You Be The Chemist Challenge

A team of fifth-eighth grade students from Meridian Christian Home Educators was named the Mississippi winner in the You Be The Chemist Challenge. The challenge is a competition hosted by the Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) in which teams of 5th-8th grade students explore chemistry concepts and the role of those concepts in their community.

Team members include Micah Carr, Shelton Pace, Elijah Sliger and Judah Cross.

The competition was held virtually this year due to COVID-19. Teams participated in a virtual event where they answered timed questions and submitted a video on sustainability, scientific phenomena, and ways that problems faced by people in their community can be solved using their knowledge of chemistry and science.

Ten thousand students from 266 schools competed in the Challenge this year from 40 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and Canada participated in the event.

“Keeping students engaged in science is critical to continuing their interest in the subject. The Challenge provided an opportunity for students to continue learning about chemistry collaboratively, even with remote learning in place in many states,” said CEF Executive Director Dwayne Sattler. “We are so proud of our students, teachers, and volunteers for adapting to a virtual environment under difficult circumstances this year, and we are excited to continue to highlight the hard work of our Challenge participants.”

 

Salvation Army of Meridian helps with Hurricane Ida relief

When Capt. Tamara Robb, with The Salvation Army of Meridian, received a call just after Hurricane Ida made landfall, she had no idea what an impact she would soon have on one survivor’s story.

Kevin, who lives in Houma, La., had been care flighted to Meridian after a medical emergency. After being released from the hospital, he was unable to get home. He called The Salvation Army, and  Robb moved him into their shelter and provided him with food, clothes, a suitcase, and a bus ticket home.

Kevin made it as far as Mobile, Ala. when the bus could no longer continue due to Tropical Storm Nicholas. He reached out to Robb, who contacted the Mobile Salvation Army and arranged a room in their shelter until the storm was over and Kevin could finally head home.

A week or two later, Robb received a call asking if she could serve on a disaster team.

“I immediately looked to see if I would be near Houma,” she said. “Sure enough, I was, and by my second day I was searching for Kevin to see if he made it home, but I couldn’t find him.”

“Yesterday, I was serving on the canteen,” Robb said. “We found a few neighbors who said they knew him and pointed further down the street to his house…I pulled up, and he saw my van, so I jumped out, and he made his way to me with the biggest smile, ‘Brother, I’ve been looking for you!” Kevin replied, “It is so good to see you. I’m going to cry!”

There is a long road ahead for Kevin, and so many others, to rebuild their homes and communities. 

Supporting the community

Miss. Division Vice-President, Tonya Mott, and Miss. Division Treasurer, Bunnie Tisdale presented a $500 donation to Merrehope for upkeep and repair in the name of the MS Division United Daughters of the Confederacy. The Miss. Division will be supporting Merrehope in their “Trees of Christmas”. The Daughters will be presenting the “Christmas of 1864” the last Christmas in the Confederate Whitehouse in Richmond, Va.