Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Summit, MS
39666 Permit No. 10
January 30, 2015
Serving SMCC Since 1940
Volume 70, No. 4
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[email protected]URR
Index
Editorial... 2
Sports...5
Cartoons...7
Ads... 8
Campus Events
Monday, Feb. 2
Online no-shows due
Spiritual Emphasis
Week
BSU Bible Study,
7:00 P.M.
Basketball Hinds
5:30/7:30 P.M. @
Utica
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Residence Hall
Meeting
Spiritual Emphasis
Week
Wednesday, Feb. 4
BSU Noon Day
Lunch 11:30 – 12:30
P.M.
Thursday, Feb. 5
Basketball Meridian
5:30/7:15 P.M. @
Summit
Saturday, Feb. 7
Southwest’s Got
Talent Auditions
9:00 A.M.
Monday, Feb. 9
Registration begins
for Accelerated
Online classes
BSU Bible Study,
7:00 P.M.
Basketball Gulf
Coast 5:30/7:30 P.M.
@ Perkinston
Wednesday, Feb. 11
BSU Noon Day
Lunch 11:30 – 12:30
P.M.
Thursday, Feb. 12
Community College
Intercollegiate Band
Basketball Co-Lin
5:30/7:15 P.M. @
Summit
Friday, Feb. 13
Community College
Intercollegiate Band
Saturday, Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day
Community College
Intercollegiate Band
Monday, Feb. 16
BSU Bible Study,
7:00 P.M.
Basketball Jones
5:30/7:30 Ellisville
P B
By Elizabeth A. Cutrer,Editor
During the first week of December, the stage band debuted their annual Christmas Stage Band Show, entitled, “Celebration: A Southwest Christmas.” Since the early 20th Century, the Christmas Stage Band Show has become a peren-nial favorite for the local commu-nity and has entertained thou-sands of individuals throughout the years since its inception. This year’s Christmas Stage Band Show was a phenomenal hit! It featured a plethora of Christmas show tunes that enticed the audi-ence after each curtain call. It was also a night of great cheer and charity. Spectators were invited to donate a canned good upon enter-ing the complex as well as leave a donation for Operation Christmas Child. This year’s Christmas Stage Band Show included per-formances such as: “Celebration,” “Frozen Motown Medley,” “Santa’s In Town,” “A Christmas Love Song,” “Greensleeves,” “O Holy Night,” “Mary Did You Know,” “The Grinch,” “Shake Up Christmas,” “Four Karats,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “The Twelve Grooves of Christmas.” Dr. Mathena’s spin on the holiday classic, “The Twelve Grooves of Christmas,” instantly became a crowd favorite. There were also per-formances given by the Blues Band, Steel Pans Ensemble, and the Choir.
After the intermission, stage band vocalists Jalea Robinson,
Trey Wen, Wes Wroten, Darius Jones, and Jonathon Traigle per-formed their rendition of Pentatonix’s “Little Drummer Boy,” along with the Steel Pans Ensemble and rhythm accompa-niment. Then, Taylor Gregory stepped onto stage for her per-formance of Janet McMahan-Wilson and Ted McMahan-Wilson’s
“Something’s Up (Down in Bethlehem).” Next, Timothy Watkins, Reagan Costilow, Wes Wroten, Gage Gordon, and Slaton Parker presented an endearing performance of “On This Winter's Night,” by Lady Antebellum. Throughout the show, special per-formances were also given by Taylor Gregory, Erika Alford,
Hannah Monroe, James Green, Shelby Price, Diamond Honeycutt, and Kaylee Johnson. Amidst all of these performances, the number one tune that show-cased the entire stage band show was the performance of Matt Moran's "For Freedom." This presentation honored the sacrifice of the men and women who had
served in the military, to all the bold and the brave of the United States of America and her allies that had died in her honor. Indubitably, this year’s Christmas Stage Band Show was a amazing sensation to behold!
Stage Band presents a
“Southwest Christmas”
Kansas City Royals’ Dyson
visits baseball team
by Michael D. Gunnell Southwest Sports Information Director
For thousands of those who love and play the game of base-ball, it is the dream of a lifetime to be able to play on the biggest baseball stage of them all-the World Series.
For former Southwest baseball standout Jarrod Dyson, that dream became a reality this past October when his Kansas City Royals took on the San Francisco Giants in a seven-game thriller. The World Series appearance capped a dream season for the Royals, making their first post-season appearance in 29 years.
Dyson, a graduate of McComb High School, played for the Bears in 2004-06 under former head coach Butch Holmes and was a teammate of current Southwest assistant Justin Hay. He was selected by the Royals in the 50th round of the 2006 player draft.
Recently, Dyson stopped by the Southwest campus to visit with the current Southwest Bears. While on campus, he took time for a brief question and answer session and spoke about the 2014 season and his time as a member of the Southwest Bears.
Q-Describe what it was like being a part of the 2014 Royals?
Dyson-It’s kind of hard to put into words, but it was an unbe-lievable year. I’ve never experi-enced anything like that in my life and a lot of my teammates (also) had zero experience. We just went out and played together as a unit. We started off kind of bad for the first half (of the season).
We had a meeting (early in the second half) and told each other ‘we’re going to try to be the best baseball team (the rest of the sea-son) and see what we can do and
we ended up going on a 10-0 run and moved into first place (in the American League’s Central Division and ended up as one of the League’s wildcard teams) and just kept going and believed in ourselves for the most part. We had a great bullpen, great defense and pitching and speed that took us over the top. We got key hits when we needed them. Overall, we relied on our pitching and defense.
Q-Compare the 2014 season to your 2006 season at Southwest in which the Bears made it up to a #3 ranking in the nation.
Dyson-It was about the same. The only difference is 2014 was on a bigger stage. When I was at Southwest, we had a lot of fun because several of us came from McComb High School together and played against a few of the (other) guys (on the team).
For the most part, we stuck together as a team and we believed in one another and we went out there and got the job done no matter what anybody said about us. We just had good team chemistry.
Q-When did it finally sink in that you, a guy from small-town Mississippi, was in the World Series, the biggest stage in pro-fessional baseball?
Dyson-Game seven. It was like we were living a fairy tale, like we were on a high. I think every-body was shocked that we were there, but we weren’t shocked as a team because we knew we had enough talent to go out there and get the job done. Like I said, it’s all about believing in one another. When you’ve got the right group of guys together, anything can happen if you put forth the work ethic to accomplish some-thing special. Unfortunately, we
didn’t get the (championship) ring, but we made a statement and we’re looking forward to doing it again (in 2015).
Q-Other than making it to the World Series, what was another personal highlight of 2014?
Dyson-Stealing third base in the wild-card game (against the Oakland A’s). That was one of the biggest moments of my life because it was like do or die for me. I was standing on second base thinking I’ve got to get to third, but if I get thrown out I bet-ter be on a plane coming back to Mississippi. But, if I make it there, I’m a hero in that town (Kansas City). I ended up making it and we tied the game and even-tually won it.
I think that (game) kind of killed all the fear we had in us. It was kind of a confidence booster because we won after being down 7-3, facing a guy who had beat us three times already in one year (Oakland ace Jon Lester). He’s one of the greatest pitchers ever in the post-season.
Q-What have you been doing during the off-season and how long will you be in McComb?
Dyson-I won’t be here too much longer. I’ve already been here for two months. I’ve had a short off-season due to use being in the World Series. When I come home, sometimes I just like to rest. I feel like I do so much dur-ing the season that I like to rest and have some ‘me’ time.
I try to get out into the commu-nity and do a few things for the community and try to help out and inspire others to do great things with their lives and follow their dreams. Giving back is something I like to do every year I come home, helping with a toy drive or donating something. That
helps me feel good inside. Q-When will you report to spring training and where is the Royals’ training camp located?
Dyson-Spring training is held in Surprise, Arizona. We share a stadium with the Texas Rangers. Reporting day is February 20 so I don’t have to be there for about another month, but I like to get out there early.
I normally get out of here in the first part of January and get my body back used to doing the things that I’m going to be doing during March up until game time. Q-How did playing at Southwest help you prepare for your career as a major league baseball player?
Dyson-It’s the mentality part. When we came to Southwest, people didn’t expect us to do
any-thing. So, my mind-set had to immediately change to ‘it ain’t where you go, it’s what you do when you get there.’ That’s what I live on and to be here and be with my teammates was pretty special so I wasn’t here alone.
I had Justin (Hay and his broth-er) Matthew, Jessie Boyd, Pat Barnes, Michael Lewis-the list can go on. I had those guys and we’ve always been close and played together and had fun together on and off the field. So, it was like one big family I was playing with and that helped me grow because they believed in me. Whoever made it, we were going to believe in that guy, no matter who it was. The Royals are scheduled to open the regular sea-son on April 6 against the Chicago White Sox.
Kansas City Royals’ Jarrod Dyson, former Soutwest baseball player, watches as his ball goes over the fence. Photo courtesy: Chris Vlesides, Kansas City Royals
Kelly Arnold, Emily Baughman, Jalea Robinson, Lacee Quiroz, and Karly Smith blows kisses towards the audience as Kayla Jones, Reagan Costilow, Mahalah Byrd, and Taylor
Busbin stike poses behind them. photo by Chuck
Editorial By Elizabeth A. Cutrer, Editor
As I was p e r u s i n g through the i n f i n i t e amount of emails on my Gmail dashboard, I came across a message that read: “Be who you are, not who you aren’t.” Curious, I clicked on the message and a quote appeared. The quote read: “Let someone love you just the way you are – as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as unac-complished as you think you are.
To believe that you must hide all the parts of you that are broken, out of fear that someone else is incapable of loving what is less than perfect, is to believe that sunlight is incapable of entering a broken window and illuminating a dark room— Marc Hack.” After reading the quote about three or four times, I felt a tear escape me and I brushed my cheek quickly to remove it. At the bottom of the message, an inscription said, “Learn to love yourself inside and out, and you’ll know the state-ment above is true.” Yesterday, a very close friend of mine had sent me this quote and said that they thought of me when they read it. I, obviously, took it as a compli-ment that someone even thought of me when they discovered the
quote. Yet, this was different. I’m not sure how she knew I needed that statement right at the moment she sent it, but I did. I LOVE this quote! As simple as it sounds, I think it is one of the hardest things to do. Ultimately, I think we are all too hard on our-selves. I know that I am. We all have parts to us that are broken, but it does not mean these parts are not just a loveable as the rest of us. Self-love is perhaps the most important gift you can ever give yourself. We are all hope-lessly flawed and utterly perfect. The people who love us sees it all and understands you for you.
This quote reminds us to let love in- to let a person truly know you. It says to be honest with them about the broken parts of
yourself and to trust that they will love you anyways. If you are at the beginning of a relationship, you tend to try to be whoever or whatever you think the other per-son wants you to be. Then, you have begun that relationship wrong. Be the same every day. Be truthful to yourself as well as those you meet. They will know the real you from the start.
This Valentine’s Day, try to focus on the good more than the not-so-good. Remember that you are so loved and that you have people that love you despite your flaws or weaknesses. Never for-get that. Also, remember to stay true to yourself and those around you. I hope everyone has a won-derful Valentine’s Day and may God bless you on your travels!
2
January 30, 2015
The Pine Burr
Editor...Elizabeth A. Cutrer
Staff Writers...Katelyn Bateaste, Sarah Bennett,
Jamesha Butler, Casey Campbell, Aurora Diaz,
Brandi Easley, Jessica Etheridge, Olivia Griffin,
Jamie D. Harness, John Herring, Marquesha
Lofton, Jamion Lowery, Trask Neyland, Seth
Nieman, Rebekah Mote, Alyssa Nobles, Katelynn
Roberts, Kendra Weary, Avery Webster and
Todd Williams
Advisor....Joyce Mabry
The Pine Burr is published monthly during regular academic sessions. Views expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of the faculty and administration. Writers express themselves under their by-lines.
Offices are located in Kenna Hall, Room 29; the telephone number is 276-3843. The staff invites readers to submit opinion columns and letters to the editor. Pine Burr, Kenna Hall, Summit, MS 39666.
E-mail:
[email protected]
Southwest Mississippi Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, or disability in its programs, activities or employ-ment practices. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries and griev-ances regarding the non-discrimination policies: Rhonda Gibson, Director of Disability Support Services, 601-276-3885; Dr. Bill Ashley, Vice President of Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator and Director of Athletics, 601-276-3717, 1156 College Dr., Summit, MS 39666.
Words from the President
of the SGA
Quote of the Month
“Every heart sings a song, incomplete,
until another heart whispers back. Those
who wish to sing always find a song. At the
touch of a lover, everyone becomes a
poet.”
-Plato
BEAR AWARE
In order to effectively communicate emergency information to SMCC employees and students, SMCC has implemented a rapid alert and notification system developed by SchoolCast. BearAware is a service that allows employees and students of SMCC to receive alerts, news, or other emergency information via text, email, or by phone. Participation in Bear Aware is not mandatory but encouraged. At this time, the only information entered into the SchoolCast database is the student's "smcc.edu" email address. Alternate contact information should be provided to the SchoolCast database so that urgent mes-sages may be received. The SchoolCast website (http://www.myschoolcast.com) may be accessed at anytime. Updates or additional contact information may include:
" Email Addresses
" Cell phones (voice of text message alerts) " Home phone number (voice alerts) " Work phone number (voice alerts)
Complete the following steps to update your Personal SchoolCast Log-In Information:
1. Access your SchoolCast Dashboard by going to the following secure web-site:
https://www.myschoolcast.com
2. Enter your User Name: (Sent to your SMCC Email.)
3. Enter your Initial/Temporary Password: (Sent to your SMCC Email.) This is the initial/temporary "PASSWORD" you must use when you first log in to the SchoolCast Dashboard. You will be required to change this password when you first log in. You may also change your "USER NAME", if you would like, to something easier for you to remember (such as your school email address). This feature is available as an option from the menu atop the SchoolCast Dashboard.)
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to update your contact informtion.
Critical emergencies rarely happen on the Southwest campus. Often times we are affected by severe weather events. Regardless of the emergency or event, Southwest MS Community College adminis-tration will communicate to its employees through Bear Aware and the "smcc.edu" webpage. Remember you will receive communication through Bear Aware only to the devices that you registered on SchoolCast. SMCC enforces a zero tolerance policy regarding cell phone usage in classrooms. However, faculty are permitted to have their cell phones on vibrate in the classroom in the event the Bear Aware system is activated.
Editorial
Learn to love
Elizabeth A. Cutrer
Greetings,
My hope is that your semester is going awesome! With the beginning of a new semester, I encourage you to make this your best semester. The SGA has been working very hard to help make your time at Southwest all that you want and more! With basketball season in full effect, I encourage you to support the teams as they strive to earn a spot in the state, regional and national tournaments. Throughout my time at Southwest, I can attest that the spring semester is the most fun. There are events being planned such as bonfires, movies on the lawn, and our annual Spring Fest week! I encourage you to check your student emails and remain involved. I look forward to seeing each of you around cam-pus. Let’s have a wonderful semester!
Go Bears! Justin McCray SGA President
SMCC graduates First Part-time
Law Enforcement Academy
Jewel Bond, Brad Bellipanni, Bryant Jones, and Chad Higginbotham, instructors ;second row: Landon Marrs, Rodney Nordstrom, Randy Cooley, Tim Vanderslice, and Travis Fite; third row: Aaron Tullos, Jess Greer, Tim Leggett, Johnny Scott, Timothy Jones, Davis Haygood, and Jayne Causey
By Elizabeth A. Cutrer, Editor
Collegiate DECA was a stu-dent organization that provided students with the opportunity to reach their career goals as leaders and entrepreneurs. Throughout the year, Collegiate DECA mem-bers put their knowledge into action through rigorous project-based activities that required cre-ative solutions with practical out-comes. Committed to making a difference in community service, Collegiate DECA motivated stu-dents to be academically pre-pared, community oriented, pro-fessionally responsible, experi-enced leaders. Students net-worked and formed relationships that connected them to
intern-ships, jobs, other students, and friends that would last a lifetime. At the Mississippi Collegiate DECA Career Development Conference in Gulfport, Mississippi, students competed with other students across the globe in events related to their majors and gained real world experience. For the seventh year in a row, all of SMCC’s Collegiate DECA competing stu-dents earned the honor of repre-senting Mississippi at the 53rd Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of spring Southwest’s Collegiate DECA received the 2013-2014 Most Enthusiastic Chapter of the Year Award, the Collegiate DECA Foundation Gold Star, the Mississippi Collegiate DECA
State Charity Award for their numerous community service projects. Also, Collegiate DECA donated to the Memorial Hospital in Gulfport and to the official 2014 Mississippi Collegiate DECA charity. SMCC students also received 1st place Collegiate DECA Horizons Newsletter/Web Page Award for their contribu-tions to the state newsletter/web page. SMCC Voting Delegates for the conference included Christy Coker, Hanna Hux, Crystal King, and Kirkland Ford. Students received many awards and honors for their academic achievements, business skills, and community service projects. Collegiate DECA provided stu-dents with a sense of purpose and the necessary tools needed to pur-sue their lifetime goals.
Spotlight: Collegiate Deca
Southwest Mississippi Community College graduated its first part-time Law Enforcement Academy on Friday, December 5, 2014, in the Regional Workforce
Training Center. This academy trains and certifies officers who are working in a “part-time or reserve” capacity. The graduates from left to right are: Officer
Sarah Martin, Officer Aaron Rushing, Officer Warren Agnor, and Officer Damon Green.
The next course will start March 23, 2015. Call Loran
3
News
Workforce
Training
Center
Julie Etheridge receives MS
Nurses Foundation Scholarship
Pictured above are the following: Edward Miller, editor; Celestial James, co-editor; Huda Mohammad, co-editor; Sarah Bennett, co-editor; and Rebekah Mote, co-editor. SMCC’s 2014 Whispering Pines’ Step Above Yearbook wins First in Cover, First in Typography, and First in Design in the Mississippi Community and Junior College Press Association (MCJC-PA) 2014 yearbook competition. Joyce Mabry is the journalism instructor and advisor.
Elizabeth A. Cutrer, editor
At Southwest the Regional Workforce Training Center was a very innovative tool that students used to help enrich and acquire the necessary skills for career paths they aspired to follow. By training in many career-technical programs, the Regional Workforce Training Center helped students select the appro-priate career options they needed. The Center was under the direc-tion of Wendy Smith. Through its workforce career-technical pro-grams, and its relationship with the Pike County Economic Development District, Southwest has played a key role in econom-ic development in southern Mississippi. In the past year, the center has hosted 796 training sessions for more than eleven-thousand people representing forty-seven different businesses. The facility has helped enhance the community’s existing work-force as well as show potential businesses that Southwest has both a trained and skillful work-force to offer them.
Whether it was studying food preparation or learning about the oil and gas industry, the Regional Workforce Training Center offered students the opportunity to enhance their skills in various fields of study. Southwest offered a total of twenty-two career-technical pro-grams. These skills included training and information pertain-ing to the oil and gas industry, law enforcement career, and the EMT first responders’ unit. The Workforce Center was a positive feature that helped students hone their skills and prepare for their future workplace.
Visit the
Ford
Library on
campus
By Barry Caston and Elizabeth A. Cutrer, staff writers
For those who were eager to excel in academics, the William C. and Lula B. Ford Library was the perfect place for students to achieve those goals. The library held a wide range of periodicals, vertical files, and computer research programs for reading or research purposes. It also held a multitude of books on different types of topics, such as history, art, literature, or science. The library also hosted a comprehen-sive, interactive online learning platform of practice called Magnolia, which allowed stu-dents to look up any information about any magazine or newspa-per articles as well as books newspa- per-taining to the information they may have needed.
Students were also able to reserve designated study rooms for special study groups. There was also the Learning Lab filled with computers for students to type and print reports, browse the Internet for information and study tutorials. There were even tutors that provided excellent, personalized tutoring sessions for those in need of extra help to enhance their grades. The library offered students a quiet place to study along with the proper research materials necessary to help them succeed. The library provided the perfect environment for study and also had a wealth of research materials at hand with helpful librarians to assist.
By Katelyn Bateaste and Elizabeth A. Cutrer, staff writers
Bringing business and educa-tion together through modern leadership and career develop-ment programs, Phi Beta Lambda was a business organization that helped students, regardless of major, develop their profession-alism and garner long lasting friendships that would help in both the personal and profession-al world. This nationprofession-al organiza-tion helped many students advance their knowledge and helped them realize their full potential as successful individu-als.
Prospective Phi Beta Lambda members were inducted into the organization during a ceremony at the Horace C. Holmes Student Union. PBL provided its mem-bers with leadership opportuni-ties and professional develop-ment to accomplish their primary goal: to build leaders. At the Phi Beta Lambda State Competition in Columbus, Mississippi, hosted by the Mississippi University for Women, PBL members Amber Lirette, Chanda Hernandez, Jessica Turner, Tiffini Wells, Anna Cutrer, and Katelyn Bateaste received numerous awards in marketing, processing, hospitality, and management.
Phi Beta
Lambda
By Lauren Norton, guest writer
Cheer team consisted of very unique and talented individuals. The sponsor of the cheer team was Dawn Brumfield. The team contained seven guys and ten girls. There were also three cap-tains: Ervin Jackson, Jalea Robinson, and Lauren Norton. The cheerleaders started their season by attending the UCA camp at the University of Alabama. The camp was three days filled with stunting, cheer-ing, and coaching. The team brought home three trophies in fight song, cheer, and game day situations. Also, the cheerleaders attended a small camp at Gym of Dreams in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
After camp, the cheerleaders practiced to prefect themselves for the upcoming events in August. The team not only cheered, but also built pyramids, baskets, group stunts, and co-ed stunts. When the fall semester started they continued practicing on every Monday and Tuesday after lunch. The cheerleaders have performed and participated at many events including: camp sunshine, the tailgating party, pep rallies, and at football and bas-ketball games. They also partici-pate in the ringing of the bell for the Salvation Army and cheering on the men and women's basket-ball teams.
Julie Etheridge, ADN student, recently received the Mississippi Nurses Foundation-School of Nursing Scholarship. The recepient was selected by the SMCC ADN faculty. The stu-dent must exhibit professional character, leadership, scholarship and sevice. Pictured are Julie Etheridge, ADN stustu-dent and recepient; Roslyn Howard, MS Nurses Foundation represen-tative; Melissa Temple, Director of ADN program; Nona Deer, ADN instructor.
2014
Whispering Pines
wins awards
Student Government Association
members attend Legislative Lunch
Pictured above are the following: Aurora Diaz, Governor Phil Bryant, Katelynn Roberts, and Justin Lofton. SMCC’s SGA students recently attended the MS Community College Legislative Luncheon in Jackson, MS, and got to meet the governor of Mississippi.
Cheer Team
creates
4
January 30, 2015
News
Spotlight:
Emily
Brumfield,
Archery
Club
President
By Seth Nieman, staff writer
Emily Brumfield is a sopho-more here at Southwest Mississippi Community College and said she chose to attend SMCC to further her education in business. She graduated from Union Church Christian Academy in Tylertown, MS. Emily is the President of the Archery Club here at Southwest, and has a very experienced back-ground in the sport.
“I started in junior high school at U.C.C.A. I have shot archery for about 7 years and I have won several awards at regional as well as international competitions. I am also a certified archery instructor and I go back to my old high school to teach archery there,” said Emily.
According to Emily, the Archery Club has been doing a lot of fundraisers recently in order to be able to purchase some new equipment. They have their first practice on January 13th and are going to start having frequent practices this semester.
When asked how someone could join the Archery Club if they happened to be interested, Emily said, “It’s easy! They could contact Mr. Smith in the vo-tech building, or we also have flyers in all of the buildings and we send out emails to all stu-dents! Just show up to a meeting to join!”
Emily plans to graduate from SMCC with a marketing degree in December of this year. She has plans of opening her own busi-ness while also continuing to vol-unteer her time as an archery coach at Union Church Christian Academy.
To potential students thinking about attending SMCC, Emily had this to say, “Southwest is a really great junior college to start out at. The teachers are very friendly and always help you out. Here at SMCC, students are peo-ple and the teachers really care about you! Plus, the food in the cafeteria is great!”
By Olivia Griffin, staff writer
The roots of Mardi Gras can be traced back to medieval Europe. In 1699, a French explorer named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville landed on a plot of land exactly sixty miles south of New Orleans. When the men that were travel-ing with him noticed that it was eve of the festive holiday, they named the plot of land "Pointe du Mardi Gras.” Bienville discov-ered New Orleans in 1718. By the 1730’s, New Orleans publicly celebrated Mardi Gras. Mari Gras was not celebrated with the parades that we know of today, but with elegant society balls. In the late 1830’s, New Orleans started the street parades with horseback riders and processions of maskers to celebrate Mardi Gras. Gaslight torches known as “flambeaux” lit up the streets for the krewe members and it also gave off an exciting air of festiv-ity.
2015 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule
Please note: Parade routes and schedule are subject to change without notice.
Sunday, February 1 Krewe of Little Rascal—Metairie--12:00 P.M.
Krewe of Perseus Slidell
1:00 P.M. Friday, February 6
Krewe of Cork French Quarter 3:00 P.M.
Krewe of Oshun Uptown New Orleans 6:00 P.M
Krewe of Artemis Baton Rouge
7:00 P.M.
Krewe of Eve Mandeville 7:00 P.M.
Saturday, February 7 Krewe of Olympia Covington
6:00 P.M.
Krewe of Orion Baton Rouge
6:30 P.M.
Sunday, February 8 Krewe of Dinoysus Slidell
1:00 P.M.
Saturday, February 14 Krewe of NOMTOC Westbank
10:45 A.M.
Krewe of Endymion Mid-City \
4:15 P.M.
Sunday, February 15 Krewe of Okeanos Uptown New Orleans 11:00 A.M.
Krewe of Thoth Uptown New Orleans 12:00 P.M.
Corps de Napoleon Metairie
5:00 P.M.
The
History of
Mardi Gras
We live life backwards
By Casey Campbell, staff writer
I believe we live life backwards. There’s an old adage that says youth is wasted on the young, and I’m convinced it’s a valid point. I’m well into my forties now, and I’m a college freshman all over again. I haven’t set foot on a college campus as an ID-bearing, backpack-toting undergraduate in well over two decades. But, I remember…
In 1988, I was a freshly-minted high school graduate with an aca-demic scholarship who still viewed travel anywhere outside Mississippi or Louisiana as akin to international jet setting. I had a one thousand dollar car with an eight hundred dollar stereo and a cassette tape collection that would blow your mullet off (think Joe Dirt!). There was no internet. There were no cell phones. Car phones were fanciful, futuristic contraptions with swirly cords and you only saw them in movies featuring British secret agents.
Most of my fellow students were carbon copies of me. We dressed alike, talked alike, liked the same music, and basked in the new-found freedom college imbued us with. There were others though, who did-n’t look like us. Back then they were known as “non-traditional” col-lege students, a category essentially based on the fact that they were older than the rest of us.
Now, there are more of us. According to an article in The Atlantic, quoting statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, thirty-eight percent of students enrolled in traditional higher education
institutions are over age twenty-five, and one-fourth are over the age of thirty. The share of all students over age of twenty-five is projected to increase another twenty three percent by 2019. Yep, we’re not going away. If community colleges are where most Americans go to college, then there’s been a drastic shift in how we go to college. More than likely, we don’t just go. We go back.
Don’t fret though, younger student. There’s much to be learned from us. Keep in mind that the thirty-five-year-old you see walking out of the Student Union has learned a lot from the school of life that you haven’t had time to learn yet. He (or she, of course) likely holds down a full-time job. He’s probably got kids, a mortgage, a truck note, and demands on his time away from class that you don’t have. That means he’s learned to be a pretty proficient multi-tasker. He knows how to manage his time and his money. He probably knows more than you know about financial aid and how to get it. He’s learned which rela-tionships are healthy and which should be avoided. He’s more likely than you to speak up in class, and he’ll make friends with his profes-sors since he has more in common with them than he has with you. And most importantly, your non-traditional classmate likely has a dream. He’s been out in the world. He knows what he doesn’t want, and he’s got a pretty good idea what he does want.
We have a lot to learn here at Southwest. That’s why we’re here after all. Also, remember that we can learn a lot from each other. Make friends with some of your older classmates. They’ll appreciate it, and there’s a good chance you might learn from some of their mistakes and avoid making a few of your own.
Encouragement and
Admonishment
Too many people go through life hating their jobs, never realizing their full potential, and never following any of their dreams. As college students, we take vital steps toward doing something that we really want to do, even if we are not sure of what this might be. It is vitally important that we realize the possibilities and the choices that are often laid before us. Instead of wandering from different fields of study, you can, to an extent, determine your future and do what you love. Of course, you are likely to be disappointed if your ambition is to be the President of the United States or an Oscar-winning actor, but a college education can take you into a career that you really care about: marine-biologist, writer, teacher, veterinarian, lawyer, entrepreneur, computer specialist, whatever. The choice is yours, and it’s important that you realize that. Think of how many people do not have these choices or do not realize that they do. You live only once, and a college education can help you make the most out of your life.
Another point that we as college students must realize is that in order to be a successful college student requires hard work, determination, and sacrifice. Nothing worthwhile is easy, as the old saying goes, and this is certainly true of a college education. A successful college career requires years of hard work, and you cannot expect to be a success without devotion and sacrifice. This is an unpleasant metaphor, but col-lege is a sort of “weeding” process. People get good jobs in part because of how well they have proved themselves through their hard
work and dedication in college. They have demonstrated that they have what it takes to succeed. Many people begin college but do not succeed at it. There are a limited number of good jobs out there, and college helps “weed out” the people who are unlikely to ever to get those jobs. I firmly believe that most people can be successful in college and that the amount of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice is what separates those who are successful from those who are not. Make your education a top priority.
As just about anyone who has earned a college degree can tell you, there will be moments when you don’t think that you can do it, moments when you doubt your ability to succeed. This is normal, but don’t let the doubts themselves defeat you. I remember vividly such moments myself, when a course seemed too hard, when the work ahead of me seemed like too much, but then I decided that if I was going to be “defeated” by something, I was at least going to give it my best effort. If a college course was too much for me, so be it. I was not going to let my doubts defeat me. I did not want to live the lingering idea that I did not succeed at something because I did not even give myself a fair chance to succeed. We cannot be successful at everything, and you might face challenges that are too much for you (at the time), but do not work against yourself and let your doubts defeat you.
Source: R. Rambo’s Advice for College Students: Encouragement and Admonishment, http://www.2.ivcc.edu/rambo/advice2. htm
By Markesha Lofton , staff writer
VaNesha Matthews, mother of three-year-old Jayden Varnado, is a 2008 honor graduate from South Pike Senior High School. She has been a resident of McComb for twenty-five years. VaNesha is currently in the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Program. Because of the magnif-icent LPN Program, she chose to come to Southwest. One statistic notes, “Eighty-six percent of LPN students will complete the program and ninety percent of graduates will be placed in a job related to their education.” VaNesha found this statistic to be amazing! VaNesha’s goal is to become a LPN and continue her education as a Registered Nurse (RN). She chose the nursing career is because of her passion to help and care for others when they are incapable of caring for themselves. VaNesha has always made excellent grades, so getting where she is at now was not a big challenge. She knows that in order to progress in this program, she will have to put in a lot of hard work. VaNesha is really looking forward to finishing on top!
Student
Spotlight:
VaNesha
Matthews
By Kendra Weary and Ja’Mesha Butler, Staff Writer
During this semester, the Southwest Mississippi Community College choir will be participating in the Annual Mississippi Community College State Choir Festival on February 19-20th, at the Riley Center in Meridian, Mississippi. Ja’Mesha Butler, a member of the choir, and I are looking forward to all of the fun and exciting lessons that the Festival will teach us. At the event, the choir will be perform-ing a few selections from John Rutter’s “Requiem Mass” and “Gloria” on Thursday that evening as a solo performance. The choir will also be performing some contemporary tunes such as “Luminescence” by Andrea Ramsey, “The Last Word of David” by Randall Thompson, and “Amazing Grace” arranged by Keith McCutchen in a mass choir performance on Friday at one o’clock in the evening. In addition to each community col-lege’s individual performances and the joining together for a mass choir performance, an after-noon performance will be offered by the Delta State Chorale. The Southwest Mississippi Community College choir will also have their first campus con-cert of the New Year on Thursday, February 26th. The Choir will perform John Rutter’s “Requiem Mass” and “Gloria” with a chamber orchestra. Admission to the concert is only five dollars to the public and a dollar to students with a student identification card. The choir will also perform at the Spring Stage Band Show and will join the Southwest Mississippi Community College band for a sacred tour at the end of April.
5
Sports
By Michael D. Gunnell Southwest Sports Information DirectorNovember 14, 2014
Leading for all but 1:58 of the contest, the Southwest Lady Bears easily defeated the visiting LSU-Eunice Lady Bengals Thursday night, 89-64. The win evened the Lady Bears record to 2-2 on the young campaign.
Southwest took an early 2-0 lead on Talisa Sherman’s jumper before the Lady Bengals tied it seconds later on a Katie Lemieux bucket. Southwest then regained the lead on an Aaliyah Williams basket with 17:13 to play in the half and held the lead the rest of the night.
A three-pointer from Cortney Epting put the Lady Bears on top 20-13 with 10:53 left. With the Lady Bengals coming no closer than four points the remainder of the half, the Lady Bears stretched their lead to 11 points, 40-29, with 0:20 on the clock before set-tling for a 40-31 halftime lead.
The second half was all Southwest. With an Eyonna Wolfe three-pointer starting things off, the Lady Bears opened the final 20:00 on a 10-2 run to open up a 50-31 lead with 17:25 left in the game.
A Gabriella Cortez free throw pushed the Lady Bears lead to 24 points, 80-56, with 4:35 to play. The lead then went to 25 points on a Tatyana Turner three-pointer with 3:16 on the clock. That proved to be the final margin of victory.
“Tonight was great,” said Southwest head coach Brent Harris, “because we got to use a lot of people in different roles and really started to figure some things out. It was fun to see some people step up and make the most of the opportunity.”
Harris said he expected a tough matchup with the Lady Bengals “because they play a lot of guards. I’m happy we were able to pull away, but I did not expect it.”
Sherman led the way for the Lady Bears with 17 points and seven assists on the night. Madison Mault and Wolfe were also in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Cortez and Turner both scored nine points while Lillie Snowden picked up eight points, along with eight rebounds, and Erica Newsome had seven. Ke’ Asia Gray and Williams both netted four points while Cortney Epting had three points and Teshia Jones and Danielle Washington both chipped in two. The Lady Bears made good on 16 of 24 free throws.
Lemieux had a double-double for LSU-Eunice (0-7), with 28 points and 14 rebounds, to lead both teams in both categories. The Lady Bengals hit 10 of 19 free throws.
The Lady Bears return to action Monday at 5:30 when they face Baton Rouge Community College on the opening night of the Southwest/Coca-Cola Classic.
November 19, 2015
The Southwest Lady Bears closed out the annual Southwest/Coca-Cola Classic on a high note Tuesday with a con-vincing 95-45 win over the Spring Hill College (Mobile, AL) Lady Badgers.
With the win, the Lady Bears evened their record at 3-3 on the season. They will take time off for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action on December 1 with a visit from Holmes Community College.
It was all Southwest from start to finish Tuesday night. An Aaliyah Williams layup put the Lady Bears up 2-0 and they never looked back. Teshia Jones nailed a pair of free throws with 0:15 left in the first half and sent the home team into the locker room with a 51-22 advantage.
The second half was much like the first. Gabriella Cortez hit a jumper with 5:11 left in the con-test to put the Lady Bears up by 52, 86-34, and they went on to the 50-point victory.
Jones lead all scorers with 14 points. Cortney Epting and Erica Newsome were also in double figures, both scoring 10 points.
Cortez, Madison Mault, Lillie Snowden and Eyonna Wolfe all picked up nine points while
Williams netted eight and Tatyana Turner added eight.
Ke’ Asia Gray, Dentasia Thomas and Danielle Washington all registered three points and Talisa Sherman picked up two. The Lady Bears hit 12 of 18 free throws.
Spring Hill’s Caroline McClenny led her squad with 13 points. The Lady Badgers hit 15 of 23 free throws.
The Southwest Bears closed out the Southwest/Coca-Cola Classic on a sour note Tuesday night as they dropped a 63-59 decision to the Jaguars of Southern University-Shreveport.
The Bears take time off for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to the court on December 1 with a home matchup against Holmes Community College.
Chris McIntosh nailed a three-pointer just seconds into the game Tuesday to put the Bears on top 3-0. David Burrell’s trey then had the home team up 8-3 with 17:03 to play in the first half.
A jumper from the Jaguars’ Amos Givan tied the game at 14-14 with 10:54 on the clock. The visitors then took an 18-14 lead on Patrick Smith’s bucket with 8:54 to go before the break. Smith added another two points with 0:23 to play, giving the Jaguars’ a 32-27 lead at the break.
The Bears (1-4) scored seven of the first 10 points of the second half and took a 35-34 lead on a pair of Jaylen Moore free throws with 15:07 left in the game. The Jaguars (5-5) took brief 37-35 lead before the Bears tied it at 37-37, with 13:36 left to play, on Lafayette Rutledge’s jumper.
The Jaguars then scored the next eight points and took a 45-37 lead with 11:10 to go. A Givan two-pointer later increased the Bears’ deficit to 53-44 with 5:19 on the clock.
Despite their best efforts, the Bears were unable to overcome that deficit. A Burrell layup pulled them to within three points, 59-56, with 0:32 to play. But, that proved to the closest the Bears would get as the Jaguars held on for the four-point win.
Moore paced the Bears, and topped all scorers, with 13 points while leading the Bears with six assists. Burrell and Rutledge also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Xavion Dillon and Trent Jeffries both scored seven points, Cliff Fernandez added six, McIntosh picked up three and Justin McCray totaled two. The Bears were good on 11 of 17 free throws.
December 2, 2015
The Southwest Lady Bears got off to a fast start Monday night against the visiting Holmes Lady Bulldogs, but were unable to hold onto their momentum as they sus-tained a 61-57 setback.
Baskets by Talisa Sherman and Cortney Epting gave the Lady Bears an early 5-0 lead. Minutes later, Epting netted a jumper to give the home team an 11-3 advantage with 16:26 left in the half.
An 11-5 Holmes (7-1) run brought the Lady Bulldogs to within two points, 16-14, with 6:47 left in the half. They then went up 20-19 on a pair of Aja Williams free throws with 5:29 on the clock.
A three-pointer from Epting put the Lady Bears (3-4) back on top, 22-20, with 4:52 in the half. Holmes then answered with an 8-0 run to go up 28-22 with 1:58 on the clock and helped them take a 30-26 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Madison Mault’s three-pointer brought the Lady Bears back to within one point, 30-29, with 19:07 left in the game and they tied it, 34-34, on a Gabriella Cortez bucket with 15:30 to go.
Holmes then scored 14 of the next 21 points to take a 48-41 lead with 5:18 left in the game and led 57-48 with 1:49 left to play.
Scoring nine of the game’s final 13 points, the Lady Bears made a valiant effort to pick gar-ner a victory, but it was not to be as Holmes came out on top for the seventh straight game.
“We had some tough moments in the middle of the game,” said Southwest head coach Brent Harris. “We are encouraged by our late rally, but we also put our-selves in that position (of having to rally) by missing too many free throws.”
Sherman and Epting led the Lady Bears’ offense with 14 and
11 points, respectively. Epting added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Cortez netted nine points while Mault scored eight and Teshia Jones netted seven. Erica Newsome chipped in five points and Eyonna Wolfe had three. The Lady Bears struggled at the free throw line, hitting only eight of 27.
Williams scored 19 points for Holmes to lead all scorers. The Lady Bulldogs made good on 14 of 20 charity shots.
Leading for all but 1:32 of the game and by as many as 18 points in the second half, the Southwest Bears had to withstand a rally by the visiting Holmes Bulldogs to pick up a much-needed 64-55 win.
The Bears and Bulldogs both scored eight of the game’s first 16 points before the Bears pulled ahead, 13-8, with 13:22 left in the half. After Holmes pulled to with-in one, 13-12, Trent Jeffries nailed a three-pointer and two-pointer to push the Bears’ lead back to six points, 18-12, with 9:27 to play.
Leading by three points, 20-17, with 6:23 on the clock, the Bears reeled off 14 straight to go up 34-17 and held a 34-19 lead at the half.
With 11:18 left in the game, Jaylen Moore hit a free throw to give the Bears a seemingly com-fortable 47-29 lead. But, Holmes (4-4) was determined not to go quietly.
With the Bears on top 54-39 and 7:18 on the clock, the Bulldogs went on a 14-4 run, capped by a Marcus Washington layup, and pulled to within five points, 58-53, with 2:05 showing on the clock.
That would prove to be as close as the visitors would get as David Burrell, Lafayette Rutledge and Moore would combine to hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to give the Bears the win.
“I thought it was a situation where they (Holmes) got a few calls on their end & started capi-talizing on free throws,” said Southwest head coach Thomas Gray of the Bulldogs’ comeback attempt. “We knew they (Holmes) were going to come back (but) we were able to make some crucial free throws (in the end).”
Moore finished the night with 24 points, 16 from the free throw line, to pace the Bears’ offense. Burrell and Rutledge both fin-ished with 15 points. Burrell led the Bears on the boards with 16 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Jeffries netted seven points while Chris McIntosh added two and Xavion Dillon had one. Dillon was in double figures in rebounds with 10.The Bears hit 26 of 36 free throws.
December 5, 2015
Games between the Southwest Lady Bears and Pearl River Lady Wildcats are normally close and hard-fought and Thursday night’s contest was no different. The teams played tough all night before the Lady Bears were able to escape Poplarville with a 59-53 win in the MACJC South Division opener for both teams.
The Lady Bears (4-4, 1-0) were down 7-0 before Erica Newsome’s layup put them on the board with 16:02 left in the first half. That started the Lady Bears on a 15-6 run that gave them a 17-13 lead with 10:19 on the clock.
After Pearl River (4-2, 0-1) scored eight straight to go up 18-17 with 8:05 left in the half, the teams were then tied three times before Cortney Epting’s three pointer at the 0:57 mark put the Lady Bears on top 28-26, a lead they carried into the intermission. The Lady Bears were up 35-31 with 13:41 left in the game before their hosts went on a 9-0 run to regain the lead, 40-35, with 10:54 to play. Two ties and five lead changes later, the Lady Bears closed out an 8-0 run and took the lead for good, 55-47, on Eyonna Wolfe’s trey with 3:35 left in the game. Pearl River pulled to with-in four powith-ints, 57-53, with 0:13 left in the game, but a pair of Talisa Sherman free throws put the game on ice.
Southwest head coach Brent Harris said the win was important to his squad because “we only get two (division games) before the (Christmas) break. We get this one and then we’re at home next week.” Harris said he hoped his team can win that game and “get a little momentum” going into the break. The Lady Bears host the Hinds Lady Bulldogs Monday at
5:30.
The win was also good for the Lady Bears because “we had some injuries,” Harris said and “had some people playing out of position. So, just to react to that situation on the road, I’m really proud of us.”
News ome recorded a double-double, with 18 points and 13 rebounds, as well as four blocked shots, to pace the Lady Bears’ attack. Epting and Lillie Snowden also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Madison Mault netted seven points while Sherman had six points, along with five assists. Gabriella Cortez and Wolfe both chipped in three points. The Lady Bears made good on 10 of 15 free throws.
Essence Pulliam and Asia Thibodeaux both scored 11 points to lead Pearl River. The Lady Wildcats hit nine of 18 free thro
Playing on the road in the MACJC is never easy and Thursday night was no different as the Southwest Bears found out in a tough 81-69 loss to the Pearl River Wildcats in Poplarville. The game marked the opening of the South Division schedule for both teams.
The Bears took an early 2-0 lead on David Burrell’s basket before Pearl River ran off 11 straight points to go up 11-2 with 16:57 left in the half. Down17-9, the Bears outscored their hosts 11-2, capped by an old-fashioned three-point play by Xavion Dillon, to take a 20-19 lead with 9:58 on the clock.
Pearl River (8-0, 1-0) then quickly reeled off 10 straight points to regain the lead, 29-20, with 7:30 to play. Minutes later, they had pushed their lead to 12 points, 38-26, before taking a 40-32 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Bears (2-5, 0-1) would make several comeback attempts in the second half, but Pearl River would find a way to answer each attempt and maintain their advan-tage.
Trent Jeffries opened the sec-ond half with 11 of his team-high 18 points for the Bears and pulled his team back to within three points, 43-40, with 17:54 left in the game. But, a 21-7 run pushed the Pearl River lead up to 17 points, 64-17.
A Dillon three-pointer and Lafayette Rutledge jumper served as bookends to a 10-0 Southwest run that brought the Bears back to within seven points, 64-57, with 5:55 remaining. But, again, Pearl River answered and found them-selves on top by 14, 74-60, with 2:44 to go.
Burrell and Rutledge hit three-pointers on the front and back end of a 9-0 Southwest run that had the Bears within seven points, 76-69, with 0:51 showing. But, that would prove to be the last chance for the Bears as Pearl River pulled away to the 12-point victo-ry.
“Pearl River’s a tough team to play against,” said Bears’ head man Thomas Gray. “They’ve got a good team (with) a lot of athlet-ic kids, a lot of big kids. We don’t really match up too well with them.”
“They (Pearl River) made some big shots, some tough shots that took us out of our defense,” Gray continued. “It was a situa-tion in which I thought we just did not play well.”
Burrell and Dillon both scored 16 points for the Bears while Rutledge was also in double fig-ures with 10 points. Rutledge also added eight assists.
Jaylen Moore picked up four points in the game while Justin McCray netted three and Chris McIntosh added two. The Bears hit 10 of 16 free throws.
January 6, 2015
Unlike their first matchup, a 24-point Southwest win in Moorhead, Monday night’s con-test between the Lady Bears and visiting Mississippi Delta was hard fought from start to finish. But, in the end, the Lady Bears prevailed and picked up a 66-62 win to start the second of their season. The teams were tied six times and exchanged the lead three times in the first half Monday night. A Gabriella Cortez layup with 6:26 to play gave the Lady Bears a seven-point lead, 26-19, the biggest by either team.
The Lady Trojans then scored eight of the next 10 points to pull back to within one, 28-27, with 1:06 to play in the half. Eyonna Wolfe then hit a pair of free throws to send the Lady Bears
(6-4) into the locker room with a 30-27 advantage.
The second half proved to be as hard fought as the first with two ties and four lead changes, though it did not appear early that would be the case. Back-to-back baskets from Cortney Epting, one a three pointer, put the Lady Bears up 35-27 with 18:23 left in the game.
Proving they came to play, the Lady Trojans (2-8) then went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-35 lead with 15:22 to play. The teams then traded baskets before a Teshia Jones jumper with 6:04 on the clock put the Lady Bears on top for good, 53-52.
Holding a 62-60 lead with 0:38 remaining, Epting nailed a clutch three-pointer to make the score 65-60 and the Lady Bears held on for the four-point victory.
Cortez led the Lady Bears’ offense with 18 points in the game. Epting and Lillie Snowden also finished in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respective-ly. Epting picked up 13 in the sec-ond half.
Wolfe registered seven points in the game while Talisa Sherman had six. Jones and Madison Mault both netted four points and Aaliyah Williams had two. The Lady Bears made seven of nine free throws.
Niya Head scored 22 points for Mississippi Delta to lead all scor-ers. The Lady Trojans hit nine of 13 free throws.
Gaining a measure of revenge from an early season loss in Moorhead, the Southwest Bears opened the 2015 portion of their schedule with a 67-60 win over visiting Mississippi Delta Monday night. The Trojans defeated the Bears 75-72 in over-time in November.
A Chris McIntosh three-pointer and Xavion Dillon layup gave the Bears (4-5) an early 5-0 Monday. They later went up by as many as eight, 15-7, with 13:35 left in the half.
The Trojans (5-5) fought back to take their only lead of the game, 23-21, on Darius Dukes’ layup with 4:05 on the clock. With Trent Jeffries scoring seven of the half’s final 11 points, the Bears regained the lead and took a 30-25 advantage into the locker room at the break.
Jeffries’ three-pointer with 13:29 left in the game gave the Bears their first double-digit lead of the night, 41-30. An old-fash-ioned three-pointer play from McIntosh then increased the lead to 14 points, 53-39, with 7:51 to go.
But, as usual, the Trojans would not go quietly. Outscoring the Bears 17-6, the visitors slow-ly made their way back into the game, coming to within three points, 59-56, on a Travon Harper jumper with 1:10 to play. That would prove to be the Trojans’ last gasp, however, as the Bears went 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the seven-point win.
Jeffries and David Burrell both had 14 points to pace the Bears’ offense while Jaylen Moore was also in double figures with 10 points.
McIntosh and Dillon both picked up eight points with Lafayette Rutledge netting seven. Cliff Fernandez, Justin McCray and LeDerrius Simmons each chipped in two points. The Bears were nearly perfect at the free throw line, hitting 22 of 25.
January 9, 2015
It was a tale of two halves Thursday night in Goodman as the Southwest Lady Bears saw their first-half lead evaporate enroute to a 69-58 loss to the Holmes Lady Bulldogs.
After seeing their hosts take score with only 0:05 off the clock, the Lady Bears quickly bounced back to take a 4-2 lead on buckets from Madison Mault and Talisa Sherman.
Holmes regained the lead, 5-4, on Aja Williams’ layup with 17:55 left in the half. But, with jumpers from Mault and Eyonna Wolfe serving as bookends, the Lady Bears went on a 14-4 tear to take an 18-9 lead with 12:23 on the clock. Using three-pointers from Mault and Cortney Epting, the Lady Bears (6-5) regained their composure and stretched their lead to double-digits, 31-20, with 6:43 before the break. They went on to hold a 34-27 lead at the intermission. Holmes (10-2) came out on fire in the second half, opening the final 20:00 on an 11-2 run to go on top 38-36 with 16:16 left in the game. Mault’s three-pointer put the
Lady Bears back up, 39-38, with 15:51 to go.
Up 42-40 with 14:17 on the clock, the Lady Bears saw their hosts score eight of the next nine points to take a 48-43 lead with 10:36 left. Baskets by Gabriella Cortez and Teshia Jones then put the Lady Bears back on top, 49-48, with 8:53 to play.
A 10-2 run allowed Holmes to take a seven-point, 58-51, lead with 4:02 left in the game. The Lady Bears trailed by five points, 62-57, with 1:43 still left on the clock, but Holmes scored seven of the game’s final eight points to take the 11-point victory.
Mault and Cortez scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Southwest offense. Epting netted eight points while Wolfe had seven. Sherman and Lillie Snowden both scored five points and Jones had two. The Lady Bears made 10 of 16 free throws.
Williams had 23 points for Holmes to top all scorers. The Lady Bulldogs hit eight of 16 free throws.
Falling behind early, the Southwest Bears were never able to catch up as they dropped a 65-41 non-division contest to the home standing Holmes Bulldogs Thursday night in Goodman.
Holmes took control of the game early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before Xavion Dillon’s jumper with 15:52 left in the half made the score 6-2. However, los-ing none of their early momen-tum, the hosts slowly increased their advantage. Leading by nine, 21-12, with 8:48 on the clock, the Bulldogs scored 14 of the half’s last 15 points to take a 34-16 lead into the break.
Jaylen Moore’s layup to open the second half made the score 34-18, but that would be as close as the Bears would be able to get the rest of the way. A Jarvis Williams bucket with 13:59 left in the game made the score 50-21 and the Bulldogs (8-4) would go on to the 24-point win.
Dillon had 11 points and Trent Jeffries 10 to pace the Bears (4-6) on the night. Lafayette Rutledge recorded nine points while Moore had four. Justin McCray netted three points and Cliff Fernandez and Monte Martin both had two. The Bears hit eight of 15 free throws.
January 14, 2015
A second-half comeback fell just short Tuesday night in Meridian as they Southwest Lady Bears suffered a tough 70-65 MACJC South Division loss to host Meridian.
The Lady Bears took an early 3-0 lead on Madison Mault’s three-pointer, but Meridian quick-ly scored the next six to take a 6-3 lead with 18:6-39 left in the half.
The Lady Eagles slowly pushed their advantage to double digits, leading 23-12 with 10:44 to play in the half. They later increased the lead to 20 points before settling for a 37-20 lead at the break.
Trailing by 21, 41-20, with 18:37 left in the game, the Lady Bears (6-6, 2-1) slowly worked their way back into the game. A jumper from Mault brought the team back to within nine, 51-42, with 10:49 to go. The Lady Eagles (9-4, 2-1) then scored 11 of the next 16 points to push their lead back to 15 points, 62-47, with 8:00 on the clock.
Taking one last shot at a come-back win, the Lady Bears then went on a furious 16-6 run, capped by Teshia Jones’ three pointer, to get back to within five points, 68-63, with 0:33 still go play. A pair of Lady Eagles’ free throws put the hosts on top 70-63, with 0:15 showing on the clock and they held on for the five-point victory.
“We came out with very little energy (in the first half),” said Southwest head man Brent Harris, “and let some negative plays affect me and affect them (the team) early on. We’ve got to change that. I’m very proud of the second-half effort, but we’ve got to do it for 40 minutes.” The Lady Bears placed four players in dou-ble figures in the game. Cortney Epting and Jones both scored 13 points to lead the way (Epting also had four assists and three blocked shots). Gabriella Cortez had a double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Mault scored 10 points. Talisa Sherman picked up nine points for the Lady Bears while Lillie Snowden and Tatyana Turner both netted four.
6
January 30, 2015
News
The Origin
of
Valentines
Softball team prepares for
spring play
By J.R. Herring, sports writer
As of this past weekend, the NFL conference championships have been played and the matchup for Super Bowl XLIX has been decided. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will square off to deter-mine this year’s Super Bowl champion.
The Seahawks will be looking to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2004 and 2005 New England Patriots. Seattle more than han-dled business in last year’s domi-nating performance in Super Bowl XIVII against one of the league’s most elite quarterbacks, Peyton Manning, and the Denver Broncos. Since then, the Seahawks have taken the league by storm establishing themselves as the team to beat. They will be looking to build on their success on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of an emotional come from behind victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship where they found themselves down 16-0 at half-time. Seattle fought their way back into the game scoring twen-ty –eight points in the second half, including the thirty-five yard touchdown pass from quar-terback Russell Wilson to receiv-er Jreceiv-ermaine Kearse in ovreceiv-ertime which sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
Even though the New England Patriots’ deflation of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship was slightly less magical, it still goes down as their sixth AFC title win since their Super Bowl run in the 2001-2002 season and stamps their ticket to Super Bowl XLIX. The Patriots have built a dynasty over the course of Head Coach Bill Belichick’s tenure as they have won three out of the past five Super Bowls that they have appeared in. This will be Patriots’s quarterback Tom Brady’s sixth Super Bowl appearance since he has been in the league. New England has proved to be one of the league’s elite teams and will be looking to add yet another Lombardi trophy to their collection.
The scenario is all too fitting. After last year’s blowout victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle seems to have established themelves in the league. Still, some skeptics remain and ques-tion their status as the NFL’s best team. The Seahawks will have the opportunity to cement them-selves amongst the league’s elite on the biggest stage in football and against one of the most high-ly decorated teams the NFL has seen in the past decade and a half, the New England Patriots. Super Bowl Sunday is February 1st and kickoff is set for 6:30pm ET on NBC.
By Katelyn Bateaste, staff writer
Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special “valentine.” The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman hol-iday Lupercalia. While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the mid-dle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebra-tion of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility fes-tival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrifi-cial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his cho-sen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is cele-brated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be pop-ularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affec-tion or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing tech-nology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feel-ings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greet-ings.
Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valen-tines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate cre-ations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the sec-ond largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 bil-lion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
Valentine’s Day. January 1, 1995. www.history.com/to ics/valentinesday Day class: Instructor Wade Wicker, Courtney Smith, Scott McGehee, Lindsey Johnston, Rebecca Dubose, and Troy McKey
Softball Team 2015: Brooke Chaffee, Shaden Miller, Jessica Pipkins; second row: Claire Taix, Tori Reeves, Christina Lawson, Austin Pruitt, Jana McEwen, Seana Flynn, Peyton Lewis, Leyton Terrell; third row: Coach Shea Johnson, Morgan Brown, Keely Fortenberry, Chasity Shepherd, Paige Walters, Leann Jackson, Macy Fulton, Hannah Cuevas, Maddy Teague, Ashton Dixon, Jessie Penton, Sarah Roberts, Coach Patsy Sandifer
Congratulations to our EMT-B Fall 2014 graduates for successfully completing the EMT Skills that are outlined in the National Standard Curriculum developed by the United States Department of Transportation and additional skills required by the Mississippi Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. Night class: Instructor Craig Rowell, Amarah Newman, Jesse James, Marissa Reynolds, Patsy Coon, Jacob Shepherd, and Caleb McLean
Zach Mills leaves to
play professional soccer
by Michael D. Gunnell Southwest Sports Information
Fulfilling the dream of many athletes, Southwest assistant soccer coach Zach Mills has joined the professional ranks by becoming a member of the Estrella De Corgi soccer team. The team is based in Omate, Peru. He will be joining the team on January 28.
Mills said he had always wanted to play soccer at the next level and tried out for the team after speaking with an acquaintance that has played on the same team. When told he had made the team, Mills said “I really couldn’t believe it. It was kind of a dream come true. I still can’t believe it; I’m getting more excited every day.”
Because he will be leaving his family and friends behind in the United State to take this step, Mills was asked if he had any second thoughts. “A few,” he said. “I’m getting (a little) nervous (because) who knows what’ll happen. I do hate the timing. I enjoy being here (at Southwest), but I can’t pass up this one-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Mills said he felt playing for Estrella De Corgi would help his coach-ing career. “I would love to learn more about soccer,” he said, “just to get a different perspective. I love coaching and I know I have a lot to learn (so) I think it’ll help in the long run (by) showing (collegiate) players that I’ve played at the next level and have learned from a dif-ferent kind of coaching.”
Mills admits that, as of now, he does not know a lot about the team and his future teammates. But, he did say that he has “met the coach and some of the guys. They are unbelievable athletes. They are looking to win the championship this May and hopefully I can help them out with that.”
While in Peru, Mills plans to continue working toward his Master’s degree and hope to return to Southwest at some point.
Head soccer coach Drew Gallant realizes going to Peru is “a great opportunity (for Zach). The plan is, as of right now, that he’ll be gone during the spring, playing professionally, and get a lot of experience and another view of the soccer world.”
Director of Athletics Dr. Bill Ashley said of Mills, “We wish Zach
good luck going forward and we appreciate his two seasons here with the Southwest soccer teams. I feel he has a great opportunity to contin-ue his learning with playing professional soccer as well as taking a few graduate courses in a different country. We feel he will be a better coach down the road.”
Ashley also said “We’re going to miss him at Southwest also as head of the men’s residence hall. He performed quite well (in that capacity). He was a good example for our young men in the residence hall and we’re going to miss his leadership in that position, as well.”
Zach Mills
EMT graduates ready for
future challenges
Super
Bowl
Sunday
comes
soon
By Rebekah Mote, staff writer Disney has done it again with another fantastic animated film being brought to the big screen as a live-action film! Like Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and Into the Woods, the newest edition to this movie trend is the classic fairytale of Cinderella. The trail-er of the upcoming film was released in November of 2014 and showed a sneak peek into the film. The trailer makes it clear that this movie will be heavy on CGI. Everything from the back-grounds to the clock tower, the mice and even Cinderella’s dress seem to be computer generated. However, Cinderella seems to be less Maleficent and more of a sincere take on a classic story we all know and love. Though the storyline may be a little darker than the animated telling that we all know and love from 1950, it is sure to have a few added extras that were never explained in the animated telling. Cinderella is set to premiere on March 13, 2015!
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January 30, 2015
Cartoon
By Rebekah Mote, staff writer
According to the Huffington Post survey, the average American spends around $140 every Valentine’s Day for the people they care about. When you stop to think about it though, it’s not too extreme of a total, but what comes from the heart is a lit-tle more important than how much you spent on that dinner and a movie. Yet, why not be eco-friendly when it comes to buy-ing? After all it’s the thought that counts.
For children, crafts from recy-cled items such as magazines, crayons, poster board, and other random small items make for great Valentine’s cards creations. For instance, broken crayons can be melted down and molded in shaped rubber ice trays to make
different shaped crayons, such as stars, hearts, butterflies, and more. Tape the newly molded crayons to the cards and write a cute saying for a friend, and viola! These can also be reused by your friends.
For adults, there’s an array of different ideas you could use to create amazing Valentine’s treats and gifts without breaking the bank. If you have any mason jars lying around you can reuse them, if not, there are sold in a pack of six or eight at the dollar store. A lot of things can be put into a mason jar