Two story lines were being played out last Monday night asparents, educators and business leaders celebrated theaccomplishments of a special group of seniors representingBrookhaven and Lincoln County schools.

The first story line involved the students – more than 100 ofthem – being recognized as Mississippi Scholars. These studentsmade an academic decision two years ago to pursue a specificcurriculum that better prepares them for their college careers.

For 26 of those students, the night was especially significantbecause they were honored with scholarships ranging from $500 to$1,000. Representing a cross section of this community, seniors atBogue Chitto, Brookhaven Academy, Brookhaven High School,Enterprise, Loyd Star, the Mississippi School of the Arts and WestLincoln received a financial shot in the arm.

That leads us to the second story line – the scholarships.

The Mississippi Scholars program is a statewide effort led bythe Mississippi Economic Council and adopted by theBrookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce in 2005. The purposeof the program is to encourage students to raise their standards,reach a little higher and work a little harder.

Not content with just giving out medals and certificates, thelocal committee decided to challenge itself to find a way to liftitself above other communities around Mississippi and award sometype of monetary scholarships as part of the Mississippi Scholarsprogram.

A goal was set and $5,000 in scholarships was awarded last year.This year the bar was again raised and the local communityresponded with $16,500 for local students.

On Monday night, local students were recognized and honored fortheir academic efforts. On Wednesday afternoon during its annualmeeting of the state’s business leaders, the Mississippi EconomicCouncil recognized Brookhaven and Lincoln County for thiscommunity’s efforts in promoting academic excellence.

There is on common denominator among not only successfulcommunities but also successful individuals – a strong basiceducation. Communities that go the extra mile to insure their youngpeople have the educational opportunities are the communities thatexcel.

Brookhaven and Lincoln County have long demonstrated thatcommitment, and the students who were honored Monday are areflection of that commitment.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602,or send e-mail to bjacobs@dailyleader.com.