special to the star
Magnolia Grove School (MGS) recently received two grant awards to enhance the educational experience for students receiving treatment at Bradley Sanders Adolescent Complex. The Phil Hardin Foundation awarded MGS $12,000 for the "Software for Success" program and the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Organization presented the school with a $500 mini-grant for an outdoor classroom.
The Phil Hardin Foundation partnered with the East Mississippi State Hospital (EMSH) Friends Organization, who contributed $4,000 towards the proposal, and EMSH to fund the $20,000 project, which includes three software programs, three printers, cabling and supplies. The software package will provide computer assisted instruction to MGS students in the core academic areas of reading, language arts, writing, math and science, as well as career tech and life skills. The programs are research based and adapt to different learning styles by incorporating auditory, visual, and tactile learning.
Gayle Butler, computer instructor at MGS said that the software program will be beneficial for all the students. "By offering individualized computer-assisted instruction based on targeted needs, along with classroom instruction, students will be able to progress at their own pace, building confidence and proficiency whether they are to return to their home schools, obtain their GEDs, or prepare for college or the work force." Butler said.
Funds from the KAB grant will be used to construct an outdoor classroom on the MGS campus that will include birdfeeders, birdhouses, a bird bath, and assorted plants and trees that will attract a variety of butterflies, birds, and insects.
MGS staff hopes to inspire the students to be excited about learning by using nature as a learning lab. Special outdoor classroom lessons/projects will allow students to leave the regular classroom setting and work individually and collectively on the same lesson fostering students' self confidence, personal responsibility, group commitment, and pride in their work. "We want to encourage our students to develop an appreciation for nature and learn the importance of being good stewards of the environment," said Carla Dean, science instructor at the school.
Wayne Litton, Magnolia Grove School Principal, credited the community organizations for their investment in the school. "We would not be able to provide these programs without the support of the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Keep America Beautiful Organization," Litton said. "We especially appreciate the support of the EMSH Friends Organization for their financial support of the software project and the many other projects that they sponsor for the hospital."
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Grant comes through for Magnolia Grove
- Local News
-
-
Local law enforcement officials honored
State Rep. Greg Snowden said he remembered as a child looking up to those "men in blue."
He said police officers in uniform were larger than life, riding in their patrol cars and carrying guns to protect and serve the population. Today, he said he is still in great admiration of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day so that citizens can feel safe. -
MPD probes vehicle crash
Evidence of a mother's desperate attempt to save her children from harm were spread all over a car lot — and could be seen on her as well in the form of bruises, cuts and scrapes.
Tuesday night, a vehicle with three children inside crashed through a plate glass showroom floor window damaging four new cars and totaling the vehicle the children were in. -
Skeleton found in residence
Members of the forensics team of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) were called to a dilapidated home in Chunky to probe the discovery of a skeleton.
-
Police search for robbery suspects
Two men who reportedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank are still being sought.
Mike Vick, public information officer with the Meridian Police Department, said the two men approached a woman about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the ATM of Regions Bank on North Hills Street. Vick said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun and after taking an undetermined amount of cash and the victim's car keys, the two suspects fled on foot. -
City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday. -
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits. -
Team Spirit
-
High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
-
Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. - More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
