Brookhaven School District and Mississippi Scholars Program

Duration of partnership: 7 years
Number of volunteers: 130
Impacts 1,900 students

Since 2006 in Lincoln County, the Mississippi Scholars program has awarded $400,000 in scholarships to 226 scholar graduates. The Scholars program is a small group of committed citizens with a desire to inspire students, parents and educators and bring together people from all walks of life to make a difference in the community.
 
Activities
 
Rising Scholars program encourages elementary and middle school students regarding grades, attendance and service. Students beginning in kindergarten recognized at individual school sites during Rising Scholars Ceremony. Reality Town exercise for freshmen helps students learn about the cost of living, responsibility of maintaining a household, and financial planning and budgeting skills.
 
Results
 
The Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program mentors 1,900 students a year. In 2011, graduating Scholars from BHS achieved an average ACT of 25.73, while non-Scholar students averaged 20.6; numerical GPA average for MS Scholars at BHS in 2011 was 92.91, while average for non-Scholars was 83.22. Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program mentors 1,900 students a year. Annually, approx. 130 volunteers donate 1,000+ hours of service during 10 months of active planning, training and implementing.