Mississippi Scholars organizers are once again seeking localprofessionals to take part in the 2009 round of classroompresentations that will recruit hundreds of local high schoolersinto the accelerated learning program.

Interested business community professionals are invited toattend a training session at the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamberof Commerce Thursday at noon. The session will prepare them to makepresentations to students in grades eight throught 11 to encouragethem to enroll in the program.

Lincoln County piloted the program three years ago and was givencredit by the Mississippi Economic Council as being extremelysuccessful and a model for other state communities to follow.

Mississippi Scholars Fundraising Chairman David Culpepper saidthis year is shaping up to be a great year as well. He said it isthe perfect time for local professionals to throw their hats in thering and invest in the community’s future.

“We’ve always had an amazing buy-in from the business people ofBrookhaven and Lincoln County,” Culpepper said. “It’s been amazingto see the investment these business leaders will make bycontributing their time and earnings to this program.”

Program participants will go into area classrooms and givepresentations showing the economic benefits of a better educationas they apply to the world after high school. The presentationshows how an accelerated curriculum can help students in thetransition to college or straight into the workplace.

Culpepper said showing students the relevance of a goodeducation is the best way to get them to invest in their ownfuture.

“They’re seeing people that coach them, or their neighbors, orjust adults they admire and hearing from them how a good educationcan help them make more money and go farther in the real world,” hesaid. “When kids see that education has a direct impact on themoney they can make, all of a sudden it’s a little more importantto them.”

Lincoln County and Brookhaven schools saw 163 MississippiScholars graduate after taking the more rigorous curriculum. Localbusinesses, schools and individuals offered a total of more than$37,000 in scholarships to schools all across the state.

Anyone with questions on how to get involved in the program isasked to call the chamber of commerce at 601-833-1411.