Mississippi School of the Arts officials hope a $10,000 donationfrom Entergy will spur other private businesses and citizens tocontribute to the school for gifted arts students.

Haley Fisackerly, vice president of customer operations forEntergy, believes it will. He visited the school Tuesday to makethe grant presentation.

“The Mississippi School of the Arts will be a tremendous assetto our students and our state,” Fisackerly said.

MSA officials said the Entergy grant shows private sectorinterest in the school. While the school is located in Brookhaven,MSA will serve students from across the state, said Dr. VickiBodenhamer, executive director.

“We need backing from the public and the private sector to makethe Mississippi School of the Arts a success,” Bodenhamer said.

During Fisackerly’s visit, Bodenhamer pointed out early supportthe arts school received from Entergy and the Brookhaven-LincolnCounty Chamber of Commerce.

“They actually funded our first publication about the school,”Bodenhamer said, referring to a brochure publicizing the school.”We’re happy to continue an ongoing partnership.”

Bodenhamer said the brochure needs to be updated because some ofthe information is outdated. She hoped to continue to recognizeEntergy’s contributions in future publications.

MSA is scheduled to open in August. Two funding bills, one for$2 million in operating funds and a $1 million bond bill forequipment purchases, are pending in the state legislativeprocess.

Fisackerly said Entergy supports a variety of educationalactivities from scholarships to outdoor classrooms. The MSA grantis another example, he said.

“We believe that education is the key to a better future inMississippi and will continue to support educational opportunitiesfor our young people,” Fisackerly said.