Hometown Clinton - Winter 2015
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Volume 2, Issue 4<br />
<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
Christmas Memories<br />
_______________________<br />
Dream of Designing<br />
_______________________<br />
Holdiay Recipes<br />
_______________________<br />
New Year's Resolutions
McRaven Rd.<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong><br />
Raymond Rd.<br />
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<strong>Clinton</strong> has great schools, great neighborhoods,<br />
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and recreation options. We know this town.<br />
We love this town. And we’re ready to help you<br />
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Springridge Rd.<br />
Laci Pittman<br />
Cell: (601) 573-4748<br />
lpittman@usa.net<br />
Leah Sandidge<br />
Cell: (601) 540-6086<br />
leahsandidge@gmail.com<br />
Tronnie Lacy<br />
Cell: (601) 672-2496<br />
tntlacy@bellsouth.net<br />
College St.<br />
Jackie Barksdale<br />
Cell: (601) 918-2914<br />
jackie.barksdale@comcast.net<br />
Charla Conlee, GRI<br />
Cell: (601) 954-4565<br />
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David Stevens II<br />
Cell: (601) 540-1219<br />
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Hwy. 80W<br />
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Estelle Sherer<br />
Cell: (601) 940-5955<br />
esherer@bellsouth.net<br />
W Northside Dr.<br />
Pinehaven Dr.<br />
Doris Lepard<br />
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Erin Baxter<br />
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estanley084@yahoo.com<br />
Brenda Farr<br />
Cell: (601) 260-5511<br />
brenda.farr@century21.com<br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 3
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4 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
4 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 5
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PUBLISHER & EDITOR<br />
Tahya A. Dobbs<br />
CFO<br />
Kevin W. Dobbs<br />
<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
CONSULTING EDITOR<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
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Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Amanda Markow<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Wayne VanHorn<br />
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• • •<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
/<strong>Hometown</strong>-<strong>Clinton</strong>-Magazine<br />
For subscription information<br />
visit www.htmags.com<br />
This special Christmas edition marks <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
Magazines’ second anniversary. As I celebrate our<br />
wonderful, exciting venture, I also reflect over the<br />
year’s happenings that have made up life for us in <strong>2015</strong>.<br />
There were wonderful things that happened<br />
along the way but it was also a year of great loss.<br />
We attended two funerals—my grandmother’s and<br />
father-in-law’s. Then, in October, we experienced the<br />
loss of our family pet, Thatcher. Maybe it was that it<br />
all happened within a relatively short period of time<br />
–but it felt like a lot to deal with and it was hard.<br />
However, sunshine always follows the storms,<br />
and the July sunshine was a big part of our oldest<br />
child’s wedding. Camea and Justin’s ceremony was<br />
a memorable highlight of <strong>2015</strong>.<br />
CandyLee, our youngest, added to the fanfare<br />
when she enrolled in summer school in order to<br />
graduate high school a year early. She completed<br />
her endeavor and is now a freshman at Hinds.<br />
And while we helped get her registered in early<br />
August, we packed Carson’s belongings to move him<br />
into an apartment in Oxford as a junior at Ole Miss.<br />
All those back-to-back highlights saved me a lot of<br />
tears because there was no time to cry!<br />
One of my favorite articles in this issue is the one<br />
on foster parenting. My own family cared for four<br />
brothers in the foster program for two years and saw,<br />
first-hand, the challenges and rewards. It changed<br />
our lives in such a profoundly positive way.<br />
In this season of giving, God may not ask you to<br />
become a foster parent, but He may touch your heart<br />
to encourage a foster parent you know. Perhaps you<br />
would consider a Christmas donation to an orphanage.<br />
Or, like the article suggests, be willing to help parents<br />
that foster by giving them a much needed break and<br />
offering an occasional hand.<br />
Christmas originated with the<br />
greatest Gift. In honor of Him,<br />
why not continue the giving spirit?<br />
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• • •<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> is published by<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines.<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
No portion of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
may be reproduced without written<br />
permission from the publisher.<br />
The management of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
is not responsible for opinions expressed<br />
by its writers or editors.<br />
All communications sent to our<br />
editorial staff are subject to publication<br />
and the unrestricted right to be refused,<br />
or to be edited and/or editorially<br />
commented on.<br />
All advertisements are subject<br />
to approval by the publisher.<br />
The production of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
is funded by advertising.<br />
In this issue A Scarvin' Artist 11<br />
Christmas Memories 11<br />
Battle of the Bells 11<br />
Holiday Recipes 19<br />
Dream of Designing 40<br />
Making Memories 42<br />
New Year's Resolutions 11<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 7
The<br />
way<br />
we<br />
were<br />
Sally and Wayne Baker<br />
Elizabeth Bennett<br />
be in a couple’s class at Morrison Heights.<br />
They are in the “Faithful Followers” class<br />
which is the largest class in the church.<br />
There are 90 members on the class roll and<br />
they even have their own pictorial directory<br />
just for their group. “We knew more people<br />
in the church back then though because the<br />
church was so small,” said Sally.<br />
Wayne and Sally have been married<br />
for 55 years and have some good advice for<br />
newlyweds. “Don’t go to bed mad at each<br />
other,” said Wayne. Sally says to “use<br />
patience, grace and forgiveness over and<br />
over.” “I’ve always been the loud motor<br />
mouth of the group. To feel the love, trust<br />
and comfort that Wayne has been able to<br />
take care of me and the boys is a wonderful<br />
thing,” said Sally.<br />
The glue that has held their marriage<br />
together has been their common beliefs<br />
and background. “We grew up going to<br />
church, having a common heritage with the<br />
same religious beliefs. I knew I wanted my<br />
husband to be a stronger Christian than I<br />
was. I always felt like Wayne was so<br />
dependable and smart,” said Sally. Both<br />
Wayne and Sally’s parents were married for<br />
over 50 years, which set the example for<br />
them to follow. “When we first got<br />
married, we had no fears. We had no doubt<br />
that we would be fine and safe. We were so<br />
naive. We weren’t financially ready to get<br />
married, but we did anyway,” said Sally.<br />
Also, laughter has really held the Baker<br />
marriage together. “Without laughter, as<br />
well as forgiveness, mercy and compassion,<br />
we wouldn’t have made it. Laughter is so<br />
important in a marriage or in any<br />
relationship,” said Sally. Wayne has made<br />
Sally laugh through all the years. “Laughter<br />
is good for the soul. It is like medicine,”<br />
said Sally.<br />
The Bakers enjoy traveling together<br />
to new places and watching plays at New<br />
Stage Theatre. Wayne enjoys watching<br />
television and fishing while Sally loves to<br />
read and shop.<br />
The Baker’s 55 th wedding anniversary<br />
was on July 30, <strong>2015</strong>. They knew they<br />
wanted to go out to eat somewhere good<br />
for $55. They ate at Mama Hamil’s, which<br />
was very enjoyable and much less than<br />
that. They have also traveled for many<br />
anniversary trips. They have been to the<br />
Smoky Mountains, Florida, South Louisiana,<br />
New England, Vermont, New Hampshire<br />
and more. They have almost been to all<br />
50 states.<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> has been through many<br />
changes since the Bakers moved here<br />
in 1969.<br />
Wayne and Sally Baker love to reflect<br />
on their memories of love and laughter<br />
throughout their marriage in <strong>Clinton</strong>.<br />
Although their hometown of <strong>Clinton</strong> has<br />
changed since they moved here, their love<br />
for each other has not.<br />
Sally was only 15 years old and Wayne<br />
was 16 years old when they met in Eupora,<br />
Mississippi. Sally grew up in Eupora and<br />
Wayne lived in the Springhill community<br />
about 20 miles away. They met through<br />
Wayne’s best friend who was dating Sally’s<br />
best friend. According to Sally, Wayne was<br />
“Mr. It” and was the most popular guy in<br />
school. Their family lives were very<br />
different in the aspect that Sally was an<br />
only child and Wayne was one of six.<br />
Wayne and Sally went to college at<br />
Mississippi State University and, after<br />
finishing school, were married on July 30,<br />
1960. After getting married, they moved to<br />
Pascagoula, Mississippi, which is where Sally<br />
found her first teaching job. She taught first<br />
grade and Wayne worked in a manufacturing<br />
plant as an accountant. Both of their sons,<br />
Brett and Brad, were born in Pascagoula.<br />
In 1969, Wayne received a good job<br />
offer in Jackson and so the Baker family<br />
moved to <strong>Clinton</strong>. “Our sons have been<br />
the total joy of our lives. Brett, 51, lives in<br />
Madison, Mississippi with his wife and<br />
two daughters. Brad, 46, lives in Cullman,<br />
Alabama with his wife and three children,”<br />
said Sally.<br />
When the Bakers moved to <strong>Clinton</strong> in<br />
1969, Interstate 20 was not complete so<br />
the couple always traveled on Highway 80<br />
to go to Jackson and beyond. There were<br />
also no fast food restaurants in <strong>Clinton</strong>. “It<br />
was small when we first moved here,” said<br />
Wayne. “The population was almost 8,000.<br />
There was a Jitney Jungle, TG&Y, a<br />
Chicken Chef, <strong>Clinton</strong> Pizza Inn, a bank<br />
and a few stores.”<br />
The Bakers immediately started<br />
attending Morrison Heights Baptist<br />
Church upon moving to <strong>Clinton</strong> after all<br />
the good things they heard about it.<br />
“Morrison Heights had 250 members<br />
when we moved here,” said Wayne. That<br />
is a stark contrast compared to how many<br />
members it has now. “It has been fantastic<br />
to watch the growth in <strong>Clinton</strong>,” said Sally.<br />
“We’ve loved it. It has been the perfect<br />
place that God called us to live. Even in the<br />
8 ½ years we lived on the lake in Madison<br />
County, we still kept our membership at<br />
Morrison Heights.”<br />
In 1996, Wayne retired as plant manager<br />
of Challenger Electrical Equipment in<br />
Jackson. In 2004, the Bakers moved to<br />
Lake Lorman in Madison so Wayne could<br />
enjoy fishing. They enjoyed their time on<br />
the lake, but moved back to <strong>Clinton</strong> in 2012.<br />
The Bakers taught children’s Sunday<br />
school for 30 years and now are excited to<br />
Wayne has made Sally<br />
laugh through all the years.<br />
“Laughter is good for the<br />
soul. It is like medicine,”<br />
said Sally.<br />
8 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 9
Teach the Children<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I<br />
just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to<br />
go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the<br />
door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out<br />
next to the fireplace.<br />
"What are you doing?" I started to ask him. The words caught in my<br />
throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was<br />
gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then<br />
answered me with a simple statement . . .<br />
“teach the children.”<br />
He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of himself. “Teach<br />
the children that I, Santa Claus, merely symbolize the generosity and<br />
good will we feel during the month of December.”<br />
He reached in again and pulled out a holly leaf. “Teach the<br />
children the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the<br />
crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent<br />
blood shed by Him.”<br />
Next he pulled out a gift from the bag and said, "Teach the<br />
children that God so loved the world that He gave His only<br />
begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.”<br />
I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and<br />
with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from<br />
behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, “Teach the<br />
Children. Teach them the old meaning of Christmas—the meaning that<br />
now-a-day Christmas has forgotten.”<br />
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a fir tree and<br />
placed it in front of the hearth. “Teach the children that the pure green<br />
color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the<br />
everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward,<br />
making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.”<br />
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant star.<br />
“Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises<br />
long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the<br />
sign of fulfillment of that promise.”<br />
He then reached into the bag and pulled out a candle. “Teach the<br />
children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world,<br />
and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces<br />
the darkness.”<br />
Once again he reached into his bag and removed a wreath and<br />
placed it on the tree. “Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes<br />
the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous<br />
round of affection.”<br />
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a candy<br />
cane and hung it on the tree. “Teach the children that<br />
the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The<br />
crook on the shepherd's staff helps bring back sheep<br />
that have strayed from the flock. The candy cane is the<br />
symbol that we are our brother's keeper.”<br />
He reached in again and pulled out an angel<br />
“Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded<br />
in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang<br />
‘Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and good will<br />
toward men.’”<br />
Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag he<br />
pulled out a bell. “Teach the children that as the lost sheep<br />
are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to<br />
the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.”<br />
Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. He looked<br />
back at me and I saw the twinkle was back in his<br />
eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the<br />
true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in<br />
the center, for I am but a humble servant of the<br />
One who is, and I bow down and worship Him,<br />
our lord, our god."<br />
10 12 • Fall <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> Brookhaven <strong>Clinton</strong> • 13 11
We believe that marketing<br />
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Serving Clients in Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Warren Counties & Vicksburg/Eagle Lake<br />
12 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 13
HOMETOWN CLINTON<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
Erica Ory, MD - Obstetrics & Gynecology<br />
The Woman’s Clinic and Baptist Medical Center<br />
Tell us about where you grew up and your childhood.<br />
I grew up all over Louisiana. My dad is a CPA, but was working in<br />
hospital administration. I guess being around the hospital with him<br />
was where I got my first idea that I would like to be in the healthcare<br />
field. I was born in Delhi, Louisiana, not too far from Jackson. Just<br />
before starting elementary school, we moved to Southern Louisiana.<br />
I went to high school in Slidell and that is where my family still lives.<br />
I have two younger brothers.<br />
Why did you decide to become a physician?<br />
I decided to become a physician because I loved science and taking<br />
care of people. Understanding disease processes and how to treat<br />
them was amazing to me. I decided on OB-<br />
Gyn specifically because I love the<br />
continuity of care for patients it<br />
offers, along with being in the<br />
operating room and of course<br />
being a part of delivering<br />
babies—one of the most<br />
special times in a patient’s life.<br />
What are some of<br />
the common illnesses<br />
you treat?<br />
Low risk and high risk obstetrics,<br />
routine annual exams, menstrual<br />
problems including heavy, painful,<br />
absent or irregular cycles, infertility<br />
and menopause.<br />
What have the last few years taught you?<br />
They have taught me that if you care for someone like you would<br />
care for your own family it helps people feel more comfortable and<br />
ultimately have a better experience—no matter what’s going on in<br />
their lives.<br />
What do you hope for in the next ten years?<br />
I hope that I continue to have a growing practice and continue to<br />
be able to care for patients in an environment like Baptist Medical<br />
Center where people get the best care possible.<br />
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?<br />
Spending time with my family. My husband and I have been married<br />
for 12 years and have 2- and 4-year old sons. I also enjoy traveling<br />
any opportunity I get.<br />
What would you tell a new physician about their<br />
career choice?<br />
I would tell him/her that you have to go into this because you love<br />
it—and for no other reason than that. Sometimes the hours are long,<br />
especially when you are away from you family, but it is all worth it<br />
when you are there for a patient who is in need.<br />
Who do you look to for advice and inspiration?<br />
I look to my physician partners ALWAYS! If I ever have a question,<br />
there is someone there to give me great advice. I joined The<br />
Woman’s Clinic because of my partners. If for some reason I am not<br />
around, I never worry about my patients. We all treat our patients<br />
very similarly—which is always what one hopes for when joining a<br />
group. I got very lucky!<br />
Listen to Dr. Ory’s Podcasts on Baptist’s website at mbhs.org/<br />
healthylife and search Ory.<br />
14 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 15
James<br />
Anderson<br />
A Scarvin’ Artist<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
He’s an actor, director, and a resident of Greater<br />
Bolton, Mississippi. Whatever he does, wherever<br />
he goes, James Anderson will most likely have his<br />
knitting needles and a skein or two of yarn with<br />
him. Known for his Scarvin’ Artist line of<br />
hand-knitted scarves, James has become a bit of a<br />
fashion icon around <strong>Clinton</strong>.<br />
“I learned to knit as a teenager,” recalls Anderson.<br />
But like most teens, James moved on to other<br />
pursuits, until he took up knitting again several<br />
years later. “I wanted to knit an afghan for a<br />
couple who was getting married.” Another several<br />
years then passed by and then he took up knitting<br />
for a third time about 15 years ago. “This time, I<br />
stuck with it.” The name “Scarvin’ Artist” was<br />
selected for his hand knit scarves—a play on<br />
words that ties to his acting career.<br />
Anderson has been a regular actor in local<br />
television commercials and at New Stage Theater<br />
in Jackson for many years. He is also the director<br />
of the Chimneyville Readers Theatre. “We take<br />
Southern writers like Eudora Welty and Truman<br />
Capote and adapt them to a reader’s theatre<br />
format.” One of the most popular shows is the<br />
annual reading of Truman Capote’s A Christmas<br />
Memory. “We’ve been doing that one for the past<br />
15 years.”<br />
In addition to acting, Anderson was instrumental<br />
with the reopening of St. Mary’s Episcopal<br />
Church in Bolton. Dating back to 1876, it’s one<br />
of the oldest Episcopalian churches in Hinds<br />
County. The church had been dormant for<br />
fifteen years prior to the church’s re-opening<br />
in September 2010. “Services are held on<br />
the second Sunday,” say Anderson. “Our<br />
services combine both the Holy Spirit with<br />
the creative spirit.”<br />
Now semi-retired, Anderson says he uses his<br />
knitting projects as a way to supplement his<br />
income. “I’m a multi-tasker. I enjoy having<br />
something to do with my hands. If I’m watching<br />
television or directing a play, I’m usually knitting<br />
as well. I’ve even missed a cue in a play before<br />
because I was so intent on finishing a row of a<br />
scarf! I actually knitted an entire scarf once<br />
during a performance of A Christmas Carol, but<br />
that was using large needles and fat yarn.”<br />
Anderson doesn’t put pressure on himself to<br />
make the scarves. “I do it for my own enjoyment.<br />
The money I make is nice for Christmas, but I<br />
don’t want the work to become tedious. I don’t<br />
mass produce these. I am the only person working<br />
in the scarf factory. I’m just cranking them out<br />
over here in Greater Bolton!”<br />
Anderson’s scarves are sold exclusively at The<br />
Cupboard Gift & Interiors in <strong>Clinton</strong>. Cindy<br />
Brown, the shop’s owner, says she’s been carrying<br />
Anderson’s scarves for about four years. Brown<br />
estimates they’ve sold over 300 of the Scarvin’<br />
Artist scarves. “We all wear them in the store, and<br />
customers compliment us and want to know<br />
where we got our scarves. We just lead them to<br />
the Scarvin’ Artist display!” Brown says that they<br />
work with Anderson on colors, telling him what<br />
colors people are requesting. “He’s already so<br />
creative on his own.” School colors are especially<br />
popular in the fall, because people like to wear<br />
them to football games. “There’s also something<br />
about items that are handmade, and locally<br />
made,” said Brown. “People like one-of-a-kind<br />
special things, which is exactly what James’<br />
scarves are.”<br />
Anderson creates his own patterns and looks<br />
for interesting yarns. “I’m very particular. My<br />
scarves are soft and colorful and the patterns<br />
are consistent.” Because of the climate here,<br />
Anderson says he rarely works in wool. Instead,<br />
he creates his scarves in mostly cotton and<br />
acrylic. Marketing for the scarves consists of<br />
word of mouth and social media. “Each scarf<br />
comes with a little card, and I encourage people<br />
to take selfies that I can put on my Facebook<br />
page.” One of his favorite things to make is<br />
baby scarves. “I gift new babies with a red scarf,<br />
because I think every baby needs one!”<br />
Occasionally, Anderson will make a baby<br />
blanket, but mostly he sticks to scarves.<br />
The fact that he enjoys knitting and working with<br />
yarn may come naturally. Anderson was adopted<br />
from an orphanage in Germany by a “nice<br />
American couple.” Years later, he discovered his<br />
birth father had been a weaver. “It’s interesting to<br />
me that I have an interest in yarn. I love the<br />
various textures and colors.”<br />
As more people in the <strong>Clinton</strong> area discover<br />
Scarvin’ Artist scarves, more people want them.<br />
“I sold 70 scarves last year!” exclaimed Anderson.<br />
But he made more than that. “I also donate<br />
scarves to various charities that I’m passionate<br />
about, like the Mississippi Heart Association and<br />
Mississippi Hearts Against Aids.”<br />
16 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 17
david parker<br />
My favorite Christmas<br />
memory happened during<br />
my senior year of college<br />
at MC. The only thing<br />
standing between me and<br />
Christmas break was a final<br />
exam. During my exam, my<br />
professor stood up, walked<br />
to the window, and said,<br />
“You know, I think it’s starting<br />
to snow.” Sure enough,<br />
it was. The anticipation of<br />
heading home to see my<br />
family, finishing that exam,<br />
in my favorite class, with my<br />
favorite professor, at a college<br />
I loved, with new snow<br />
on the ground—everything<br />
just felt perfect.<br />
melissa smith<br />
My newest favorite<br />
Christmas memory would<br />
have to be a new tradition<br />
we have now as a family. We<br />
began about five years ago<br />
building a 6 foot stable with<br />
a manger out of fresh wood,<br />
canvas, hay and a cross. It is<br />
a joyful reminder and visual<br />
in our front yard for why<br />
we celebrate. It reminds us<br />
that each of us needs to take<br />
part in preparing a place in<br />
our own hearts for Jesus and<br />
continuing to make room for<br />
Him in our lives each day. I<br />
look forward to it all year.<br />
drew dabbs<br />
When I was eight years old,<br />
my extended family rented<br />
a few condos in Gatlinburg<br />
over Christmas. We spent the<br />
holidays ice skating, playing<br />
in the snow, baking cookies,<br />
and playing Monopoly. Since<br />
this was the early 90’s, my<br />
mom was sure to dress my<br />
younger brother and me<br />
in matching bright red Christmas<br />
sweat-suits.<br />
Yes...sweat-suits.<br />
To top it all off, that was<br />
the year I got my very own<br />
Nintendo, the ultimate<br />
present to cap off the ultimate<br />
Christmas memory.<br />
melanie<br />
fortenberry<br />
One of my favorite<br />
Christmas memories is<br />
baking cookies with my<br />
mom. She always made<br />
Keflins- a simple butter<br />
cookie shaped in a crescent<br />
and rolled in powdered<br />
sugar. She would make<br />
dozens and give them to<br />
lots of different people<br />
over the years.<br />
I will never forget that<br />
time, the wonderment of a<br />
child at the snowy mountains<br />
on Christmas, the warm<br />
atmosphere of an extended<br />
family brought together<br />
in love, and a lot of time<br />
playing Super Mario.<br />
Ashli and<br />
Ethan Eubanks<br />
Our favorite Christmas<br />
memory in <strong>Clinton</strong> is<br />
going to the lighting of the<br />
Quad while at MC. We<br />
got to see friends, drink<br />
hot chocolate, and get in<br />
the Christmas spirit. Also,<br />
now that we live in <strong>Clinton</strong>,<br />
we enjoy being central<br />
to travel closely to our<br />
family in Louisiana,<br />
south Mississippi, and<br />
north Mississippi.<br />
18 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 19
Wishing you and your family a<br />
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!<br />
Come see us and do some Christmas Shopping!<br />
We love and appreciate your business and support.<br />
2075 Springridge Road, Raymond MS 39154 • 601-373-9531<br />
www.DevineyEquipment.com<br />
COOL DEGREE #82<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
INDUSTRY STUDIES<br />
www.deltastate.edu/admissions<br />
20 • Fall <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 21<br />
20 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
B attl e<br />
of the Bell continues<br />
the<br />
Abigail Walker<br />
It’s a rivalry that goes back decades and<br />
continues to be a notable part of the<br />
Choctaw football season. The Heritage<br />
Bowl is the annual game between Mississippi<br />
College and Delta State University<br />
that brings fans together to support their<br />
team and give back to their community.<br />
Known as “The Battle of the Bell,” the<br />
Heritage Bowl started in 1935. According<br />
to David Nichols, the athletic communications<br />
director at Mississippi College,<br />
MC kicked off the competition with a 33-0<br />
victory the first year. From 1935-1947, the<br />
Choctaws won four straight games in the<br />
series, but the Statesmen thundered back<br />
with 11 wins in 12 games from 1948-1977.<br />
“Overall, the teams have played 35 times<br />
with Delta State leading the series 18-15-<br />
2,” said Nichols. “The Choctaws’ longest<br />
winning streak came from 1978-82 with<br />
five straight victories. MC also won four<br />
straight from 1990-93.”<br />
During the 1995-1996 academic year,<br />
when MC moved from Division II to Division<br />
III, the series between the two teams<br />
came to a halt. But the rivalry started up<br />
again with full force for the 2013-14 school<br />
year once MC made the transition back to<br />
Division II. That first year of the renewed<br />
Bowl, Delta State got a 27-3 win over MC<br />
in Cleveland.<br />
MC and Delta State faced off once again<br />
during this year’s Heritage Bowl game,<br />
which was held at Robinson-Hale Stadium<br />
on MC’s campus Nov. 14 and featured on<br />
ESPN3. However, the Choctaws missed the<br />
win and closed out their <strong>2015</strong> season with<br />
a 37-29 loss to the Statesmen.<br />
But the Heritage Bowl consists of more<br />
than just the annual game. During halftime,<br />
football players from the 1969-1971<br />
year, as well as the 25 th anniversary team<br />
from 1990, were recognized. After the<br />
game, a dinner celebrating Coach Williams<br />
Era (1972-1991) was also held on the field<br />
house roof.<br />
In addition, both schools competed<br />
in a blood drive sponsored annually by<br />
Mississippi Blood Services. Each school<br />
encouraged students, faculty, and staff<br />
to donate blood for those in need. Last<br />
fall, MC gave 92 units of blood to win over<br />
Delta State. This year, Mississippi College<br />
was once again declared the winner with<br />
89 units to Delta State’s 54. MC received<br />
the MBS-Heritage Bowl trophy at the<br />
game that Saturday.<br />
Photos by<br />
Mississippi College Athletic Department<br />
22 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 23
K<br />
Christmas in <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
W. Wayne VanHorn<br />
There are many wonderful ways to celebrate Christmas in<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong>. Every year right after Thanksgiving, my wife and<br />
I eat supper, get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, jump in<br />
the car, and drive around <strong>Clinton</strong> looking at the Christmas<br />
lights. Beautiful light displays declare the joy of Jesus’s birth<br />
so powerfully. Since <strong>Clinton</strong> has so many neighborhoods, we<br />
pick one or two areas per evening to explore. We drive up<br />
and down every street in every community so as not to miss<br />
any light displays. In fact, some of the most beautiful displays<br />
have been found on the least likely back streets of any given<br />
neighborhood. I am equally awed by simple displays of the<br />
Nativity crèche as I am by the displays having thousands of<br />
lights and multiple themes. Christmas lights bring joy.<br />
The City of <strong>Clinton</strong> sponsors their annual Lighting of the Tree<br />
at 6:00 p.m. in front of City Hall on December 1st (free to the<br />
public). Guests enjoy live Christmas music, hot chocolate,<br />
and a reading of the holiday classic ‘Twas the Night Before<br />
Christmas. Two nights later on December 3rd, those wishing<br />
to partake of a different kind of Christmas celebration can<br />
take part in the Santa Clause Crawl from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.<br />
($20 in advance or $25 at the door).<br />
The Crawl begins at 6:30 p.m. in a designated location<br />
and proceeds from one business to another as guests look<br />
for answers to questions unique to each location. Businesses<br />
provide cider, a hors d’oeuvre, and a door prize with a<br />
minimum value of $50.00. Guests answer each business’s<br />
question to enter into their drawing. The evening is topped<br />
off with heavy hors d’oeuvres at 303 Jefferson from 8:00<br />
to 9:00 p.m. with live music. Door prizes are given away by<br />
Santa with assistance from the business owners. Participants<br />
receive a commemorative mug to use during the event and a<br />
long-sleeve event tee. Contact the Main Street <strong>Clinton</strong> office<br />
to reserve a ticket 601.924.5472.<br />
Celebrating Christmas in <strong>Clinton</strong> includes the wonderful<br />
music acknowledging Christ’s coming into our world. On<br />
Tuesday, December 1st, the public is invited to hear the<br />
Choctaw Chorus of Mississippi College present their <strong>Winter</strong><br />
Choral Concert in Provine Chapel (7:30 p.m.; free admission).<br />
Immediately following the concert, everyone is invited to<br />
experience the Lighting of the Quad. Then, December 3-5,<br />
everyone can enjoy MC’s Singers in Provine Chapel as they<br />
present their annual Festival of Lights, an evensong service<br />
combining Scripture readings and Christmas themed lessons<br />
with wonderful music (7:30 p.m.; admission is $15, students<br />
of any school only $5). Music and singing enhance any<br />
Christmas celebration reminiscent of the angels singing and<br />
rejoicing over the birth of Christ as shepherds listened in<br />
hushed amazement.<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong>’s local churches always offer a biblical focus on<br />
Christmas through music and message. For example, Morrison<br />
Heights Baptist Church presents A Savior: Christ the King<br />
on December 4th (7:00 p.m.) and December 6th (3:00 p.m.).<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong>’s First Baptist Church will offer Christmas music and<br />
message during their December 6th Sunday morning worship<br />
service (9:30 a.m.). Parkway Baptist Church will present<br />
The Gift of Christmas December 13th at 6:00 p.m. and again<br />
December 14th at 7:00 p.m. The biblical focus on the true<br />
meaning of Christmas enables participants to celebrate the<br />
spiritual aspects of the season.<br />
For a different kind of adventure, why not drive over to the<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> Community Nature Center on any December weekend<br />
and enjoy their choreographed light shows? The shows<br />
are only $2 per person. You can also take the Illuminated Trail<br />
Walk, or let the children enjoy Kids Krafts. Photos with Santa<br />
are $5 and holiday treats are for sale from Froghead Grill, a<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> original. Call the <strong>Clinton</strong> Community Nature Center<br />
for details (601.926-1104) or visit their Facebook page.<br />
The real purpose for the Christmas season is to celebrate the<br />
birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. He entered this world to show<br />
us how to live, to give Himself a ransom for all who would put<br />
faith in His name, and to reconcile us to God. Only in Christ<br />
Jesus can we find forgiveness for our sins and restoration to<br />
full relationship with our Heavenly Father. Thus, the lights<br />
of Christmas remind us that Jesus Himself is the Light of the<br />
World as He said in John 8:12 and 9:5. John the Apostle also<br />
reminds us that Jesus came into the world to enlighten all of<br />
us (John 1:9).<br />
The Christmas carols we sing praise God for His unspeakable<br />
gift of Jesus Christ. On the night of Christ’s birth an angel of<br />
the Lord was joined by a host of other angels who sang praises<br />
to God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth<br />
peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14; KJV)<br />
a<br />
A<br />
N<br />
V<br />
24 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
K<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 25
WE ARE IN MADISON!<br />
Since 1973, we’ve made hearts beat.<br />
Highland Medical Arts Building<br />
106 Highland Way, Suite 200<br />
Madison, MS<br />
For an appointment please call 601-982-7850.<br />
www.jacksonheart.com<br />
DChristmas<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
DFEAST<br />
recipes<br />
Available at<br />
Southern Salon<br />
A PAUL MITCHELL SIGNATURE SALON<br />
SPECIALIZING IN CUSTOM COLOR<br />
WOMEN, MEN AND KIDS HAIRCUTS<br />
Elizabeth Bennet t<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> Magazine recently partnered with the Junior Auxiliary<br />
of <strong>Clinton</strong> to prepare some favorite holiday dishes--and the results were<br />
fabulous! Delicious basics that should always find their way to the table<br />
are on the pages that follow. Thank you to JA member Marcy Rushing for welcoming<br />
us into her home and to our friends from The Olive Branch for decorating the table,<br />
too. It was a delightful afternoon of fun, food and fellowship.<br />
606 SPRINGRIDGE ROAD / CLINTON, MS / 601.924.2011<br />
Photos by Jeff Chao of Chao Photography<br />
26 • Fall <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 27
Special thanks to Junior Auxiliary of <strong>Clinton</strong> members Marcy Rushing,<br />
Ruth Cumins, Jamie Pit tman, Katy Goff, Meg Glenn and Robyn Burchfield,<br />
for creating these delectable dishes and submit ting the recipes.<br />
Contest-Winning<br />
Holiday Glazed Ham<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 boneless fully cooked ham (about 6 pounds)<br />
1 tablespoon whole cloves<br />
1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple<br />
1 cup apricot preserves<br />
1 teaspoon ground mustard<br />
½ teaspoon ground allspice<br />
Maraschino cherries<br />
Directions<br />
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting<br />
pan. Score the surface of ham, making diamond shapes ½ in. deep; insert a<br />
clove in each diamond. Bake, uncovered, 1-1/2 hours.<br />
Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a small saucepan combine pineapple<br />
juice, preserves, mustard and allspice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 10<br />
minutes or until slightly thickened.<br />
Spoon half of the glaze over ham. Secure pineapple slices and cherries on<br />
top and sides of ham with toothpicks.<br />
Bake 30-45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 140 degrees, basting<br />
twice with remaining glaze. Yield: 16 servings<br />
www.tasteofhome.com<br />
By: Marcy Rushing<br />
Gourmet Vegetables<br />
Ingredients<br />
2 cans French Style green beans (seasoned with pimento and onions),<br />
drained<br />
2 cans cream of celery soup<br />
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese<br />
2 cartons sour cream<br />
1 ½ cups Ritz cracker crumbs<br />
1 stick butter, melted<br />
½ cup almonds<br />
Directions<br />
Stir all ingredients together and put in lightly buttered 13x9x2 inch pan.<br />
Top with crushed Ritz crackers, butter and almonds.<br />
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.<br />
Serves 6-8.<br />
By: Jamie Pittman<br />
28 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 29
Cayenne Pepper<br />
Cheese Straws<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 8-ounce block sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated<br />
1 heaping cup all-purpose flour.<br />
1 stick cold butter (not margarine)<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, more or less depending on how spicy<br />
you want your cheese straws<br />
3/4 teaspoon Jane’s Crazy Mixed-Up Salt (located in gourmet salts at<br />
grocery store)<br />
Directions<br />
Place all ingredients in a medium bowl except butter. Cut the butter into<br />
small pats or chunks and add to mixture. Knead all ingredients together<br />
until it makes an evenly orange dough.<br />
Very lightly spray the biggest cookie sheet you have. Place dough into a<br />
cookie press using the star-shaped insert. Use a metal or aluminum cookie<br />
press; a plastic one won’t hold up under the dough.<br />
Squeeze out finger-length straws and place in rows, about a third inch<br />
apart. Bake at 350 for about seven or eight minutes -- but you must<br />
watch them like a hawk and figure out about how long it’s going to take<br />
each time you cook them, depending on the heat of your oven. You should<br />
remove them from the oven when their undersides are a light golden<br />
brown. If you take them out before the bottom of the straw is golden<br />
brown, they’re not going to be crunchy. This might take some trial and<br />
error for you to be able to recognize by sight when they’re done, although<br />
I often pull the tray out of the oven and flip a straw over to see how<br />
brown the undersides are.<br />
Remove from tray and cool completely on a cookie rack, then store in<br />
Ziploc freezer bags. They can be frozen for a week or so at a time if you<br />
double-Ziploc bag them. Don’t push your luck on freezing them for more<br />
than about a week or so. It’s best to cook them fresh before serving or<br />
taking to a party or event. And depending on the size of your cookie sheet,<br />
one recipe might spill over onto a second cookie sheet.<br />
By: Ruth Cumins<br />
Butternut Squash<br />
Fettuccini Alfredo<br />
Ingredients<br />
3 cups diced butternut squash (about half a squash)<br />
1 cup of vegetable stock.<br />
4 Tbsp. butter<br />
1 cup diced onion<br />
1 Tbsp. rosemary<br />
1 Tbsp. sage<br />
4 cups low-fat milk<br />
1 cup parmesan—plus more for topping<br />
2 Tbsp. brown sugar<br />
1/4 tsp. nutmeg<br />
Salt and pepper (to taste)<br />
2 cups water<br />
1 16oz box Fettuccini noodles<br />
Directions<br />
Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter. Add 1 cup of diced onion, 1 Tbsp. of rosemary and<br />
1 Tbsp. of sage. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until onions soften.<br />
Then cook on medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown (be<br />
careful not to burn it). Add in 3 cups of diced butternut squash and<br />
1 cup of vegetable stock, stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes (until<br />
butternut squash is softened).<br />
Uncover and mash with a potato masher until you’ve squished all the<br />
squash. Add 2 cups of milk and stir. Then, add 1 cup of parmesan and stir.<br />
Add 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to<br />
taste and stir until well blended.<br />
You can either cook your pasta beforehand in the pot and set it aside,<br />
or cook it in the sauce. Break fettuccini noodles in half and place in the<br />
sauce. Carefully cover the noodles with sauce. Then, pour in 2 more cups<br />
of milk and 2 cups of water and stir. (Add more water, if needed, to smooth<br />
out the sauce.) Stir the pasta continuously (to make sure it doesn’t burn<br />
on the bottom of the pot) and cook for 15-20 minutes (or until pasta has<br />
reached desired texture).<br />
Top off with salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, rosemary garnish, and<br />
cayenne pepper (if you’d like a little extra spice). Enjoy!<br />
By: Katy Goff<br />
30 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 31
Great-Grandmother’s<br />
Lemon Pound Cake<br />
Ingredients<br />
3 sticks of Land O Lakes Salted Butter*<br />
3 cups of sugar<br />
9 medium eggs<br />
3 cups Gold Medal All Purpose Flour- sifted<br />
Icing<br />
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. lemon extract<br />
1 tbsp. almond extract<br />
Directions<br />
Flour and grease tub pan.<br />
Cream butter until soft and fluffy.<br />
Add eggs one at a time while blending and scraping sides of bowl.<br />
Slowly add flour. Blend well and scrape sides.<br />
Add lemon juice and extracts.<br />
Blend well. Carefully pour into tub pan.<br />
Put in a cold oven at 350 degrees.<br />
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.<br />
Cool on rack for 10 minutes.<br />
Scrape around all edges with a knife.<br />
Carefully turn out.<br />
Let cool for 1 hour before handling.<br />
* Butter needs to be at room temperature 1 hour before<br />
getting started.<br />
By: Robyn Burchfield<br />
Meg’s Sweet Potato<br />
Casserole<br />
Ingredients<br />
4-5 medium sweet potatoes<br />
4 T butter<br />
1/2 c heavy cream<br />
1/4 c light brown sugar<br />
1/4 t cinnamon<br />
1/4 t fresh ground nutmeg<br />
Dash of ground cloves<br />
1/2 t vanilla<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
1 c toasted pecan pieces, crushed<br />
2 c mini marshmallows<br />
Directions<br />
Boil sweet potatoes in their skins till done. Plunge into ice water<br />
to loosen skins, then peel skin away from potatoes.<br />
Using hand mixer, combine butter and sweet potatoes, adding<br />
next 6 ingredients one at a time. Temper egg with sweet potato<br />
mixture, blending thoroughly. Add pecan pieces, then spoon all into<br />
greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes till set,<br />
then cover with mini marshmallows and bake 5-10 minutes more,<br />
until marshmallows are melted and slightly browned.<br />
By: Meg Glenn<br />
32 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 33
A Dream of<br />
Designing<br />
By Amanda Markow<br />
A <strong>Clinton</strong> girl through and through,<br />
Rachel Taylor Lantz is designing her way<br />
across the South with Dale Partners<br />
Architects while remaining firmly planted<br />
in her roots.<br />
Everyone’s high school years are a<br />
formative time, but for Rachel her days at<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> High School literally set in motion<br />
her adult life. In 9 th grade, she started<br />
dating Jeremy Lantz, her now husband,<br />
and she remains close with her high school<br />
best friends. In fact, they’ve all returned<br />
to <strong>Clinton</strong> now where they regularly have<br />
“framily” get-togethers like their annual<br />
Framily Thanksgiving. Not to mention, she<br />
knew early on what career path she wanted<br />
to follow.<br />
“In high school, I was on the advanced<br />
science and math track, but I also loved art,<br />
and I wanted to find a way to combine the<br />
two,” says Rachel.<br />
Showing initiative that not all high<br />
school students possess, Rachel knew<br />
she was interested in interior design and<br />
architecture, and after a few informational<br />
meetings with professors, her plans were set.<br />
Rachel started at Mississippi State University<br />
in 2008, and completed her interior<br />
design degree in 2012. And in the vein of<br />
being confident in her decisions and knowing<br />
when she has a good thing, she married<br />
her high school sweetheart in 2011 with two<br />
semesters of college left to go.<br />
Once graduation was near, Rachel<br />
and Jeremy chose to move back home to<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> as opposed to Atlanta, Georgia, their<br />
second choice. Rachel started sending out<br />
resumes to local architecture firms in order<br />
to get the internship required to complete<br />
her degree.<br />
Again, <strong>Clinton</strong> High School and her<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong> roots played a role. Rachel’s mother-in-law<br />
had worked for <strong>Clinton</strong> Public<br />
Schools and a former coworker remembered<br />
Dale Partners’ Russ Blount—coincidentally<br />
another CHS grad—from the firm’s work<br />
with <strong>Clinton</strong> Public School District. She suggested<br />
Rachel contact him, and eventually,<br />
Rachel ended up interning that summer at<br />
Dale Partners Architects in Jackson.<br />
“We hired Rachel as an intern because<br />
she showed a lot of promise from her<br />
college coursework and portfolio,” says<br />
Jeff Barnes, partner at Dale. “She was<br />
clearly driven and dedicated, and her eye<br />
for design was evident.”<br />
With a week in between her last class<br />
and her first day on the job, Rachel celebrated<br />
how every new college graduate does…<br />
with jury duty. Civic duty aside, Rachel<br />
interned with Dale starting in May 2012. A<br />
few weeks before the internship was complete,<br />
Jeff Barnes offered her a full time job<br />
in the interior design department.<br />
Rachel hit the ground running at Dale.<br />
In just three years, she has played a major<br />
role in several projects, with two she’s<br />
especially proud of—The Mill at MSU and<br />
Wind Creek Casinos in Atmore, Alabama,<br />
and Montgomery, Alabama.<br />
“I really enjoyed working on The Mill<br />
because it’s special to Starkville, and<br />
34 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
34 • Fall <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 35
Starkville is special to me,” says Rachel.<br />
space is pretty impressive. It holds true to<br />
ample opportunity in the field already—an<br />
been educated, trained and examined to<br />
completely gutted it,” she says.<br />
The Mill at MSU celebrated its grand<br />
the building and history of the building<br />
added bonus since her dream is to design<br />
protect public health, safety and welfare.<br />
“I’m constantly wanting to<br />
opening in October <strong>2015</strong>. It’s a beautiful<br />
but has modern technology for up to<br />
for a boutique hotel. “Hospitality has been<br />
She also has served on the American<br />
change things, which drives<br />
renovation of a 1902 cotton mill into a<br />
950 people.”<br />
really interesting to work with because of<br />
Society of Interior Designers (ASID) MS<br />
Jeremy crazy.”<br />
mixed-use, conference, office and event<br />
A favorite project of Jeff Barnes’ as<br />
all the custom capability with finishes and<br />
District leadership team for the past couple<br />
She’s also dabbling in<br />
space on the edge of MSU’s campus.<br />
well, The Mill was a huge undertaking for<br />
furnishings. And with hospitality projects,<br />
of years, and currently serves as treasurer.<br />
redoing furniture that she finds<br />
For this project, Rachel worked closely<br />
all involved. “The transformation has been<br />
especially casinos, it’s usually the bolder t<br />
The board clearly sees her potential, too,<br />
anywhere she can, from Craigslist<br />
with developer Mark Castleberry and his<br />
impressive,” Jeff says. “The 2nd floor, home<br />
he better, so we get to use materials and<br />
having named her the Emerging Professional<br />
to consignment shops. So far,<br />
wife Lisa to help their vision for the space<br />
of MSU’s nSPARC, is flooded with natural<br />
finishes that aren’t always a possibility,”<br />
of the Year in <strong>2015</strong>. Her boss, Jeff, agrees.<br />
Rachel’s designs have consisted<br />
come to life. They chose details that reflect-<br />
light by the roof level light monitor, which<br />
says Rachel.<br />
“Rachel has been a valuable asset to our<br />
of what she calls simple<br />
ed the building’s history and future. For<br />
originally illuminated the mill looms. As an<br />
One of the bolder designs for the<br />
team. She’s young and energetic and brings<br />
changes, painting chairs and<br />
example, the floors of the space were redone<br />
MSU alum, it has been very rewarding to be<br />
gaming floor ended up being a “happy<br />
a fresh perspective to our projects, and has<br />
refinishing chair seats, but she<br />
from the original flooring, which had been<br />
a part of this project and this team. Rachel<br />
accident.” “We worked with a phenomenal<br />
design knowledge beyond her years.”<br />
eventually wants to tackle serious<br />
buried by other materials over the years,<br />
did a spectacular job of really listening to<br />
lighting consultant,” says Rachel. “The work<br />
Rachel is of course quick to credit her<br />
re-upholstering.<br />
and the furniture for the office spaces on the<br />
what the Castleberrys had in mind for this<br />
he’s done with the lighting just happened<br />
coworkers, especially Chrissy Bruni, who is<br />
In the next few months,<br />
second floor melds well with that company’s<br />
space, too.”<br />
to make the carpet we selected look like<br />
her counterpart in the interior design de-<br />
though, she will be busy in one<br />
technology and research mission.<br />
To say it was challenging work is an<br />
understatement. The team worked closely<br />
with Mississippi Department of Archives<br />
and History, among many other entities. “It<br />
was historic, so it was exciting to implement<br />
a new function into an old factory style<br />
building,” says Rachel. “The ballroom<br />
Rachel’s other recent favorite project<br />
is set to open in December <strong>2015</strong>, Wind Creek<br />
Casino in Montgomery, Alabama. A hotel<br />
and casino renovation, Rachel says this is<br />
probably the project with which she’s had<br />
the most hands on design experience.<br />
Dale has several hospitality projects on<br />
the firm’s resume, which has given Rachel<br />
it’s glowing.”<br />
Her work in Alabama has required<br />
several trips back and forth, and somehow<br />
in the midst of everything, Rachel still<br />
managed to pass the National Council for<br />
Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)<br />
exam in <strong>2015</strong>. This certification was<br />
important to her, and means that she has<br />
partment at Dale. “I value input from others<br />
at Dale, especially Chrissy’s since we work<br />
most closely together,” says Rachel.<br />
When Rachel is not carefully researching<br />
and selecting design elements for work<br />
projects, her sights are focused on her own<br />
home, like any good designer would do.<br />
“We bought a home in foreclosure and<br />
room of their house in particular:<br />
the nursery. Rachel and Jeremy are due with<br />
their first baby in May 2016. “If it’s a boy,” she<br />
says, “the room will have a nautical theme,<br />
because we love being on the water and<br />
fishing.” (Jeremy’s family is from the coast,<br />
where they often visit to fish.) “And if it’s<br />
a girl, I’m still undecided, but it will be<br />
classically feminine.”<br />
Rachel will certainly have her plate<br />
full in the next year, but if her resume so far<br />
proves anything, it’s that she can handle it<br />
all. And the help she’ll have from her parents,<br />
in-laws, 10-year-old brother Trent, and<br />
of course her “framily” all nearby in <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
won’t hurt.<br />
36 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 37
This time five years ago, my family was<br />
back-breaking work that comes with it, it was<br />
our annual family gatherings, let’s remember<br />
Making<br />
Memories<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Sometimes you will never<br />
know the value of a moment<br />
until it becomes a memory.<br />
- Dr. Suess<br />
gearing up to move into a new house. If<br />
you’ve never moved anywhere the week<br />
of Christmas, don’t. It’s insane. And it’s the<br />
second time we’ve done it. The first time<br />
was sixteen years ago as newlyweds into<br />
a home that my husband and I had just built.<br />
It was Christmas week and all we had was<br />
some random furniture, each other, and big<br />
dreams. Our biggest priority, at that point,<br />
was to have people over for New Year’s<br />
Eve to ring in Y2K before the cyber-world<br />
collapsed.<br />
The second time we moved was different.<br />
We were a family that included a child, two<br />
dogs, a cat, and more stuff than anyone<br />
should haul from one place to another—<br />
undoubtedly one of the best Christmases I<br />
can remember.<br />
It allowed us to reflect on the true meaning<br />
of the season. Actually, it forced us to, I guess.<br />
We had each other, a roof over our heads<br />
and a warm place to sleep. My husband and<br />
I didn’t even exchange gifts that year and<br />
my then-seven-year old son only had a few.<br />
I would love to tell you that we limited our<br />
gift giving as the result of some new-found<br />
stance on materialism–after all, Baby Jesus<br />
only got three gifts. But the truth is, that with<br />
the all the packing and moving and working,<br />
I hadn’t had time to shop. And as it turns out,<br />
no one seemed to mind at all–particularly<br />
my son. It made me proud. There we were–<br />
those who are truly in need of our time and<br />
generosity.<br />
Consider sponsoring a needy family.<br />
Help to put food on the table for those<br />
that might not have the means to do so<br />
themselves. Or commit to helping the<br />
homeless. At a time when warm homes<br />
and family get-togethers are common,<br />
the homeless are left feeling particularly<br />
isolated.<br />
Deliver a meal, visit a senior, or adopt<br />
an angel. (The Salvation Army Angel Tree<br />
program is one of my favorites.) Help a<br />
co-worker or over-tip your waiter. There<br />
are lots of ways to make an impact.<br />
I know that as a child, I couldn’t wait to<br />
all, of course, in boxes. Countless boxes.<br />
all genuinely grateful for what we had and<br />
open gifts on Christmas morning and<br />
We stuck a tree up in the corner and put a<br />
for being together. It’s one of my fondest<br />
probably asked a hundred times when it<br />
handful of ornaments on it including one,<br />
Christmas memories.<br />
would be time. But, looking back, I don’t<br />
brand new and still wrapped in tissue that<br />
It is incredibly easy for us to take our worlds<br />
remember many of the gifts I received.<br />
said “Our New Home”. I was starting a new<br />
for granted and many of our children may<br />
I do remember baking holiday cakes in<br />
tradition of collecting ornaments that told<br />
likely never remember a time when things<br />
my grandmother’s kitchen, though. Those<br />
our story, and this was our first. There were<br />
weren’t constantly available–and in great<br />
memories are more valuable than any board<br />
no elaborate decorations or<br />
abundance. But sadly, we are surrounded<br />
game or Barbie doll I ever got, I can assure<br />
wreaths or swags. There<br />
by people in our own zip codes that struggle<br />
you. Making memories is what it’s all about.<br />
was no gourmet meal, no<br />
with keeping a roof over their heads or<br />
And so, time marches on. My son will<br />
Christmas cookies and no<br />
feeding their own families.<br />
turn thirteen just two days into January. And<br />
eggnog. But despite the stress<br />
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of<br />
since that first Christmas in our new home,<br />
of moving, and all the<br />
seeing, firsthand, what the efforts of a<br />
we’ve collected five more years’ worth of<br />
determined few can do to offer hope to the<br />
memories–many commemorated by special<br />
weary. I’ve volunteered for several organiza-<br />
ornaments on our tree. There are no<br />
tions that are committed to changing people’s<br />
cardboard boxes in our living room and our<br />
lives and I’ve learned more from the broken<br />
halls are all suitably decked. But nothing will<br />
than I ever learned anywhere else. It makes<br />
ever take away from the lesson we learned<br />
me appreciate, even more, all we have, and<br />
from our very first Christmas here. We know,<br />
even more so, all we can do. It’s important to<br />
beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the most<br />
help others–particularly during the holidays.<br />
important things in life are being grateful for<br />
Remember, “To whom much is given, much<br />
what you have and being together with<br />
is required,” Luke 12:48.<br />
people you love.<br />
So this year, as we continue to whittle<br />
And that the best thing about memories,<br />
down our holiday to-do lists and prepare for<br />
is making them. Merry Christmas. n<br />
38 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 39
Blessings of<br />
May The<br />
Christmas<br />
BeYours<br />
During This<br />
Holy Season<br />
All Through The<br />
ComingYear.<br />
Drs. Michael Osborne, Scott Harrison, Stephen Lee, and Benjamin Jeffcoat<br />
mentsa<br />
M I S S I S S I P P I E A R , N O S E & T H R O AT<br />
S U R G I C A L A S S O C I A T E S<br />
2550 Flowood Dr., Suite 303 • Flowood, MS 39232 • Appointments: 601-709-7700 or www.M SA.com<br />
40 • Fall <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 41
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY<br />
CLINTON'S FINEST<br />
Captain Todd Muli<br />
CLINTON FIRE DEPARTMENT<br />
Office Alex Duncan<br />
CLINTON POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
Why did you decide to be a<br />
Fireman?<br />
The job chooses you—not the other way<br />
around. I got involved in a volunteer fire<br />
department because they needed EMTs.<br />
However the first structure fire I went to<br />
I was hooked and knew that this was what<br />
I wanted to do.<br />
How long have you been with<br />
the <strong>Clinton</strong> Fire Department?<br />
Since January 01, 2001. Soon to be 15 years.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
My wife Katy and I have been married for 18 ½<br />
years. She is a stay home mom to our two<br />
children, Alessandra age 7, and Ethan age 4.<br />
What is the toughest thing you<br />
have experienced in your job?<br />
The death of a child. When I first became a<br />
paramedic, I had a 9 year old girl die in my<br />
arms. Being a parent, it is very hard sometimes<br />
not to personalize the loss that the family may<br />
be feeling. It stays with you.<br />
Share some things you enjoy<br />
doing in your spare time.<br />
Bible time is a key to having the best day<br />
possible. It helps me perform my job and it<br />
gives me peace from the things I deal with<br />
on a daily basis. But, the rest of my time is<br />
devoted to my wife and children; grilling,<br />
biking, or playing games. We are also active<br />
members at Pinelake Church and help serve<br />
there in different capacities.<br />
What are three things on your<br />
bucket list?<br />
1. Take my kids to Disney World. 2. Travel<br />
to Italy and see the Sistine Chapel with my<br />
wife. 3. See my children accept Christ and<br />
be baptized.<br />
Who is someone you admire<br />
and why?<br />
My Father. Thank you dad for giving me a<br />
great work ethic, teaching me how to love,<br />
honor, and respect the woman that I love,<br />
and making me into the man I am today.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten<br />
years from now?<br />
Hopefully about to retire and start on another<br />
degree. I would like to go to school to<br />
become a physician’s assistant.<br />
If you could give one piece of<br />
advice to a young person, what<br />
would it be?<br />
Understand that failure is an event and it does<br />
not define the person. Use it as an opportunity<br />
to rise up and be something greater. There are<br />
two significant events in a person’s life; the<br />
day they were created, and the day they find<br />
out why. Chip Henderson once said, “You are<br />
created on purpose for a purpose”. So even<br />
though you stumble and fall, or fail, get back<br />
up and see it though. You can’t quit.<br />
What is a favorite childhood<br />
memory?<br />
Cooking with my mom. In an Italian family<br />
the kitchen is where it’s at, and Mom made<br />
it special.<br />
What is the biggest mistake<br />
you think young people make<br />
today?<br />
They think that society owes them something.<br />
And that honor, respect, and integrity are<br />
ancient concepts. We are all brothers and<br />
sisters in Christ. Do something for someone<br />
else. You will find that what you get back is<br />
more than what you gave up.<br />
Why did you decide to be a<br />
Policeman?<br />
From a young age I was always fascinated<br />
by law enforcement. I was taught to respect<br />
and admire anyone who served in uniform.<br />
As I got older I found my interest in the<br />
profession grew, so I decided to apply and<br />
join the police department.<br />
How long have you been with<br />
the <strong>Clinton</strong> Police Department?<br />
January 2016 will be the start of my 8th year<br />
with the department.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I’ve been married to my wonderful wife for<br />
almost 11 years. We have two young boys<br />
who are 5 and 4 years old and keep us on<br />
our toes.<br />
What is the toughest thing you<br />
have experienced in your job?<br />
Serving high risk arrest warrants with the<br />
Metro SWAT team.<br />
Share some things you enjoy<br />
doing in your spare time.<br />
Most of my spare time is spent with my<br />
family. We like to go to sports events or head<br />
to the beach whenever we get the chance.<br />
What are three things on your<br />
bucket list?<br />
I would like to take the family to all of the SEC<br />
baseball stadiums to watch a game. I would<br />
like to take them up to Omaha to watch the<br />
College World Series. Lastly, I would like to<br />
get my skydiving license.<br />
If you could give one piece of<br />
advice to a young person what<br />
would it be?<br />
Work hard and do the right thing no matter<br />
if anyone is watching. Integrity and honor is<br />
more important that pleasing people. You<br />
will never be able to please everyone in life<br />
but if you do the right thing people will<br />
respect you.<br />
What is a favorite childhood<br />
memory?<br />
Going to the Texas A&M bonfire the night<br />
before the game against the University of<br />
Texas. Or possibly watching the Texas A&M<br />
baseball team scrimmage against the<br />
Houston Astros.<br />
What is the biggest mistake<br />
you think young people make<br />
today?<br />
Becoming too involved in social media. You<br />
can’t control what people think or say about<br />
you so it’s best to ignore it. I was starting<br />
college when cell phones started becoming<br />
affordable so I did not have to grow up with<br />
the internet. However, kids were no less<br />
harsh, it was simply done in a different way.<br />
I believe kids need to surround themselves<br />
with good quality friends who like each other<br />
for who they are. And then simply ignore the<br />
rest because sometimes people will just not<br />
like you. As for the machines, turn them off.<br />
42 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 43
New Year’s Resolution Survey<br />
What is your<br />
New Year’s<br />
Resolution<br />
this year?<br />
“I would like to get out<br />
of my comfort zone and<br />
become braver. I plan on<br />
practicing this by doing<br />
some public speaking,”<br />
-Tremesha<br />
My New Year's Resolution is<br />
to not find any of the weight I<br />
lost. I lost 143 pounds so I'd<br />
like to keep eating healthy and<br />
exercising. - Chuck<br />
“To not work<br />
as much.”<br />
Ashley<br />
To start studying<br />
everyday for<br />
the GRE.<br />
David<br />
To join the Healthplex and go regularly.<br />
Uday<br />
Make more time for<br />
writing and playing music.<br />
- Wyatt<br />
“To lose weight in time<br />
for my daughter’s high<br />
school graduation this<br />
May.” – Linda<br />
“To move into a house instead<br />
of an apartment.”- Josie<br />
44 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 45
AT WOODCHASE<br />
601-925-0009<br />
131 Woodchase Park Dr. ~ <strong>Clinton</strong>, MS ~ woodchase@heritageproperties.com<br />
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation.<br />
We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing<br />
because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.<br />
Need Not Be Built. For Marketing Purposes Only. All renderings, floor plans, features and photography are artist’s depictions only.<br />
Features, pricing and dimensions shown herein are subject to change without notice. All dimensions are approximate. Developer<br />
reserves the right to modify or adjust prices and/or specifications without notice. Special offers are subject to change without<br />
notification. All move in discounts and specials are not for existing residents.<br />
When this won’t hack it. See us today!<br />
Avoid hours of sitting in a waiting room and avoid unnecessary phone<br />
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46 • Fall <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 47
The CHALKBOARD<br />
CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
Eastside gifted teacher<br />
is CPSD Teacher of<br />
the Year<br />
Eastside Elementary teacher<br />
Jackie Massey views the hallways<br />
of her school like walking down a<br />
highway. “Learners of every ‘make<br />
and model’ travel from room to<br />
room,” she said. “Some arrive at<br />
destinations they find exciting<br />
and rewarding. Others find<br />
themselves in places where they<br />
feel lost or wishing a U-turn was<br />
legal. Learners with different<br />
abilities, diverse interests, and a<br />
variety of learning styles travel<br />
the hallways.”<br />
On December 3rd, Massey was<br />
named the <strong>Clinton</strong> Public School<br />
District’s <strong>2015</strong>-16 Teacher of the<br />
Year. She received the award in a<br />
surprise presentation at her<br />
school.<br />
“As a gifted teacher, Mrs.<br />
Massey is top notch,” said Eastside<br />
Principal Cindy Hamil. “Her<br />
EASTSIDE ELEMENTARY<br />
cpsd teacher of the year<br />
students love going to class every day and work very hard for her. She<br />
is truly giving our students the best foundation they can get.”<br />
Massey has taught in the <strong>Clinton</strong> Public School District since 1986<br />
and has taught fourth- and fifth-grade gifted students since 2009. She<br />
is a <strong>Clinton</strong> High School graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in<br />
elementary education and a master’s degree in education, both from<br />
Mississippi College.<br />
She is a member of Mississippi Professional Educators, the<br />
Mississippi Association for Gifted Children Teacher Advisory Group<br />
and has won numerous classroom grants. She is a member of<br />
Morrison Heights Baptist Church in <strong>Clinton</strong>.<br />
CPSD’s Teacher of the Year will go on to represent the district in<br />
Photo: <strong>Clinton</strong> Public School District <strong>2015</strong>-16 Teacher of the Year is Eastside Elementary<br />
gifted teacher Jackie Massey. She received the award Thursday in a surprise<br />
presentation in her classroom.<br />
the Mississippi Teacher of the<br />
Year program in the spring hosted<br />
by the Mississippi Department of<br />
Education. Massey was selected<br />
from the Teachers of the Year at<br />
each of CPSD’s nine schools.<br />
Other school winners include:<br />
Amy Elmore, <strong>Clinton</strong> Park<br />
Elementary School<br />
Elmore has taught<br />
kindergarten at <strong>Clinton</strong> Park since<br />
1992. She holds a bachelor’s<br />
degree in elementary education<br />
and master’s degree in elementary<br />
education, both from Mississippi<br />
College.<br />
“In order to be a great teacher,<br />
you must love and care about<br />
your students, enjoy what you are<br />
doing and have fun,” she said. “I<br />
wish to take my students from<br />
where they are and help them<br />
grow to their fullest potential.<br />
Said <strong>Clinton</strong> Park Principal<br />
Kelli Pope: “She has grown to be a<br />
champion for early childhood education and an advocate for her<br />
students. She is truly qualified as an educator not only in academic<br />
areas, but also in the areas of leadership, caring, communication and<br />
organization.”<br />
Ladreana Goins, Northside Elementary School<br />
Goins has served as an intervention teacher at Northside since<br />
2008. Prior to that she worked in the Hinds County Schools, where<br />
she was district Teacher of the Year in 2007-08. She holds a bachelor’s<br />
degree in elementary education from Tougaloo College and a<br />
master’s degree in elementary education from Mississippi College.<br />
“All children can learn and deserve a quality education,” she said.<br />
“I set high expectations for my students, respect and value them as<br />
individuals and provide multi-sensory student centered learning<br />
activities.”<br />
Said Northside Principal Joy Tyner: “As an interventionist, Mrs.<br />
Goins works with some of our most challenging and frequently<br />
defeated students. We refer to her as ‘the miracle worker.’ Her skillful<br />
and prescriptive approach proved most effective in helping<br />
Northside reach 100% on the Third Grade Summative Test.”<br />
Ellen Brunson, Lovett Elementary School<br />
Brunson has taught gifted at Lovett since 2011, and taught in the<br />
Hinds County Schools prior to that. She holds an associate’s degree in<br />
marketing from Hinds Community College, a bachelor’s degree in<br />
elementary education from Belhaven University and a master’s<br />
degree in elementary education from Mississippi College.<br />
“I believe that all children can and will learn in a safe<br />
environment conducive to learning,” she said. “An environment is<br />
needed where children are not only physically safe but where they<br />
feel they are valued, free to express themselves and take risks.”<br />
Said Lovett Principal Mike Pope: “Mrs. Brunson has a true love for<br />
her students and for teaching. She demonstrates the highest level of<br />
professional commitment and competency in her work with her<br />
students, parents and colleagues.”<br />
Alan Kinsey, <strong>Clinton</strong> Junior High School<br />
Kinsey has taught English, Spanish and drama at CJHS since 2013.<br />
He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degrees in<br />
communications and English education, all from Mississippi College.<br />
“I will never forget the moment I decided to become a teacher,”<br />
he said. I had spent almost two years working in the ‘real’ world and<br />
was ready for a change. However, since becoming a full-time teacher,<br />
I have realized that teaching is not the easy transition that those<br />
outside the profession claim it to be. It is the most difficult, heartwrenching,<br />
rewarding work I have ever had the privilege to attempt.”<br />
Said CJHS Principal Dr. Bill Hardin: “Mr. Kinsey is a man of<br />
integrity and has a bright future in education. On many occasions,<br />
Mr. Kinsey has proven himself as an educator going above and<br />
beyond the call of duty.”<br />
Crystal Robinson, Sumner Hill Junior High<br />
Robinson has taught at Sumner Hill since 2013 and is also the<br />
Future Educators of America club sponsor. She holds an associate’s<br />
degree in elementary education from Hinds Community College, a<br />
bachelor’s degree in professional interdisciplinary studies from<br />
Jackson State University, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education<br />
from JSU, a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from<br />
Mississippi College and an educational specialist degree from MC.<br />
“It is my belief that if society changed its perceptions of<br />
education, then more people would fully understand how it truly<br />
impacts their source of revenue and survival,” she said. “Education is<br />
more than just the knowledge and the skills, it is a training program<br />
to aid you in applying the skills and knowledge to the perspective job<br />
you are applying for.”<br />
Said Sumner Hill Principal John Wallace: “Ms. Robinson has done<br />
an outstanding job leading our freshmen seminar program over the<br />
past three years. This course began with her employment at Sumner<br />
Hill, and all of its success thus far is directly attributed to her<br />
dedication.”<br />
Melissa Denson, <strong>Clinton</strong> High School<br />
Denson has taught at <strong>Clinton</strong> High School since 2012 and serves<br />
as assistant volleyball coach. She is a <strong>Clinton</strong> High School graduate<br />
and holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in<br />
education, both from Mississippi College.<br />
“Each student deserves a fair and equal opportunity to be<br />
presented with the same quality of education,” she said. “I teach all<br />
students from a variety of backgrounds.”<br />
Said CHS principal Anthony Goins: “In the years that I have<br />
known Mrs. Denson, I have yet to hear anyone, parent, student or<br />
fellow teacher, say anything negative about her personally or as an<br />
educator. She is a teacher who makes her course exciting, treats her<br />
students with respect and shows that she truly enjoys what she does.”<br />
Lora Little, CHS Career Complex<br />
Little has taught health science at the CHS Career Complex since<br />
2002. She is a registered nurse and has an associate’s degree from<br />
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, a bachelor’s degree in<br />
nursing from the University of Mississippi School of Nursing, and a is<br />
pursuing a master of Health Informatics and Information<br />
Management degree from the University of Mississippi School of<br />
Health Related Professions.<br />
“I teach my students how to dress professionally, to communicate<br />
with adults, to apply for jobs and how to behave in a business<br />
setting,” she said. “By doing these things, the students learn to act<br />
with confidence and communicate and function in the adult world.<br />
They begin to take ownership of their future.”<br />
Said CHS Career Complex Director Brett Robinson: “Her ultimate<br />
goal is to expose students to the health care field and better prepare<br />
them for the college and career paths they will follow after graduating<br />
from <strong>Clinton</strong> High School.”<br />
48 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 49
The CHALKBOARD<br />
CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
EASTSIDE ELEMENTARY<br />
4th annual spelling bee<br />
CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL<br />
<strong>2015</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> High School Homecoming Court<br />
Front Row: Alexus Gibson, Hannah Courtney, Jordan Dubra, Anna Flowers, Angel Greer, Aniya Wren-Daniel<br />
Back Row: Mary Katherine Chisolm, Casey Collier, Amber Camper, Ashanti McGruder, Erin Johnson,<br />
Monica Mosley, Hayden Oswalt, Sarah Grace Ashcraft<br />
Eastside Elementary held their 4th annual school spelling bee on Friday,<br />
November 13th. Sixty-three students represented their homerooms in the contest.<br />
Mr. Richard Puckett served as pronouncer and judge for the bee. Morgan Followell,<br />
of Mrs. Chao’s homeroom, won the bee with the word “acetone.” Jada Brooks of<br />
Mrs. Bass›s homeroom was the runner-up. A special thanks to the parents and<br />
teachers for a wonderful and successful spelling bee.<br />
Sophomores: Jordan Dubra,<br />
Alexus Gibson,<br />
Mary Katherine Chisolm<br />
Juniors: Anna Flowers,<br />
Aniya Wren-Daniel,<br />
Angel Hughes<br />
Seniors: Hannah Courtney, Casey Collier, Amber Camper,<br />
Ashanti McGruder, Erin Johnson, Monica Mosley,<br />
Hayden Oswalt, Sarah Grace Ashcraft<br />
50 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 51
The CHALKBOARD<br />
CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
SUMNER HILL<br />
trophy case<br />
SUMNER HILL<br />
trophy case<br />
Sumner Hill honored 17 students whom demonstrated the character trait of gratefulness. They received a<br />
Chick-Fil-A lunch sponsored by Chick-Fil-A in <strong>Clinton</strong>.<br />
Longtime school adopter <strong>Clinton</strong> Body Shop has<br />
donated a custom trophy case to Sumner Hill Junior High.<br />
Sumner Hill Principal John Wallace “stopped by the<br />
shop and asked if I would be willing to donate to an effort<br />
to get a large trophy case for the school,” said <strong>Clinton</strong><br />
Body Shop Owner John Mosley. “He explained that the<br />
school had won trophies but didn’t have a trophy case<br />
large enough to hold them.” The case needed to be 10 feet<br />
wide, 6’4” tall and 18 inches deep. Because of its size, the<br />
case would cost several thousand dollars.<br />
“Mr. Wallace’s intention was to ask several<br />
businesses to contribute,” Mosley said, so he worked<br />
instead with a local builder to construct the case for the<br />
school. The builder wished to remain anonymous,<br />
Wallace said. Mosley bought the materials, the builder<br />
built the case and one of Mosley’s painters, Blake Hearst,<br />
put a clear polyurethane coating on it. “We hired David<br />
Glass & Mirror to install the mirrors and make the sliding<br />
glass doors,” Mosley said. “I’m sure we built it for less than<br />
half of what it would have cost and I know it is well<br />
constructed.”<br />
Wallace said in recent years, Sumner Hill students<br />
have earned many trophies and awards and they were<br />
stored in classrooms instead of being more publicly<br />
visible. The new case is in the main entryway of the<br />
school, visible to students, faculty, employees and<br />
visitors at the school. “We’re waiting on glass to be<br />
delivered and installed and then we’ll fill it with trophies<br />
and awards,” Wallace said.<br />
“We were happy to help the school,” Mosley said.<br />
“Mr. Wallace could probably use help in other areas but<br />
he won’t have to ask for help with the trophy case.”<br />
First Row: Richard Smith, Brandon Garcia, Karma Land, Kaylee Parks,<br />
Second Row: Deontae Weems, Dylan Davis, Savannah Avery, Tyler Hickman, Kyle Bennett, Hannah<br />
Campbell, Jenny Vong, Jadaisha Carr<br />
Not Pictured: Cameron Gladney, Austin Malone, Alexis Smith, Caleb Troyer, Wei Ye<br />
Mr. Justin Odom, CJH Algebra teacher<br />
last year, rewarded Clark Hensley with a<br />
medal for scoring perfectly on the state<br />
PARCC Algebra test last year.<br />
52 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 53
The CHALKBOARD<br />
CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
LOVETT ELEMENTARY<br />
essay winner<br />
What Freedom Means to Me<br />
Abhay Cheruku November <strong>2015</strong><br />
Abhay Cheruku is a 6th grader at Lovett Elementary school in<br />
Mrs. Connie Cade’s class. Abhay was selected as the essay winner of<br />
<strong>Clinton</strong>’s local VFW post’s annual “Patriot’s Pen” writing contest.<br />
Abhay received a framed certificate and a cash award of $50.<br />
Abhay’s essay on “What Freedom Means to Me” will now<br />
advance to the VFW regional level where, if his essay receives first<br />
place there, it will then advance to the VFW state level. The firstplace<br />
winner from the state level will advance to the VFW national<br />
level competition in Washington, D.C. The winner from each state<br />
level will compete for national cash prizes of up to $5,000.<br />
Free-dom (free-dum) 1. The power or right to act, speak,<br />
or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint 2.<br />
Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic<br />
government 3. The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved<br />
Freedom, the beautiful word that is present in every<br />
second, of every day, of every year, of our daily lives. Freedom<br />
is our birthright as an American citizen. Freedom, despite its<br />
name, is not free. Freedom is given to us by people who fight<br />
in the military, navy, seals, marines and more, sacrificing<br />
themselves for us on the field to give us our freedom. There<br />
have been many wars like World War I, World War II, The Civil<br />
War, and more. Some wars are still going on such as the Iraq<br />
Civil War. A high number of US military men and women<br />
sacrificed their lives in these wars.<br />
The soldiers of all these wars make those choices, for<br />
only one reason: For us to live the way we do. They allow us to<br />
lead our lives freely and peacefully with our family and<br />
friends. People think that they honor those soldiers, by<br />
building a monument, scratching their name in stone, staying<br />
there for an hour with their hands on their hearts, and then<br />
returning to their daily lives, cleaning, hunting, having a chat.<br />
However, I think that the true way of honoring them is by<br />
remembering them and fulfilling their purpose: continuing to<br />
be happy and living in freedom.<br />
In 3rd grade, I was part of the veteran’s essay event. I got a<br />
chance to meet great veterans. We ate lunch with them, and<br />
they gave speeches to us. It was a memorable event, because I<br />
got to know the people who fought for our freedom.<br />
There are many different types of freedom. It’s based on<br />
many different people, with many different mind anatomy,<br />
and the many different ways in which people can think of<br />
freedom. Some examples of freedom are, our own speech,<br />
religion, and education. Again, these are just a few of the<br />
examples, but to me, my freedom means my right to do an<br />
action without receiving a negative action from others.<br />
We should always respect the freedom given to us.<br />
Always remember and keep in your heart, that we live in the<br />
land of the free and the home of the brave!<br />
54 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 55
56 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 57
Camille Anding<br />
The Time Coin<br />
The last days of summer are not<br />
only stealing away all the flower<br />
gardens, they’re sending students<br />
off to college in pursuit of higher education.<br />
Delta State University probably looks<br />
nothing like it did in the fall of ’63, but<br />
some of the pain I felt after being left there<br />
by my family must still be bouncing around<br />
the walls. They call it adulthood, maturity, cutting the apron strings.<br />
It felt more like open heart surgery with no anesthetic.<br />
It was a strange campus in a strange land that I struggled to<br />
appreciate. I missed the red hills and tree-lined highways of north<br />
Mississippi. I unpacked my suitcases in a lifeless steel-gray room and<br />
set up home with a roommate that I had only met by letter. I was<br />
appalled that I was leaving a family of seventeen years to re-locate<br />
in an unfamiliar building and hang my toothbrush next to a perfect<br />
stranger. Would she be a new adult friend for life, or would she turn<br />
schizophrenic at midnight? Only time would tell.<br />
I relived some of those same emotions when we helped move<br />
our own children to their freshman dorms. Optimism attempted to<br />
remind me that college days were better with this generation, and<br />
everyone had cell phones.<br />
Optimism fled when we said our final<br />
goodbyes, and my jaw, that I had clinched with<br />
my teeth, didn’t hurt as badly as my heart.<br />
My trip home was a tearful “cry-down.”<br />
By the time we reached home, my<br />
composure had returned along with a positive<br />
mindset about the blessings of going to college<br />
and minds that could learn. Then I stepped<br />
into the back door and met the lingering fragrance of our daughter’s<br />
favorite perfume.<br />
A pain that can’t be rubbed away encompassed me.<br />
But suddenly I was lifted out of gloom to joy when I realized that<br />
our children’s fragrances had always been a sweet aroma to their<br />
parents. Their cologne and perfume fragrances were reminders of the<br />
blessed aromas of their lives that would always fill our home.<br />
We all leave behind aromas—sweet or bitter, kind or harsh, friendly<br />
or alien, generous or selfish . . . and the choices go on and on. Aromas are<br />
a part of all of our lives. Whether we leave the room, leave for college,<br />
or leave this life, we all leave some kind of aroma. An occasional “sniff”<br />
test might be in order for each of us. n<br />
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58 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Clinton</strong> • 59
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60 • Spring <strong>2015</strong>