A rose to the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Columbus for another successful “Sounds of Summer” concert series at the Columbus Riverwalk. The series included concerts on four Thursday nights, beginning June 4 and ending Thursday with a performance by Keith and Margie Brown. “Sounds of Summer” started in 2008 and, for a fourth consecutive year, it has been recognized as one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. The family-friendly concerts are a great way to make use of the city’s wonderful Riverwalk and strengthen the bonds of our community.
A rose to the city of Columbus for its Summer Youth Works program, which ends Aug. 4. The program provides paying jobs for 25 Columbus teens and is funded through the city and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The benefits of the program go beyond instilling in the teens a sense of work ethic and helping keep the city clean (the teens picked up an estimated 300 bags of trash, 400 bags of leaves and planted 52 trees). The teens were also provided information on other important aspects of life such as balancing a checkbook, good credit, bullying in school, anger management, how to prep for job interviews and how to dress for job interviews. City officials hope that future summer work programs can grow to include more teens.
A rose to Richard L. Blackbourn, dean of Mississippi State’s College of Education, who was selected as one of the nation’s 30 most influential deans, the only dean at a Mississippi college or university to earn that distinction. Blackbourn was selected for the honor by Mometrix Test Preparation, a Beaumont, Texas-based company that created the honor to recognize administrators who “have had an invaluable impact not only on the field of education as a whole, but also on the lives of the future teachers of America whom they have shepherded.” Blackbourn, who earned three degrees from MSU, spent his early career in K-12 education, including a stint as an elementary school principal in Lowndes County. As current president of the Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, he long has worked to enhance public policies that help prepare education professionals at all service levels. We congratulate him on his much-deserved recognition.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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