Persistence & Cooperation

PERSISTENCE & COOPERATION

By: Emily Kicker | Junior Civitan Membership Specialist November 29th was a fun filled day for the Jones Valley Middle School Junior Civitan Club. The back tables were filled with refreshments, the parents and guests were seated, and the students were buzzing in the back of the school library.

Club officers with advisor, Ms. Jackson (far right)

This wasn’t just an ordinary club meeting in advisor Faith Jackson’s room; this was a special day that marked the start of a successful club year. Member Initiation and Officer Installation Ceremony was underway and the students couldn’t wait to stand before their peers and guests to accept the challenge of becoming a Junior Civitan. To some, this event seems like an ordinary ceremony but for Jones Valley, this came after a long year of persistence and cooperation. After chartering this club 4 years ago, the Greater Titusville Civitan Club and Sponsoring Club Liaison John Lanier were notified in 2017 that Jones Valley Middle School would no longer carry the club. As an 11 year Civitan and one of the original club builders for this club, Lanier did not want to take that for an answer. Greater Titusville held onto the club by paying its dues with a plan to work with school administrators to bring the club back. With the help of Principal Milton Hopkins, they were able to not only bring the club back, but make it one of the most sought after club’s on the school’s campus.

Refreshments after the ceremony

2) Junior Civitan was on the list of clubs cut from the school last year. How did you all get the club back up and running this school year? Persistence and cooperation is the key. The current Principal, Mr. Hopkins was desperately looking for a student activity that could be a catalyst to help improve the academic performance of his school. We met over the summer of 2018 and decided Junior Civitan could help by being an example for other students to emulate. He appointed a new advisor, Ms. Faith Jackson, who in a short period of time has reorganized the club and has it up and running.

Jones Valley Middle School Junior Civitan Club