Mississippi
Natchez Early College setting a high bar – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper
Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of presiding over the twond Annual NECA Celebration – an occasion I started final yr as Mayor to commend the accomplishments of graduates of the Natchez Early School Academy, an incredible program we are able to all be pleased with.
Earlier within the day, I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a bi-partisan political luncheon in Madison, “Grip-N-Grin”, the place over 120 Mississippians, together with judges, sheriffs, legislators, group leaders and even Federal officers, heard information of the Natchez Renewal. Throughout my presentation, I informed them about NECA, and the response was superb – the applause great! At that second it struck me that this program actually is one thing uncommon, but one thing we in Natchez have been vulnerable to take with no consideration.
Began as an experimental program simply seven years in the past, NECA has turn into celebrated as one of many prime packages of its sort within the nation. In 2020 it was acknowledged within the High Ten nationally, and, even after the challenges of the covid pandemic, NECA continues to realize nice outcomes. Underneath the management of Principal Heather Jackson and Co-Lin VP Sandra Barnes, with the complete assist of the Natchez-Adams College District and Co-Lin Board of Trustees, this distinctive highschool is presently ranked as top-of-the-line excessive colleges in Mississippi – and even the nation.
As one of many solely packages of its sort in Mississippi, NECA enrolls college students from 9th by way of 12th grades on an accelerated academic monitor the place college students can earn their highschool and associates’ faculty levels concurrently. Wednesday night, we honored 40 NECA Graduates who’ve now obtained each their highschool diploma and two-year associates’ faculty diploma from Co-Lin. All of those graduates will quickly be getting into faculty as juniors, two years forward of their friends, many with scholarships and 4.0 GPAs. Some even have earned GPAs increased than a 4.0, which I didn’t even notice was doable!
I first grew to become conscious of NECA when, in my former life as a state lobbyist, I had the pleasure of greeting a bunch of NECA college students on the Mississippi State Capitol. I used to be instantly impressed by these excellent younger folks, most of whom come from economically-challenged backgrounds and but have persevered to realize and attain a lot.
After changing into Mayor, I realized much more about this program. After I discovered that almost all of those college students additionally held jobs to assist out at residence, I grew to become satisfied that recognition by the town was a should. Thus this annual metropolis celebration was born. Final yr, Natchez Neighborhood Liaison Frances Wallace put her coronary heart and soul into making the occasion particular – God bless her soul. And this yr, Neighborhood Liaison Neifa Hardy didn’t disappoint, and this system was great!
In a day the place our colleges are the goal of a lot criticism, you will need to level out the positives. And it’s important that we applaud the directors, lecturers and oldsters for all they’ve accomplished – and congratulate these superb younger individuals who now are on their strategy to shiny futures that can imply a lot to our group, state and nation. Certainly these college students have set the bar excessive. They honestly embody all the causes Natchez Deserves Extra.
Dan Gibson is the mayor of Natchez.