni to get fulfilled. Her daughter is class of 2006 (we met her on Friday night), and her son is class of 2009 I think. We also got to meet another person on the Board of the AA - Ginger Tedder, class of 1992.
Then we went over to Hooper again - Mississippi Public Broadcasting is putting together a documentary on MSMS, with the help of Mr. (I mean Dr.) McCaleb. They had cameras set up in Mr. Carter's room to film individual people telling their stories. Mr. Brown has the intent to buy a similar camera, so that they can do some of their own filming for the documentary. Jennie and I gave our testimony, and I'm convinced that mine sounded not-so-interesting. Then we were both headed out of town.
Overall, it was a very busy, very successful weekend. I have hope, yet again, that things might get on the right track. All I can do is keep my ear to the ground and wait and see what develops. I really hope that I am pleasantly surprised, like I was this weekend.
P.S. - Cameron is doing fine. Still has mono. Bloodwork was normal. They told us that the headaches and nosebleeds are normal and gave us some things to do to help prevent them. 2 more weeks until she can resume physical activity (like soccer practice, which starts this week!).
At the Alumni Meet and Greet/Open Forum, Mr. Brown and all the other members of the administration got up and gave brief (and some not so brief!) updates on the state of the school. A lot of the current administration is new, but they really impressed me with their enthusiasm for the students and, dare I say it, the alumni. After the admins were done, Aubrey gave sort of a then and now speech, since he's been around to see all the changes. Then Orlando Hill, class of 1999, showed up and gave an update on the newly elected Board from the Alumni Association. The only other board member in attendance was Jeremy Crawford, class of 2004. When they opened the floor for alumni to air their concerns, Jennie immediately got up and hung all the laundry out to dry. I mean, as well as she did on her first speech, this one was equally as impressive. I think you all know what she got up and said, so I won't rehash it here. But girlfriend threw down.
And, quite unexpectedly, Mr. Brown addressed our concerns, even agreeing with most if not all of them. I really believe that they are working to get things straightened out, so that the school can reap the benefits. It's my impression that there was a lot of inaction and apathy for the last few years, so they already were in a pretty undesirable position to begin with. Throw in what the legislature did to them, and it was a disaster. They WANT alumni input/feedback - I think Mr. Brown would have talked to Jennie and me nonstop for the entire weekend if we had allowed it. We ended up going to his office after the meeting and writing a few checks. It felt good to actually do something to help, outside of the Foundation.
I feel significantly better about my hopes for MSMS administration that wants to involve alumni. He wanted to know what they could do for us, as far as reunions and whatnot go - I told him that we are pretty comfortable with doing reunions on our own, but that I felt that the school should host a Homecoming type event every single year at the same time of the year. Something that people can count on and plan for when they're able to. If they can get the alumni on campus and give them a weekend like they just did (or even better - with actual food at the picnic!), the alumni will start to respond. Jennie kept reiterating that they needed to be patient, because there have been many years of neglect, but that eventually people will most likely come around.
So after that, we ran into a group of class of 2005, including the MSU blog guy, so we stopped and chatted for a good while. I enjoyed hearing their stories. So similar, yet so different. They kept us out way too late (um, 11:30pm or so? LOL!). I don't think MSMS had even had curfew yet by the time we were heading back to the hotels.
Saturday
We planned to meet at Hooper for the Emissary tour that started at 10:30am. Of course, they had the Emissary tours departing from the tent out on the lawn that used to be Simmons, so we had to track them down and join a few minutes late. We toured most of the places we had already seen - Hogarth Dining Center, Hogarth Student Union, Shackleford, Performing Arts Studio - but we got to go into the 2 dorms that they use now, Goen and Frazer. After that, we went in the new MUW Stark Recreation Center, which was built to replace Pohl Gym that was destroyed in the tornado a few years ago. Side note: Peyton Hall was significantly damaged in that tornado resulting in a pretty quick move-out, and Fant sustained some damage that eventually resulted in MSMS leaving it behind after a couple of years had passed. The new rec center is fantastic, and MSMS has free use of it. Apparently, the activities center right in front of Fant that we used isn't habitable anymore either. Props to the W for having so many spare buildings around for us. LOL!
After the tour, we went to the tent for the picnic events. The Alumni Association provided soft drinks and ice cream, so they are actually collecting some dues now. We got to meet and chat with Patti Vizzini, the President of the PLUS organization. She was also quite impressive. She really wants to reach out to alumni for help. She helped start up a Needs/Wants/Wishes list from the faculty and students that she hopes she can get into the hands of alumni to get fulfilled. Her daughter is class of 2006 (we met her on Friday night), and her son is class of 2009 I think. We also got to meet another person on the Board of the AA - Ginger Tedder, class of 1992.
Then we went over to Hooper again - Mississippi Public Broadcasting is putting together a documentary on MSMS, with the help of Mr. (I mean Dr.) McCaleb. They had cameras set up in Mr. Carter's room to film individual people telling their stories. Mr. Brown has the intent to buy a similar camera, so that they can do some of their own filming for the documentary. Jennie and I gave our testimony, and I'm convinced that mine sounded not-so-interesting. Then we were both headed out of town.
Overall, it was a very busy, very successful weekend. I have hope, yet again, that things might get on the right track. All I can do is keep my ear to the ground and wait and see what develops. I really hope that I am pleasantly surprised, like I was this weekend.
P.S. - Cameron is doing fine. Still has mono. Bloodwork was normal. They told us that the headaches and nosebleeds are normal and gave us some things to do to help prevent them. 2 more weeks until she can resume physical activity (like soccer practice, which starts this week!).
MSMS 20 year celebration, Part 2
Continued from below:
Friday, continued
At 4pm, there was a mixer for alumni and current students in the upstairs of Hogarth. We got there after it had started, and it was pretty crowded. I think the current students turned out en masse, because there were cookies and drinks. They had set up some tables with displays - one was of past prom paraphernalia, one was the Southern Voices magazines through the years, and there was a slide projector with pictures, but none of us because we pre-date the digital age.
Jennie and I were looking at the Southern Voices editions that contain some wonderful poetry by Mr. Marcus M., when a current student came over and introduced himself to Jennie. He complimented her on the Opening Convocation speech and told her that he was interested in medical school. I think he actually wanted to talk and get some advice from her, but suddenly we were accosted by Rick Smith (new Director of Admissions and Outreach and Hyperactivity) with a photographer from the Commercial Disgrace (um, I mean Dispatch - ode to Ms. Morris). He wanted us to "be natural" and continue the discussion, but could you scoot in? and turn this way a little? It was pretty distracting. I don't think Manoj got too much from the conversation, but then again he's got a 36 on the ACT - so I think he'll make it fine.
Right after that, Rick Smith showed up again, this time with a reporter from the Commercial Dispatch. He wanted to ask us some questions. It took a little while, but he finally got us to unzip our lips and talk a little bit about how we feel about the room and board fee that the State Legislature sneaked into their Education Appropriations bill at the very. last. minute. back in April or May. Effers. Anyway, the reporter was actually a 21 year old intern from University of Missouri (Mizzou!). Props to him, because his article made the front page of the Dispatch, from what I understand.
After the mixer, we were supposed to go to the MSMS Cafeteria for dinner. We walked in, and Holy Mother of SomethingorOther!!! Their cafeteria is absolutely breathtaking (compared to the dungeon that we had). It's open, light, clean, full of choices and choices and CHOICES of delicious, hot, real food. Seriously, we had slop, and they have food of the gods. We didn't really want to eat, and good thing because they had to run us out of there to close at 6pm. Also, there is no longer the dividing wall that separates MSMS from MUW. They're allowed to sit where they want. And the W likes it (well, I don't really know that, but that's lightyears from when they wanted us run out of town!).
The last event of the day was the Alumni Meet and Greet - but let's just call it the Open Forum, because that's where we put it ALL out there.
OK, hate to leave you hanging, but I've really got to leave NOW to get Cameron to the doctor! More to come.......
Friday, continued
At 4pm, there was a mixer for alumni and current students in the upstairs of Hogarth. We got there after it had started, and it was pretty crowded. I think the current students turned out en masse, because there were cookies and drinks. They had set up some tables with displays - one was of past prom paraphernalia, one was the Southern Voices magazines through the years, and there was a slide projector with pictures, but none of us because we pre-date the digital age.
Jennie and I were looking at the Southern Voices editions that contain some wonderful poetry by Mr. Marcus M., when a current student came over and introduced himself to Jennie. He complimented her on the Opening Convocation speech and told her that he was interested in medical school. I think he actually wanted to talk and get some advice from her, but suddenly we were accosted by Rick Smith (new Director of Admissions and Outreach and Hyperactivity) with a photographer from the Commercial Disgrace (um, I mean Dispatch - ode to Ms. Morris). He wanted us to "be natural" and continue the discussion, but could you scoot in? and turn this way a little? It was pretty distracting. I don't think Manoj got too much from the conversation, but then again he's got a 36 on the ACT - so I think he'll make it fine.
Right after that, Rick Smith showed up again, this time with a reporter from the Commercial Dispatch. He wanted to ask us some questions. It took a little while, but he finally got us to unzip our lips and talk a little bit about how we feel about the room and board fee that the State Legislature sneaked into their Education Appropriations bill at the very. last. minute. back in April or May. Effers. Anyway, the reporter was actually a 21 year old intern from University of Missouri (Mizzou!). Props to him, because his article made the front page of the Dispatch, from what I understand.
After the mixer, we were supposed to go to the MSMS Cafeteria for dinner. We walked in, and Holy Mother of SomethingorOther!!! Their cafeteria is absolutely breathtaking (compared to the dungeon that we had). It's open, light, clean, full of choices and choices and CHOICES of delicious, hot, real food. Seriously, we had slop, and they have food of the gods. We didn't really want to eat, and good thing because they had to run us out of there to close at 6pm. Also, there is no longer the dividing wall that separates MSMS from MUW. They're allowed to sit where they want. And the W likes it (well, I don't really know that, but that's lightyears from when they wanted us run out of town!).
The last event of the day was the Alumni Meet and Greet - but let's just call it the Open Forum, because that's where we put it ALL out there.
OK, hate to leave you hanging, but I've really got to leave NOW to get Cameron to the doctor! More to come.......
MSMS 20 year celebration
Warning. This post is probably going to be long. If it gets too long, I may split it into a few posts.
Thursday
I arrived in Columbus right after 10am. When I would make that drive in 1998-1990, it would take right at 3 hours - on Thursday it took me 2 hrs 15 min. I met Jennie at her hotel, then we went to Peppers Deli for lunch. After lunch, we headed to the MSMS campus because she had to be at the Mary Wilson House by 1pm. The Mary Wilson House used to be the Director's home, but now they use it for administration offices.
I assumed that I'd just let Jennie go do her "important speaker" duties while I headed off to sit in the auditorium, but Mr. Brown (the new Executive Director, who used to be in the admin right after we graduated) invited me in with Jennie. We sat in his office and chatted for a little while, then headed over to the Nissan Auditorium which is in Parkinson Hall. During the Opening Convocation, I sat with the faculty and alumni (which consisted of myself and Aubrey) right behind Mr. Carter, who was filming it. Jennie's speech was absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait until she posts the text of it on her blog, because it really was wonderful. She represented our class so well.
At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Brown called Aubrey and me up onto the stage for a "special presentation." He had 20 year service pins for the remaining original faculty members, and he wanted us to present their pins to them. Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Richardson, Dr. MacNeill, Dr. Davidson (I hope I didn't miss someone). Of course, Mr. Carter was wearing his collection of service pins on his lapel. :)
Afterwards, we stayed around campus for a while, walked around Hooper, went over to see Aubrey's classroom in Shackleford, etc. We were going to go out for dinner, but ended up just watching some TV and going to bed. We are old, you know.
Friday
For some reason, I had it in my mind that the Emissary tours were on Friday, so we got to campus at about 10:30am expecting our tour. However, the day's events didn't start until the dedication of the MSMS Performing Arts Center at 3pm. Since we had some "free time" we decided we would drive over to Friendship Cemetery and visit our dearly departed faculty members. We found Ms. Morris right away, but it took a few minutes before Jennie finally spotted Mr. Butler. After we checked on them, I wanted to find Blake's great Aunt Mary Ellen, who used to take Blake and Cass to church with her. (stop laughing! I'm sure Cass was perfectly polite about it:) After that, we went back to campus.
We had a little more time to kill before 3pm, so we bought some soft drinks and sat out in the courtyard behind Hogarth for a little bit. Pretty soon it was time, so we went over to the MSMS Performing Arts Center. This is the old MUW Laundry facility, and it's located right behind Shackleford, which is where MSMS has its History and Computer classes now. It didn't look like much from the outside, but on the inside they have a really nice space for band and choir and whatever else they have now. We nearly missed the dedication, because all they did was sing the Alma Mater. LOL! After the crowd thinned out, we saw that Mr. Franklin had been in attendance for the dedication. We were quickly spotted, so there was no making a run for it. Lynn House was also with him, and it was good to see her. She wouldn't get in a photo with us, so Jennie and I were stuck taking a photo with just Johnny. Ms. House indicated that they needed to "head south" so we were relieved that he wouldn't be around for the rest of the weekend's activities.
OK, this is getting long, so I'm going to continue in the next post...... after I take Cameron to the pediatrician.
Thursday
I arrived in Columbus right after 10am. When I would make that drive in 1998-1990, it would take right at 3 hours - on Thursday it took me 2 hrs 15 min. I met Jennie at her hotel, then we went to Peppers Deli for lunch. After lunch, we headed to the MSMS campus because she had to be at the Mary Wilson House by 1pm. The Mary Wilson House used to be the Director's home, but now they use it for administration offices.
I assumed that I'd just let Jennie go do her "important speaker" duties while I headed off to sit in the auditorium, but Mr. Brown (the new Executive Director, who used to be in the admin right after we graduated) invited me in with Jennie. We sat in his office and chatted for a little while, then headed over to the Nissan Auditorium which is in Parkinson Hall. During the Opening Convocation, I sat with the faculty and alumni (which consisted of myself and Aubrey) right behind Mr. Carter, who was filming it. Jennie's speech was absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait until she posts the text of it on her blog, because it really was wonderful. She represented our class so well.
At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Brown called Aubrey and me up onto the stage for a "special presentation." He had 20 year service pins for the remaining original faculty members, and he wanted us to present their pins to them. Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Richardson, Dr. MacNeill, Dr. Davidson (I hope I didn't miss someone). Of course, Mr. Carter was wearing his collection of service pins on his lapel. :)
Afterwards, we stayed around campus for a while, walked around Hooper, went over to see Aubrey's classroom in Shackleford, etc. We were going to go out for dinner, but ended up just watching some TV and going to bed. We are old, you know.
Friday
For some reason, I had it in my mind that the Emissary tours were on Friday, so we got to campus at about 10:30am expecting our tour. However, the day's events didn't start until the dedication of the MSMS Performing Arts Center at 3pm. Since we had some "free time" we decided we would drive over to Friendship Cemetery and visit our dearly departed faculty members. We found Ms. Morris right away, but it took a few minutes before Jennie finally spotted Mr. Butler. After we checked on them, I wanted to find Blake's great Aunt Mary Ellen, who used to take Blake and Cass to church with her. (stop laughing! I'm sure Cass was perfectly polite about it:) After that, we went back to campus.
We had a little more time to kill before 3pm, so we bought some soft drinks and sat out in the courtyard behind Hogarth for a little bit. Pretty soon it was time, so we went over to the MSMS Performing Arts Center. This is the old MUW Laundry facility, and it's located right behind Shackleford, which is where MSMS has its History and Computer classes now. It didn't look like much from the outside, but on the inside they have a really nice space for band and choir and whatever else they have now. We nearly missed the dedication, because all they did was sing the Alma Mater. LOL! After the crowd thinned out, we saw that Mr. Franklin had been in attendance for the dedication. We were quickly spotted, so there was no making a run for it. Lynn House was also with him, and it was good to see her. She wouldn't get in a photo with us, so Jennie and I were stuck taking a photo with just Johnny. Ms. House indicated that they needed to "head south" so we were relieved that he wouldn't be around for the rest of the weekend's activities.
OK, this is getting long, so I'm going to continue in the next post...... after I take Cameron to the pediatrician.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Pictures coming
I'm working on getting my pictures uploaded, but it's proving to be a slow process for some strange reason.
Until then, you can enjoy this newspaper article from the MSMS 20 Year Celebration.
Until then, you can enjoy this newspaper article from the MSMS 20 Year Celebration.
MSMS alums displeased with student fees legislation
Saturday, August 9, 2008 9:14 PM CDTAlumni of Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science converged on the school for a reunion Friday, celebrating 20 years of MSMS.
And the chorus of alums — recent and old - sang the same song: A new $500 room-and-board fee could be detrimental to the school.
“If you’re kinda on the fence, that might keep somebody from coming,” said Matthew Bell, a 2003 MSMS graduate from Tupelo who is now working on a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University, during a reception for MSMS alumni and current students held in the school’s Hogarth Rec Room.
His friend Barry Youngblood agreed.
“While most students can pay (the fee), it prevents certain socioeconomic classes from attending, or even trying to attend,” said Youngblood, a 2003 MSMS graduate from Gulfport who is finishing his bachelor’s degree in physics at MSU.In April, the Legislature attached a provision to House Bill 513 requiring each MSMS student, except those enrolled in the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, to pay a $500 room-and-board fee per semester.
CHIP is a state-funded health plan for families who cannot afford health insurance but earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid.
The fee might change the demographics of the school’s students, said Brandi Williams, a 2004 MSMS graduate from Collins, who is now a second-year master’s student in English at MSU.
“You’re not getting the best; you’re getting the people who can pay,” Williams said.
Current faculty members told her the number of applicants has dropped, she added.
Timing
Some alumni disapproved of the timing of the provision, which came at the end of the regular 2008 session.
“I didn’t like the manner in which it was thrust upon MSMS, because they weren’t able to put into place a system for helping the students,” said Cindy Everitt, a stay-at-home mom living in Dallas, who grew up in Indianola. Everitt, in 1990, was in the first class of MSMS graduates.
“MSMS was pretty much blindsided with this,” Everitt continued. “They had just a few months to make sure that all of the current students were able to return this year, to make sure it wasn’t an issue, which I understand it really was for a few.”
Everitt said one current student she spoke with said she had to work all summer in order to keep going to the school.
Missed opportunity
She and other alumni didn’t think they would have attended if they had been required to pay the fees.
“I’m not sure that my parents would have been able to afford the tuition if it had been in place,” Everitt said.
“I think over $1,000 would have been difficult for my family,” echoed Jennie Vernon, a friend of Everitt’s, who also graduated from MSMS in 1990.
“I can’t say with certainty that they would have been able to do that. And I think it definitely would have caused them a lot of pause to send me here,” continued Vernon, who grew up in Oxford and is now a pediatrician in Denver. She said the education would have been worth the money, though.
“While my family would have been able to pay, there’s some people who could really benefit from this type of education, and I really hate that they would miss out on an opportunity like this,” said Laura Williams, a 2004 MSMS graduate from Gulfport who is working on a master’s degree in accounting at MSU.
A few alumni in attendance said it was Mississippi’s duty to offer free education catered to high achievers.
“We’re special education,” said Sarah Prather, a 2007 MSMS alum, who grew up in West Point and is now a junior animal science major at MSU. “You can’t ignore the upper end of the spectrum any more than the lower.”
“I think it should be provided,” agreed Jed Leggett, who grew up in Purvis, graduated from MSMS in 2003 and is now a senior studying math, physics and philosophy at MSU. “I feel like it’s a responsibility of the state to at least offer the possibility for each of its citizens to obtain the highest degree of education that they are capable of for free.”
Alumni assistance
Some alumni at the reception said they would like to try to help offset the fee future students will have to pay to attend the school.
“We are concerned and hope that we can eventually help with some of the students that need it but are excluded by state guidelines (from) assistance,” Vernon said.
“Definitely when I start my job I want to give money for somebody,” Laura Williams agreed.
About 80 people, most of whom were current students, attended the Friday reception. Some former and current faculty members also were on hand.
The reception was one of several events held on campus this week in honor of the start of the school’s 20th year.
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