After five years, some may consider Lincoln County MississippiScholars and the annual banquet honoring achievers to be old hatand blasé.

Quite the contrary, each year sees new accomplishments reachedand each new class of seniors sets a new standard for subsequentclasses to strive for. Such will be the case Monday during thisyear’s Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars banquet.

Approximately 150 students will be recognized as localMississippi Scholars during the event. And some will share in wellover $100,000 in scholarship money from 13 institutions of higherlearning in Mississippi.

Those numbers dwarf the totals from the first Lincoln CountyMississippi Scholars banquet in 2006. Back then, only a handful ofstudents were recognized and $4,000 in scholarship money wasawarded.

Over the years, the local Mississippi Scholars program hasattracted more students willing to accept the challenge of a morerigorous course curriculum. They realize that by completing thecourse work, they will be better prepared for life beyond highschool – whether that be at the college level or as a part of theworkforce.

And the state’s colleges and universities recognize the value ofhaving Mississippi Scholars among their student bodies. Like prizedathletes on the football gridiron, basketball court or baseballdiamond, that fact has encouraged the schools to offer thousands ofdollars in financial “carrots” for local academic achievers.

Furthermore, the partnership between the local business andeducation community cannot be understated.

That partnership has propelled the local program to state andnational recognition. Our local effort, with its unique scholarshipofferings and community support, has become the model for othercommunities to emulate.

Each school year, many local business people volunteer to gointo classrooms to make Mississippi Scholars presentations to areastudents, starting in the eighth grade. The valuable volunteers arevital in creating the “spark” that ignites the flame towardstudents becoming Mississippi Scholars.

Beyond the basic course work, the students are encouraged to aimhigher on the educational ladder and to undertake the morechallenging classes. All who succeed are recognized as MississippiScholars, and some are given help toward making their collegedreams become a reality.

As a result of Mississippi Scholars, the reality for LincolnCounty as a whole is a stronger class of high school graduates whowill help shape the area’s future. And with each new class ofstudents who are exposed to it, the Lincoln County MississippiScholars program is building a stronger foundation for studentsuccess and a brighter future for this area.