Mud & Magnolias August 2018

Mud&Magnolias October.

November 2013 August 2018

Back to School

Baldwyn Farmhouse ● Local Children's Book Authors ● Teacher & Administrator Profiles mudandmag.com

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Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy School Year! from Your Friends at North MS Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Clinic

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Contents

Mud&Magnolias

pg. 25

pg. 36

pg. 69

pg. 74

FEATURES Local Reads • pg. 25 Editor’s Letter pg. 10 Recipes pg. 11 From quick weeknight meals to packed lunches to healthy afterschool snacks, we have recipes to help back-to-school cooking both delicious and efficient.

10 Things to Know pg. 20 Everything parents and students across Northeast Mississippi need to know to start the school year off on the right foot.

Quite a few Mississippians have been known for their literary chops over the years. Meet four North Mississippi authors carrying on that tradition.

Base Camp • pg. 36 In the heart of Water Valley, Base Camp Coding Academy fast tracks high school graduates to careers in computer programming in just 11 months.

Teacher & Administrator Profiles • pg. 44 Before they headed back to school these North Mississippi educators sat down to tell us why they teach and how they're getting ready for another school year.

A Farmhouse for Family • pg. 69 Jeremy and Carmen Butler finally built their dream home: A farmhouse the whole family can enjoy.

Healthy Online Habits pg. 43 How do you teach kids to be safe and responsible on social media?

Amy Tate shares some insight.

Back to School Fashion pg. 58 It's always a treat finding that perfect outfit for the first day of school. We have some inspiration and advice from local students.

DIY Pennant Flag pg. 74 School spirit, DIY style. These felt pennant flags will be perfect for football season.

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Editor’s Letter

The sweltering summer really flew by and as I write this, teachers and kiddos are prepping to get back in the routine of early mornings, homework and grading papers.

I remember the excitement of the first day of school for any given year. I'm sure it had something to do with seeing all my friends and getting back to my extracurriculars, but I also think I liked the idea of a fresh, new start. In many ways, this sentiment has stayed with me even in adulthood. I don't have summer breaks anymore (sad sigh), but something about the start of a school year makes me reevaluate and it signals the need to pick up the pace. Whether you are the parent running from one practice to the other or the busy-bee teacher trying to make sure lesson plans are executed, check out our healthy and quick recipes on page 11. And don't miss our briefing of "need to know" items on page 20. Get to know your teachers and administrators on page 44 and take some advice from Amy Tate, fellow parent and mentor of Milam Girls Leadership Academy, on healthy online habits (pg.43). Once your shopping lists are made and you decide to hit the town, take our fashion guide with you for the best local finds (pg.58).

And when you finally have a chance to breathe, read about local children's book authors and add the books to this year's reading list (pg.25). May this school year be the best one yet - not only for those who are tied to a specific school, but also for those of us who feed off the pace the school year brings.

If you have any thoughts about this issue, please email me at editor@mudandmag.com.

Over at mudandmag.com: Shop our style: Our online store features T-shirts, coffee mugs, digital prints and dish towels with art and designs by local Mississippi artists.

Check out our video on how to make the quick and easy "Skillet Lasagna" on page 13. + narratives, videos and extended photo galleries

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Editor-in-Chief Ellie Turner

Associate Editors Shannon Johnson Missha Rogers Leslie Criss Lauren Wood Emma Kent

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See the recipe video for skillet lasagna at mudandmag.com.

Skillet Lasagna recipe on page 18

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Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

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Lunch Meal Prep We have you covered if you want to try your hand at meal planning a week of lunches. We have instructions on batch cooking the food, and even a grocery list so you can make sure you pick up everything in one trip. Go to mudandmag.com for a downloadable grocery list.

Wednesday CHICKEN MEAL PREP LUNCHES Monday: Chicken burrito bowl Tuesday: Chicken and roasted vegetables Wednesday: Thai chicken bowl Thursday: Cajun chicken and sweet potatoes Friday: Pesto chicken pita pockets Grocery list: 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Cajun seasoning 2 pints cherry tomatoes 2 avocados 1/4 cup sour cream 2-3 limes 2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow) fresh cilantro whole wheat pita pockets 1 can yellow corn kernels 1 can black beans 1 large sweet potato 1 head broccoli 1 carrot small jar store-bought pesto 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts brown rice

rice vinegar sesame oil brown sugar creamy peanut butter olive oil salt pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 tablespoon lime juice olive oil salt pepper

Ingredients: 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cajun seasoning 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved 2 avocados 1/4 cup sour cream 2 limes 2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), cut into slices lengthwise two handfuls fresh cilantro, chopped 2 whole wheat pita pockets 1/2 cup yellow corn kernels from can, rinsed and drained 1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 large sweet potato, diced 1 head broccoli, cut into florets 1 carrot, cut julienne style 2 tablespoons pesto 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts 2 cups brown rice (6 cups cooked) 1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chicken: Coat 4 chicken breasts in olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat the remaining chicken breast in cajun seasoning. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts in skillet and cook each one on one side until golden brown, then flip. When other side of chicken breasts is golden, cover skillet and reduce heat to medium. Allow chicken breasts to cook until done, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet, cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.

For the vegetables: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside carrots and 1 cup cherry tomatoes. Toss all other vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper and put them on a large cookie cont. on page 18>>>

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Recipes sheet (or two smaller cookie sheets, if needed). Bake for 25 minutes or until done and set aside. When done, the sweet potatoes and broccoli should be tender and slightly browned on the edges. The peppers and cherry tomatoes should be soft and beginning to char.

For the avocado-lime sauce: Combine one avocado, sour cream and juice of one lime in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add water if thinner consistency is needed.

For the peanut sauce: Combine peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil and juice of one lime in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add water to thin mixture as needed until it reaches desired consistency.

Assembly: Assemble the lunches in five plastic or glass containers. Line three of the containers with cooked brown rice, creating a bed in each for the other ingredients to rest on. Divide chicken and vegetables between each lunch according to the combinations below and assemble. Label and refrigerate.

Chicken burrito bowl: Black beans, corn, peppers, cherry tomatoes (uncooked), chicken, one handful chopped cilantro. Drizzle with avocado sauce or pack sauce separately.

Roasted vegetables with chicken and rice: Chicken, peppers, roasted cherry tomatoes, broccoli.

Thai chicken bowl: Broccoli, carrots, chicken, peanuts, one handful chopped cilantro. Drizzle with peanut sauce or pack separately.

Cajun chicken and sweet potatoes: Cajun-seasoned chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli and sliced avocado.

Pesto pita pockets: Toss roasted cherry tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes and chicken in pesto until coated. Stuff pita pockets with mixture.

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HEALTHY CRITTER SNACKS Ingredients: 1 heart celery 1 apple cherry or grape tomatoes creamy peanut butter cream cheese, at room temperature pretzel sticks whole wheat bread jam or jelly mini chocolate chips biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter Directions: To make a caterpillar, cut a 2-3 inch piece of celery to use as the caterpillar’s base and fill with cream cheese. Chop another piece of celery into small slices and place them on top of the cream cheese to create the caterpillar’s back. Leave space on one end of the caterpillar for its head. Place a small tomato in that space and secure two chocolate chip eyes to it using cream cheese. Use small celery ribbons as antennae.

To make a snail, create a celery base and fill with peanut butter. Take a thin apple slice and place it on top of the celery to create the shell, leaving space on one end of the celery for the head. Place a small dollop of peanut butter in that space to create the head and place to chocolate chips on top as eyes. Use two small pretzel stick pieces as antennae.

For another type of snail, repeat the process using a smaller celery base, cream cheese and a halved tomato as the shell.

To make a spider, cut two circles from a slice of bread and spread peanut butter on one and jelly on the other. Put them together to make a sandwich. Create legs by sticking pretzel sticks into each side of the sandwich. Place two chocolate chips on top for eyes.

SKILLET LASAGNA Ingredients: 1 28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 pound ground beef garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley), divided 8 ounces bow-tie pasta 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup ricotta cheese water Directions: Pour can of diced tomatoes (with juices) into a 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture measures 4 cups. Stir in tomato sauce and sugar and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add olive oil; tilt pan to coat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until done. Drain grease, season meat with garlic salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs.

Add uncooked pasta to skillet with the meat and pour tomato mixture over pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, covered, stirring every 5 minutes. Cook until pasta is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic salt, pepper, and/or sugar, if necessary. Remove from heat and dollop heaping tablespoons of ricotta all over surface of pasta mixture.

Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining fresh herbs and Parmesan to serve. M

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10 Things to Know for the 2018-2019 school year

Daily Journal education reporter Dillon Mullan gathered top facts relevant to parents of children across North Mississippi.

1. New diploma paths The Mississippi Department of Education is implementing a new diploma system for the high school class of 2022. Rising ninth-graders must now select one of three diploma endorsement options – career and technical, academic or distinguished academic. The first gives students the skills to immediately find a job or seek more training at a community college.

The last two provide automatic enrollment in one of the state’s public universities. Students can still graduate with a traditional diploma instead of one of the endorsements, but must start off down one of the three paths.

2. Protect your tech In Tupelo Public School District, students receive their own laptops starting in second grade. In New Albany, every student receives his or her own iPad starting in third grade. Across the region, modern curriculums rely on these technologies to connect students with material. To save school districts money and a student from embarrassment, protecting laptops and iPads is incredibly important.

Buy a case, keep it away from full cups and remind your student that just because it can play games, these devices aren't necessarily toys.

3. Kids and their apps The kids aren't note passing and

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doodling anymore. Despite the rules, at middle and especially high schools, smart phones have become a leading catalyst of school-day distractions. From procrastinating on homework to ignoring a teacher to bullying on social media to cheating, smart phones present a handful of obstacles to learning in the classroom and a healthy student experience. On most, parental controls can lock a smart phone during certain hours to cut students off from their favorite distraction.

4. Shelter from the Storm Tupelo Public School District is aiming to officially open its new athletic facility and storm shelter on the high school campus in January.

More importantly than basketball games, the new structure is built to keep the entire student body and faculty safe from a Tornado.

Elsewhere in the school district, Joyner, Carver and Thomas Street elementary schools also have tornado shelters.

5. Northeast after school Over the summer, Northeast Mississippi Community College received a $982,772 grant from the Department of Human Services through the state’s community college board. With some of that money, Northeast will partner with the Alcorn, Corinth, Booneville, Prentiss, New Albany and Union County school districts to form

Youth Development Academies.

After school Mondays through Fridays, these academics will provide intensive tutoring in academic work, life skill and career development.

6. Testing task force Students, parents, administrators and teachers all say Mississippi's testing practices can be improved.

They just don't agree on exactly what the problem is. In June, the Student Testing Task Force met for the first time. Rising high school seniors highlighted the meeting with personal anecdotes about how over-testing hampered their learning opportunities. The task force will continue to meet once a month in Jackson until it produces a report on its findings in December. Each meeting is live streamed on the department of education's website, and public comment about testing can be sent to testingtaskforce@ mdek12.org.

7. Simple common app For high school students with their eye on Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the application process was made easier over the summer as both schools adopted the Common Application. In a “general application” section, applicants submit high school grades, courses and activities as well as entrance exam scores and parent or legal guardian information. This section of the application is accepted by

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every school. Beyond that, every school has its own list of college-specific requirements such as essays, letters of recommendation and application fees. So while the Common Application is not literally one common application for each school, it does make the process easier. After an applicant makes an online account, he or she can select schools and see relevant deadline and essay requirements. The platform also connects applicants to financial aid and scholarship tools that they otherwise might have missed.

8. New career coaches The CREATE Foundation and the Toyota Wellspring Education Endowment Fund have partnered to bring career coaches to high schools in the eight districts in Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties. The initiative will provide eight career coaches for 14 high schools. In the past, teachers, counselors and administrators all teamed up to provide career guidance to high school students.

Now, students will have advisers whose sole focus is guiding students’ career aspirations, certifications, apprenticeships and workforce training.

9. Funding fight When the state legislation meets again in January, another showdown over school funding is likely. Last spring, teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and

Kentucky - all states with similarly struggling public school systems to Mississippi - went on strike for more funding. Mississippi's teachers have not gone on strike since 1985, but the state legislature has fully funded public school just twice since 1997. The Parents Campaign is a great resource for information on legislation and action pertaining to public education in Mississippi.

10. Safety After another school year marred by deadly shootings, school safety is on the minds of many students, parents and administrators. Recently around Northeast Mississippi, Amory School District approved the addition of four new school resource officers while Lee County is seeking federal grant money for six new officers. In Tupelo, a security consultant and critical incident response specialist assessed the school district's security apparatus during multiple visits last school year.

The district has also implemented an anonymous tip line for students to call or text to report suspicious activity. M

Above photo: Bryan Butikafer, Vice President of Construction with Dome Technology, explains the process to a group of Tupelo Public School District employees as the crew gets ready to inflate the dome at Tupelo High School. Photo by Adam Robison. mudandmag.com

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Local Reads Meet four children's authors who call North Mississippi home. They write about things like two little boys on an adventure, saying goodnight to Elvis' birthplace, a girl who doesn't like the color pink and a journey through the solar system.

By Emma Kent

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Hailey with her sons Reed, left, and Finn

My Little Brown Boy Book written by Hailey Rush, illustrated by Darniece Floyd

// Hailey Rush has always been a writer, but this past January, she became a published author when she self-published her first book, “My Little Brown Boy.” Rush, a Tupelo native and former New Albany Schools teacher, now lives in the metro Atlanta area with her husband and two sons.

When she became a mother, she began writing to her son.

Those were the words that would eventually become “My Little Brown Boy.” Rush said she would pick up the piece she had been writing from time to time, but it was more of a personal journal. She didn’t originally intend to publish it as a book, until inspiration struck after the birth of her second child.

“It started out as just a little ode to my baby on a Google Doc,” Rush said. “It was just something I was working on, but after I had Reed I had the inspiration to finish writing it.”

“My Little Brown Boy” is primarily inspired by Rush’s two sons, Finn, 5, and Reed, 3. The book’s two characters are named after them and were illustrated to look like them.

“First and foremost, the book is a gift to my boys,” Rush said. “They’re my walking, talking answered prayers.”

The book was illustrated by Darniece Floyd, who attended the University of Mississippi with Rush. Rush said Floyd brought her words to life, understanding her vision for the book perfectly with her illustrations.

“She was amazing to work with,” Rush said.

The book’s illustrations show Rush’s sons climbing trees, playing outside, playing sports, at the library and even as superheroes.

Rush wanted the book to have a message that would resonate widely and that would speak to modern-day issues facing boys of color.

She wanted her sons to see boys of color represented positively. She wanted her sons, and all young boys, to know their worth.

“I felt like they didn’t hear the praise they deserve,” Rush said.“I wanted this to be something that celebrated all of the things that are wonderful about little boys of color. The book is meant to encourage and uplift and empower.”

Rush said she hopes the book will serve as a way to speak positivity into children’s lives – and not just children of color, but all children who need to hear it.

That’s something Rush tries to do daily for her own sons.

But when she’s frustrated and they’ve had a bad day, she knows they can read “My Little Brown Boy” and know how much she loves them.

“They’ll always have my words,” she said.

The book can be purchased at www.mylittlebrownboy.com or on Amazon. M

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Puzzled by Pink Books written and illustrated by Sarah Frances Hardy

// Much like the main character in her latest book, Oxfordbased children’s book author Sarah Frances Hardy tried on a few careers before finding one that fit.

Hardy is the author of three children’s books: “Puzzled By Pink,” “Dress Me!,” and “Paint Me!” The Jackson native studied art in college, even spending two summers at Parsons School of Design, before attending law school at the University of Mississippi.

“Art was always kind of my love,” Hardy said.

She graduated and practiced law briefly, but her love of painting never dwindled. So she took a leap of faith: She stopped practicing law and went full time into painting. She even had a gallery in New York City for a while.

“The whole time I was practicing law I was painting and selling paintings and put a lot of energy into that,” Hardy said.

When she had children, she slowed down, although she didn’t stop painting altogether.

“I kept painting but I didn’t do as much traveling and showing work,” Hardy said.

By the time her third daughter was born, Hardy decided to regroup and decide what she wanted to do professionally.

She had always wanted to write and illustrate children’s books, even writing some drafts as a college student.

“I had just never really dug in and done it,” Hardy said. “But I really didn’t want to be sitting in a nursing home one day wondering if I could have done it.”

She started going to children’s authors conferences, submitting her work to publishers and agencies and at first, she

got a lot of rejection letters.

Then in 2010, she got her first deal. Her first book, “Puzzled

By Pink,” came out in 2012.

The book, based on Hardy’s two oldest daughters, tells the story of two sisters who are very different but have to learn how to get along while still being themselves.

Her second book, “Paint Me!,” explores color and creativity.

“It’s a fun story for younger kids,” Hardy said.

Hardy’s latest book, “Dress Me!,” was published in 2015. The book’s main character is a young girl thinking about her future as she plays dress up.

“The main character in it tries on different careers through outfits,” Hardy said. “ It’s not as fluffy. It’s got a little bit of a message about dressing to do something rather than to look a certain way.”

Since completing “Dress Me!,” Hardy has been hard at work on several new projects. Some are similar to her previous work, but she’s also begun working on a middle grades novel aimed at children in the upper elementary to middle school age range.

She said she’s excited about the new possibilities writing a longer book brings.

“You do have this luxury of having other characters who have their own story lines, so it gives you a little more time to get in there and play with the characters,” Hardy said.

Hardy’s books can be purchased at local bookstores like Square Books, Jr. in Oxford and Reed’s GumTree Bookstore in Tupelo and online. M

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Goodnight Tupelo Book written by Brittany Rogers, illustrated by Brent Farrar

// After visiting with a good friend in her hometown of Memphis, Brittany Rogers was inspired. Her friend, Grace Hammond Skertich, wrote “Goodnight Memphis,” a localized take on the classic children’s book “Goodnight Moon.”

“I thought it was a really cool idea,” Rogers said. So, she started to consider writing her own take on the book.

Rogers may have grown up in Memphis, but she’s lived in Tupelo for 10 years. The All-America City is home now for Rogers, along with her husband and their 19-month-old son.

“I started brainstorming how many good places there would be in Tupelo that would be good for the book,” Rogers said.

“There are so many big cities that have a book about them, so I thought we needed a sweet children’s book about Tupelo, too.”

Around a year later, “Goodnight Tupelo” was more than just an idea, and Rogers had become a published author.

The book features Tupelo landmarks like Crosstown, Tupelo High School, Fairpark and Veterans Park, among others.

Most of the initial work was listing places, narrowing that list down and then figuring out how to work all of them into the story and making them rhyme.

Rogers said she often ran her ideas by her husband, who helped her refine her work along the way.

“A lot of his opinions made it in, so I can’t take all of the credit,” Rogers said.

When it came time to illustrate the book, it was important to Rogers to stay local. She ended up connecting with local artist Brent Farrar, who agreed to do the illustrations.

“I wanted someone from the area to capture it,” Rogers said.

Farrar spent several months working on the illustrations.

“He created the perfect pages,” Rogers said.

While there are classic Tupelo landmarks included in the book – Crosstown, the Elvis Presley Birthplace, the Lyric Theatre – Rogers’ favorite place in book is Fairpark. The downtown park has been a favorite spot for her and her husband since settling in Tupelo.

“I feel like it’s such a beautiful little staple in downtown Tupelo,” she said.

Rogers said she often gets photos and messages from parents whose children love the book, which is exactly what she hoped would happen. She wanted it to be something that parents could read to their children and that the kids would relate to because it’s where they live.

“My favorite thing is when children go on scavenger hunts to all of the places in the book,” Rogers said. “That’s a lot of fun.”

Rogers published the book through a self publishing company, so it can be bought online at www.goodnighttupelo. com and at several locations in Tupelo including Reed’s, Strangebrew Coffeehouse and Tupelo Hardware.

She remembers being thrilled when she received the first shipment of books in the mail, and even more excited to hear from friends and family who loved the book.

“It was so exciting,” Rogers said. “I got a really positive response.”

Now, with one book under her belt, Rogers said she hopes to do more writing in the future. A lifelong writer, she said “Goodnight Tupelo” was just the beginning.

“I feel like this was kind of a good first step to take,” Rogers said. M

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Children of the Sun Book written by Kabir Gupta, illustrated by Kabir and Arjun Gupta

// What began as a school project for Kabir and Arjun Gupta soon became a labor of love as the brothers worked together to create their book, “The Children of the Sun.” The book follows a child as he travels through the solar system learning about the planets along the way.

“The Children of the Sun are the planets,” Kabir said.

Throughout the book, the child stops at all eight planets and Pluto, now considered a dwarf planet. Kabir said he decided to include Pluto because it’s his favorite.

According to the 11-year-old, he didn’t have any intention of writing a book when he started on the project.

“It kind of came about spontaneously,” Kabir said. “I just had a plain old school assignment where I had to write a personification poem and I also had to write something about space, so I just combined both assignments.”

Once he started working on the project, though, Kabir said he just wanted to keep adding to it. That’s when his 7-year-old brother Arjun joined in, helping Kabir create illustrations for the book.

Together they used a range of mediums – acrylic paint, watercolor, spin art and foil and shaving cream – to make colorful, abstract depictions of the solar system.

All in all, it took around one year to complete the book.

Kabir wrote the poem in March 2017, and he and Arjun began illustrating shortly thereafter.

Then, with the help of their parents, they worked to edit the poem and put the book together.

Kabir even learned how to use Adobe Photoshop to layer the text and illustrations.

“That was one of my favorite parts of making the book,” Kabir said.

At the start of 2018, they began to explore options for printing and publishing the book. They ended up publishing the book through lulu.com.

Both Kabir and Arjun said they were surprised at how many steps went into getting a book published. While the process was a lot of work, the boys are thrilled with the end result.

“I really like how all the pages have this gloss on them and how bright the colors are,” Arjun said of the final product.

The book can be purchased at lulus.com or at Strangebrew Coffeehouse or Simply Sweet by Margarete in Tupelo. M mudandmag.com

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Base Camp

By Emma Kent

It’s early June, and upstairs in an unassuming building in downtown Water Valley, 16 students are working away on their laptops.

These students just graduated high school. Now, they’ve begun an intensive program called Base Camp Coding Academy that guarantees them a job in the tech industry in 11 months’ time.

So far, everyone who has graduated from the computer programming academy has been hired. That’s the goal. mudandmag.com

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Students come from a 50-mile radius that stretches from Pontotoc to Sardis to Charleston. They commute to the program every day, and Base Camp provides gas cards to fund their travel.

In fact, the whole program, which is privately funded, is free thanks to Base Camp’s sponsors and partners.

Students must be nominated, typically by a teacher or administrator at their high school, and then they apply after being nominated.

They learn to code web applications – or as director Sean Anthony put it, basically anything you can picture in a web browser. That includes apps like Instagram, online shopping or banking and other websites.

“They will have the skill set to make any of those online tools,” Anthony said.

What makes Base Camp even more accessible is that most students don't have any coding skills before they start the program.

“We actually prefer that they don’t,” Anthony said. “It’s easier for us to start from a blank slate.”

In the summer, students spend most of their time in the classroom. They’re laying the groundwork for the months to come. Later in the year they do a long-term project designed to give them a taste of working on their own, where they must manage their time and meet deadlines.

To determine the program’s curriculum, Anthony and Base Camp technical director Nate Clark kept their eyes on the end goal.

“Our sole metric is job placement,” Clark said. “It’s to get students employed.”

That’s why each day is designed to feel like a day on the job, with students arriving at 8:30 a.m. and heading home at 4:30 p.m. Base Camp is meant to equip students not only with

coding skills, but also with life skills they’ll need to use in the working world like interviewing and public speaking.

Base Camp students don’t have homework, as many of them have obligations like work and family outside of the program.

However, they are expected to dedicate each day to Base Camp from start to finish.

“We respect that time with the expectation that when they’re here, they’re fully present,” Anthony said. “We treat it like a job.”

Why Water Valley?

It might make more sense for a program like Base Camp to locate somewhere like Oxford, just 20 minutes away, or Memphis, where many of the program’s employers are based.

However, Anthony said the program’s Water Valley location is part of what sets it apart.

“I thought it would be more of a statement to do it in Water Valley,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of urban innovations pushed on rural communities, and they just didn’t work. This was the first time I’ve seen a rural model that could be replicated in a more urban area.”

Besides being a rural-based program, Base Camp is also unique in that it’s completely free to students, the program enrolls students right out of high school and it only takes 11 months to complete.

It all started when Base Camp’s executive director and cofounder Kagan Coughlin, who has strong ties to Water Valley, decided he wanted to get into the non-profit sector.

Coughlin was working at FNC Oxford at the time, which is where he found now technical director Clark.

Anthony was officially hired in February 2016, and four months later they welcomed their first group of Base Camp students.

Anthony has a background in education and was a classroom mudandmag.com

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teacher before joining Base Camp as its director. Clark has a degree in computer science from Mississippi State University.

Base Camp is in its third year. It has grown from 11 students in 2016 to its current group of 16 students, and they’re hoping to increase the program size in 2019.

Next year they will move to a new location, just a few blocks away from their current set up on Main Street in downtown Water Valley.

With a couple of years under their belt, the team at Base Camp plans to turn their attention to recruiting in the year ahead.

“We have a lot more interest and a lot more people seeking us out,” Anthony said. “It’s helping build the network.”

Anthony said at Base Camp’s inception, they had to reach out to schools to try to find a group of students to make up that first class. He said they pitched it to high school administrators and asked for students who would be good candidates.

According to Anthony, Base Camp looks for students who have work experience, work well in teams and are all-around hard workers.

“A lot of the year is a grind, so we need kids who have that personality to push through,” Anthony said.

They want hard workers, because getting it done in 11 months is just that – hard work. The program is particularly grueling at the beginning, with students intensely studying to learn the basics for 40 hours per week.

That was the case in early June, just a few weeks after students began the program.

“If we’re too relaxed, then we’re not moving quick enough,” Clark said. “This time next year they will be way happier with us.”

Partnerships Base Camp works with companies like C Spire, FedEx, FNC Core Logic in Oxford, M Trade and the University of Mississippi.

Helping grow the regional workforce is a big part of their mission.

Companies in the area need employees. When they recruit out-of-state, they often lose employees after short periods of time because they don’t have ties to the state or region.

By working with Base Camp, those companies are using the money that they spend to attract employees from out of state to invest in potential talent who are more likely to stick around.

According to Anthony, many students have immediate financial needs or family obligations that prevent them from spending two or even four years at a college or university pursuing a degree.

Base Camp’s relatively short timeline is what attracted 18-yearold Henry Moore to the program. Moore lives in Coffeeville, about a 20-minute drive from Water Valley.

“I feel like it’s a great opportunity and a great jump start on life,” Moore said. “I’m really impatient, and a year-long program seemed best suited for me.”

Base Camp fast-tracks them to getting a well-paying job, allowing them to meet those obligations more easily and more quickly. Then, many graduates do go on to continue their education by earning a bachelor’s degree.

According to Anthony, many of the employers the program works with are willing to fund continuing education for their full-time employees, setting Base Camp graduates up with support they need to earn a four-year degree and beyond if they choose to.

The programming jobs Base Camp graduates end up getting are also good stepping stones to other jobs in the industry, which is really what the whole program is all about.

“We want them to be career-ready and have a foothold in a super solid career, not just a job,” Anthony said. M

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Healthy Online Habits

T

By Amy Tate

he communication opportunities teens have with their friends online make those that need to happen with their parents in person all the more important. Good guidance and a strong understanding of what these influences mean are critical components for growing healthy young adults.

According to the Pew Research Center, 95 percent of teens either have a smartphone or have regular access to one, 45 percent of those say they’re online on a nearly constant basis, often up to nine hours per day, and roughly nine in 10 teens go online at least multiple times daily. The use of a growing variety of social media platforms is how our teenagers communicate and interact, and they’ll be doing so for the foreseeable future. It’s not a fad and it’s not going away.

The challenge for parents and mentors, then, is to make sure the exposure this creates to the wider world and to common human flaws that would otherwise be hidden occurs within the right parameters when possible, and with an advanced understanding when not.

Among social media’s benefits lie opportunities to develop connections, take part in creative communities, strengthen friendships, find a sense of belonging and a forum for self-expression, and gain the simple chance to learn new things overall. These hours of screen time can often prove harmful as well, though. Studies are showing increasing links between the overuse of social media and a variety of health concerns such as anxiety and body image issues.

What began with Facebook years ago has grown to include an ever-changing variety of platforms, each with its own methods of use and rules of the road. It’s not plausible for a parent to establish hard guardrails that defend against everything. The better strategy is communicate with each child so they know where the pitfalls lie before they step in. As with society at large, we can’t depend on external structures to do the job.

By establishing online limits early, both for content and total time, you’ll be raising your young adults to be healthy media consumers.

Amy Tate handles government relations for TVA and serves as a mentor for the Milam Girls Leadership Academy, New Expectations for Women in Leadership and Oxford’s Girl EmPOWERment program.

Tips and Tactics Highlight Reel vs. Behind the Scenes Adults struggle to remind themselves the outward appearances their own friends present, both in person and online, are not to be compared directly to their own daily struggles because the comparison is not valid.

People present what they want others to see. This is a lesson today’s youngsters must learn earlier than ever before. Depictions of perfection their friends present online never show the full picture.

Distorted images are everywhere A survey of 1,500 young people by the Royal Society for Public Health in the United Kingdom found young girls compared themselves to unrealistic photos of “perfect girls” that were, at best, unrealistic and, in many cases, fictional to boot, having been manipulated with photo editing software.

Beware the keyboard commandos Even on platforms where every user knows the person they’re addressing, the impersonal nature of online communication often makes hurtful or hateful speech easier to dole out, both intentionally and otherwise.

On forums whose size and scope effectively provide anonymity, things can be harsh indeed. New users should be prepared for what they may encounter and know they can come to you with questions without having their phone taken away.

Set daily online limits as well as totally screen-free times Meal times and other occasions meant for in-person interaction with friends and family, study times and live attendance at movies, sports and plays are ideal chances to have your child intentionally unplug. Further, practice what you preach. Serving as good role models of the behaviors we’re asking of our kids may be the most effective teaching tool of all.

Continue the conversation Discussions of social media and online responsibility aren’t one-time lessons. They’re part of the ongoing process of raising a child. As children grow older, expectations change, and the conversation will necessarily change as well. By keeping the conversation going, they’ll be more likely to come to you, rather than Google, with their questions.

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Sandra Pannell Sandra Pannell taught math the same way for 23 years. Then the iPads showed up.

In 2015, every student at New Albany High School received one of the touch-screen devices. The old format of flipping through text books and raising hands to speak one at a time was over.

"I don't have a quiet class anymore. I encourage them to interact with each other." Pannell said. "We're no longer in rows. It's small groups of desks. Students communicate with each other. They get up and present to the class and can teach the class from their iPads. We smile. We laugh a lot."

While the traditional style of classroom with a teacher lecturing at the front was compatible with some learning styles, its strictness hindered others. Now Pannell loads notes and video explanations onto every student's iPad. Information that used to take a whole class to write on the board is now instantly available for reference on demand.

The time saved allows students to collaborate to understand the material through their preferred method.

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Teacher // New Albany High School

"They're not as afraid to speak as they used to be. That gives children the freedom to discover and pick out their learning styles," Pannell said. "I want to teach them to interact with each other. In the real world you're going to have to work with people."

Pannell says it took two summers of training to master the new technology. As she enters her 27th year teaching at New Albany, she has seen a handful of familiar names of children whose parents were once her students. Her fellow math teacher Allie Speck was once in her class, as was her granddaughter's kindergarten teacher.

While generations and new technologies have passed through her classroom, Pannell's commitment to education has stayed the same. The quote 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,' from Nelson Mandela is painted onto her metal door.

"I painted it on without permission," Pannell said. "It's not going anywhere, and it's there for the world to see.” M

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Markel Brooks Choir Teacher // Shannon High School Every April, the finest voices at Shannon High School step into an audition to deliver their best song. The 35 or so students talented enough to make the school's honors choir spend the school year practicing nearly everyday between concerts.

"The try out is not as stressful as it sounds," Brooks said.

"You come in and sing your song."

Those who didn't make the cut used to be out of luck.

Then in the spring of 2015, Brooks started a gospel choir to incorporate every student who wants to sing. Under his direction, Shannon's inclusive group of singers represent the school during performances around holidays, in the community's churches, and finally, at graduation.

"At Shannon we try to teach each student in every class that we are a family and everybody works together. The choirs are about coming together and doing what we love," Brooks said. "There's not too many schools that have a gospel choir, so for us to get out and represent Shannon, it speaks volumes on us as a school and the type of community we're 46

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building."

Brooks graduated from Shannon in 2012 and was in the honors choir all four years before receiving a degree in music education from Itawamba Community College. Even when he is saying 'um' between thoughts, his voice cycles through a few different musical tones. For a lost voice, he recommends a combination of grapefruit juice and 7-up.

When he's not singing, Brooks mentors students with disciplinary issues. As a younger voice who was recently in the same classrooms, Brooks can connect with current students on a different level than other teachers.

"I just try being myself and not more than what I should be. I think it helps a lot to stay level instead of trying to hard to be somebody the student expects you to be. The relationship is more real that way," Brooks said. "It always depends on the kid, but everyday I do my best to reach at least one kid. If I can reach out to one kid and make a positive connection with him or her, that's a good day." M

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Felicia Pollard Assistant Principal // Lafayette Upper Elementary School While her classmates wavered, dropping classes, switching majors and settling into that fifth-year victory lap, Felicia Pollard never doubted her path.

“I just always felt like a teacher,” Pollard said.

A lifelong learner and passionate educator, Pollard, 35, is beginning her fifth year as assistant principal at Lafayette Upper Elementary School.

She credits the example of her mother, a particularly memorable kindergarten teacher and her own enduring sense that she belonged in education.

“I loved the structure of school. I loved the social aspect of school,” Pollard said. “I loved every bit of it.”

She's seen the inside of a good many classrooms, as both pupil and instructor.

A Pontotoc native, Pollard completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Mississippi in 2005 but stayed around for an extra year and immediately earned a master's degree.

Her career began with stints teaching second grade in the Tupelo Public School District and the Pontotoc City School District.

Second grade was always, she found, a time of great discovery. Children really begin to look around and to discover the world around them and their place in it.

“I love that spark, that moment when you can make a child believe they are unstoppable and they can do anything,” Pollard said.

At the urging of her then-superintendent, Pollard entered the Principal Corps program at the University of Mississippi.

That program eventually led her to her current position, where she helps lead a team determined to make each school year better than the one before.

“The Lord places you on a journey,” Pollard said. “As a young person looking forward to a career you think you know what's best, but the journey is so much better.” M

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Braden Bishop Teacher, Sports Information Director // Tupelo High School In November 2009, Tupelo High Principal Mac Curlee called a staff meeting to say he was retiring in the middle of the school year. The announcement was newly hired teacher Braden Bishop and his newly created Tupelo High twitter account's first big story. As he exited the meeting, Bishop tweeted to break the news to the Daily Journal and other local outlets.

"The account started as this rinky dink thing where I was literally just taking the information from different posters and flyers around the school and putting them into a digital format," Bishop said. "I had no idea it would turn into such a big deal, but then it started picking up steam. when I started promoting different aspects of the school I sort of thought 'how can this not work?'."

Now as he enters his 10th year at the school and sixth as its sports information director, Bishop has the Tupelo High account pushing 7,000 followers. He shares sports scores and announces awards. When winter weather threatens to cancel school, thousands of local teenagers refresh his account for definitive word.

Beyond social media, Bishop has been quick to explore other technologies. In 2013, he purchased a drone to fly high above the school for aerial pictures of campus.

"This was still when drones were seen as this unknown gadget instead of a common toy like they are today," Bishop said. "I just remember thinking 'hey, this is a cool technology, why not take advantage of it.'"

In addition to running lives streams of football and basketball games, Bishop teaches a broadcast journalism class.

Every Friday, his students release a 10-minute video with school news, weather and sports. Students practice script writing, public speaking, video editing and collaboration. Already, two of his former students have interned with the SEC Network.

Bishop's wife Laurie teaches environmental science and coaches volleyball at Tupelo High. Before every tweet, aerial shot or video is published, she gets the chance to be her husband's editor in chief.

"She is my critical sandpaper to make sure everything runs smooth," Bishop said. "I'd rather not tweet something until she can tell me I won’t sound stupid.” M mudandmag.com

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B.J. Lewis

Teacher // Hickory Flat Attendance Center

Just after Thanksgiving last school year, B.J. Lewis walked by the playground at Hickory Flat Attendance Center and overheard her students playing. They were pretending to be characters from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' - a book the third-graders were reading in her class.

Right then, she knew she was at the right school teaching the right grade level.

"It was so awesome. When I realized that they were playing like the book characters on the playground I got emotional," Lewis said. "It was so cool that they had gotten so invested in those characters. I immediately got really excited about continuing to teach them to love books."

Lewis is entering her second year as Hickory Flat's third-grade language arts teacher and her 12th as a teacher.

Previously, she taught at high schools before realizing she prefers the elementary level.

Inside Hickory Flat's small school and tight community, she finds students to be more supportive of each other and wellbehaved than any previous experience.

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"I love third grade because the kids have started to be independent but still very much need you to guide them once in a while," Lewis said. "One of the things I'm always telling my husband is that I can't believe how nice all these kids are. It's always 'Yes ma'am or no ma'am' and I barely have any discipline problems."

In May, Lewis learned that all 44 of her students passed their third-grade reading test on the first attempt. That feat seemed impossible after the first practice test back in early October.

Then she committed to not only teaching the content but also making sure her students were comfortable taking the online test. They knew how to highlight passages, eliminate clearly incorrect multiple choice options and take notes in the margins.

Once testing day came around, her students were ready.

"They knew what to expect," Lewis said. "We knew the content, but the test is like a game that you have to know how to play. I told them that we practice, practice, practice and then the test day is game day.” M

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662-842-3431 ivyfencecompany.com

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR A FALL? e n t physicians

Is Excited to Announce The Opening of Something Different.

We have opened a state of the art, one of a kind facility in North MS to treat balance disorders and to prevent the falls before they happen.

Located at 323 North Gloster St., Tupelo Fyzical... spelled different, because we ARE different.

Call today for your evaluation and “Fight the Fall”

Toll Free Number: 877-944-6513

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e n t physicians

●

Rob Picou

Ådmïñïßtråtør Spøtlïght ●

Superintendent // Tupelo Public School District

He's only been on the job a few weeks, but some things are obvious from the start.

“What's been most surprising to me has been the degree to which everyone in this community really loves Tupelo,” Rob Picou said. “It's been refreshing to see how everyone understands the importance of public education.”

This is good news for Picou. He is the newest superintendent of the Tupelo Public School District.

In April, the local school board announced its selection of Picou to helm the district which has long been among the state's finest and a rallying point of community pride and identity.

With the first day of school in August, he hit the ground running on July 1 and hasn't stopped since.

“My focus is what I call the one single heart beat and getting everyone focused on giving the best education to every child,” Picou said.

That vision includes three key areas: customer service, innovation and relationships.

Innovation doesn't necessarily mean new technology, but a willingness to try new methods to achieve old goals.

In this upcoming school year, for example, Picou will roll out a new way of thinking about classroom management, the CHAMPs Program.

By including customer service and relationship among his priorities, Picou indicates the premium he places on conceiving of education as a joint endeavor between the school and the community.

“Our focus going forward is going to be a shared responsibility for student learning,” Picou said. “Just the entire community wrapping their arms around every child.”

Picou spent the early part of his life in New Orleans and has degrees from the University of New Orleans and Tulane as well as a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.

He comes to Tupelo by way of a 20-year career in Alaska, where he worked as a teacher, principal, executive director of instruction and superintendent. M

STAY SAFE THIS SCHOOL YEAR WITH A LITTL Get to your bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.

Always use the sidewalk when walking to and from school.

If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.

618 Pegram Drive | 323 North Gloster 662.844.6513 | 662.840.7040 (Fyzical) www.entnorthmississippi.com Loose drawstrings and objects should be secured, so they don’t get caught on the handrail or door of the bus.

Camille Roberts Dulaney

Circuit Clerk, Lee County Mississippi

Voter Registration • Marriage Licenses • Elections • Judgment Roll

• Circuit Court • County Court • Youth Court

If you have any questions concerning any of the above, please call me.

8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday 662-432-2300

Face forward and remain seated throughout the entire bus ride.

ADVANCED RESEARCH & D

Quickly go to your seat when you enter the bus, and keep your feet and belongings out of the aisle.

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907 Varsity Dr. Tupelo • (662) 842-3342

Obey your bus driver’s and regulations, so he can get you to school q and safely.

842.7305 TUPELO, MS Remember to look to the right before you step off the bus. Careless drivers in a hurry may sometimes try to pass on the right.

202 Millford Street • T

MONEY NOW

Check Advance – Installment Loans

1321/1322 Ida Street • Practice good behavior on and off the bus. Don’t get talked into breaking the rules!

IVANCIC PEDIATRIC CLINIC 662-840-6026 Fax: 662-840-6030

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Achieve greater network perform It’s time to get more performance with far less. As in less bandwidth resources, and less c

CDF BUILDING • 398 EAST MAIN ST. • 662-821-2500 • www.c

200 Jefferson St. P.O. Box 762 Tupelo, MS 38802

Young children should be walked to the bus stop by their parents or an older sibling.

Don’t play in the stree waiting for the bus. Sta sidewalk.

499 Gloster Creek Village Suite H-3 • Tupelo

Stay on the sidewalk, a 10 feet from the road, waiting for the bu

Talk quietly on the bus, don’t distract or anno driver.

TLE HELP FROM THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES!

street while . Stay on the k.

performance with less. mance from your network dwidth utilizarion, fewer d less cost.

Enter and exit the bus in a single-file line, letting younger students go first.

X Marks railroad tracks. Be silent when a bus comes to a railroad crossing, so the driver can hear if a train is coming.

COMFORT ENGINEERING RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • HEATING AIR CONDITIONING • VENTILATION

H & DEVELOPMENT FACILITY

N ST. • SECOND FLOOR • TUPELO,MS www.circadence.com

ver’s rules o he or she ool quickly y.

YOUR HOMETOWN CARRIER DEALER SINCE 1936 SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION

“80 Years of Service”

824 NORTH GLOSTER • TUPELO, MS • 662-842-1602

Make sure to keep your hands to yourself at all times while riding on the bus.

Cost Plus “Where You Get More For Less” 400 Hwy 15 North • New Albany •

662.534.6024

Hold onto the handrail when you are entering and exiting the bus.

CHILD CARE ACADEMY 2045 McCullough Blvd. • Tupelo, MS • 844-0830 Sherrie & Larry Hearn - Owners

et • Tupelo • 844-4862

Never throw things on the bus or out the bus window, and always keep your hands and arms inside.

844-0270 1255 Nelle St.

For Specials & Financing Visit us at www.mmheatcool.net

et • Tupelo • 842-8605

alk, at least oad, while e bus.

Wait for a signal from the bus driver before you cross the street.

Great Employment Opportunites

589 Coley Road Tupelo, MS www.careers.iqor.com Use emergency exits only in emergencies, and make sure not to block them.

Bill Benson

CHANCERY CLERK For Information Concerning:

bus, so you annoy the

PROMPT EFFICIENT COURTEOUS

842-3774

• • • • • •

Passports Prior Year Property Tax Recording Deeds Recording UCCʼs County Financial Info.

Recording Deeds of Trust

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm PHONE: (662) 841-9100

Vacant lots and buildings should be avoided on your walk to the bus stop.

Shannon & Graham Eye Clinic Since 1895

Dr. Philip Graham - Optometrist • Bill Seawright - Optician

Eyeglasses • Contacts: All Types mudandmag.com “On The Square” • Pontotoc

662-489-4741

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Back to School Fashion The beginning of August brings the beginning of the school year. Students all over are getting their school supplies, backpacks and first day of school outfits picked out. We spoke with a few about their upcoming school year, and what they will be wearing when the bell rings.

Chance Hughes Age: 18, Itawamba Agricultural High School class of 2018 graduate, incoming freshman at ICC Q: Any advice on how to start the school year off on the right foot?

Stay organized! And study.

Q: What was the most challenging school assignment you ever had?

It was a junior year project where I had to pick out a book, and then do a research paper and PowerPoint presentation about it, with a couple other things.

Q: What was your favorite extracurricular activity when you were in high school?

Baseball.

Q: What are you most looking forward to when you start at Itawamba Community College in August?

Meeting new people.

Chance is wearing a Knotted Pine T-shirt from Square Gift Co. in Fulton, $30

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Get back to school ready with our Hot Summer Sales event!

Tupelo Small Animal Hospital “We treat them like our own.”

2096 S. Thomas St. • Tupelo • 662-840-0210 Stephen K. King, D.V.M.; Glenn S. Thomas, D.V.M. Deanna M. Van Camp, D.V.M.

CAMP TUPELO BOARDING

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1207 Nelle St. | Tupelo MS

wed-fri 10-5 | sat 10-3

jasperandcompanyboutique.com

Mia James Huey Age: 7, incoming second-grader at Pontotoc Elementary School Q: What is your favorite thing about school?

Learning and seeing my friends.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A doctor.

Q: What is your favorite subject at school?

P.E. because it’s fun.

Q: What’s something fun you did this summer?

Swimming.

Mia James is wearing an outfit from Reed's in Tupelo. Shirt by Tea $35.50, dress by Tea $49.50, sandals by Freshly Picked $40

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Lewis Russell Age: 10, incoming 5th-grader at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School Q: Packed lunch or school lunch?

Packed. Sometimes my mom makes me tacos.

Q: What is your favorite subject at school?

Math.

Q: What are you looking forward to about this school year?

Meeting my new teachers.

Q: Which subject do you have to study the most for?

Probably history.

Lewis is wearing an outfit from MLM Clothiers in Tupelo. Johnnie-O shirt and shorts, prices available upon request 62

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401 Elizabeth St., Tupelo

662-842-7305 l mudandmag.com

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Rayna Russell Age: 17, incoming senior at South Pontotoc High School Q: Which school supply item could you not live without?

Notebook paper because we’re always taking notes.

Q: What advice would you give to someone starting high school?

Don’t be scared. Everyone is really friendly!

Q: What’s something you miss about elementary school?

Nap time.

Q: Where are you thinking about going to college?

I’m hoping to get a scholarship to attend Itawamba Community College and play soccer.

Rayna is wearing an outfit from Ella Ivy in Pontotoc. Corduroy jumper by Others Follow, Free People thermal $78, Free People mules in denim blue $148, Ella Ivy signature statement necklace $40, Tassel earrings $26

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• Buyer’s Guide • The Name That Stands For Quality

WAGES ROOFING

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1972

Call Now to Schedule Your Free Consultation & Estimate

Riccar • SEBO • Sirena • Maytag • Electrolux Rainbow • Kirby • Hoover • Lampe Berger • e-cloth

Reasons To Own a SEBO • Superior Pet Hair Removal • Sealed Hepa filtration system • Commercial grade components • Incredible warranty coverage

63 Carnathan Drive • Tupelo, MS 38801

662-840-5101

907 Varsity Drive | Tupelo | 842.3342 www.varsityvacuums.com

Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

www.wagesroofing.com

We will clean and service your Rolex for $300 (Parts extra)

Shop our jewelry counter

We Have Backpacks, Lunchboxes, And Napmats To Get Them Ready!

Get BACK TO SCHOOL at 425 North Gloster Street Tupelo • 842-8298 Thomas Scott, Owner scott.watch@yahoo.com Come Shop Our Selection of Diamond Jewelry!

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GIRLS: NEWBORN - SIZE 16 • BOYS: NEWBORN - SIZE 12

115 N Thomas Tupelo • Mon-Fri 10-5 & Sat 10-2

Tri County Auto Repair Family Owned & Operated Japanese & Domestic •Complete Automotive Repair •Air Conditioning •Brake Service •Tire Repair Service •Computer Diagnostics •New/Used Tires

Nick Hazel & John B. Hazel

157 Hwy 178 • Tupelo 662-841-2204 (south of Sherman city limits)

• Buyer’s Guide • Make it Special, Make it Sydney’s We Specialize in: In House Repairs Remounts

ALLEN’S

Heating & Cooling 3498 Veterans Hwy • Pontotoc

Custom Design Work Watch Repair Quick Turnaround on Top Quality Work

489-7273 Sales, Service and Installation Gas Lines

1114 W MAIN TUPELO, MS 662-841-2839 | 9AM - 5PM

Bridal Party Hair & Makeup on Location

662-422-8711 | 662-419-8122 Kimberly Spencer

Candice Tutor

Lit’l Sprouts Children’s Consignment Sizes 0-16 (Girls and Boys)

Shabby Chic

Consignment Boutique Sizes 2-26

Check out our booth at The Mustard Seed in Oxford

ARE YOU BALLGAME READY?

Eli Huffman & Sig Head Back To School in Clothing for the Entire Family That Won’t Blow The Budget!

Locally Owned & Operated • Janice & Ken Storey, owners 404 NORTH GLOSTER | TUPELO, MS 38801

808 HARRISON STREET • TUPELO (662) 840-9909 Open Wed.-Fri. 11:00-5:30/Sat. 11:00-2:30

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We Can Bring The Party To You! We do all the work, you have all the fun!

Inflatables Concession Equipment Tents, Tables & Chairs

Zip line Rock wall Tons of inflatables

0%

18 hole black light golf Laser tag Huge arcade with great prizes ie & The Staff

for voting us 16, st in 20 One Of The Be for 2017, & 2018 nue

ay Party Ve • Rentals • Birthd Kids • Restaurant for ly • Family Friend

Check out our facebook page for birthday packages

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Book Your Rental at: northmspartyrentals.com

THANK YOasU

FINANCING FOR UP TO 60 MONTHS

Apply Online at www.MMHeatCool.net

Lindsey, Scott

Four story playground Toddler area

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1255 NELLE STREET | TUPELO

662-844-0270

www.mmheatcool.net • Scott Mattox, Owner * All financing requires an approved credit application.

A Farmhouse for Family

By Emma Kent

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othing in Carmen Butler’s house is too precious, and that’s intentional. With three little ones, a dog and 15 acres for them to roam – inevitably bringing mud, bugs and sticks inside – she knew simplicity would be the best design style for her family.

When she and husband Jeremy set out to build their Baldwyn farmhouse, she honed in on a design that was both beautiful and practical.

“I kept telling myself I wanted it to be comfortable,” Carmen said. “I want people to come in and feel comfortable.”

The family moved into the house in March after eight months of living on the property in an 800-square-foot shop.

Carmen and Jeremy designed the house from top to bottom, using a pre-made floor plan as their guide.

“This has been a long time coming, so I did my homework,” Carmen said.

Carmen picked the home’s decor – from the paint to the tile to the light fixtures – drawing inspiration from Pinterest and frequent antiquing. But when it came to the kids’ rooms, she wanted them to be a part of the process. They helped her shop for accessories and had input on how they wanted their rooms to look and feel.

“All of the kids have something unique about their room,” she said.

Their oldest son has metal vaulted ceilings in his room that give it an industrial vibe. Their daughter’s room features wainscoting on the walls and a vintage dresser turned vanity. A reclaimed wood accent wall is the eye-catching element in the

bedroom of their youngest son.

Carmen homeschools the three kids, so when they decided to build a house she knew a dedicated homeschool space was a must-have.

The homeschool room features three vintage desks, each one the perfect size for its occupant. Above the desks, Carmen painted a chalkboard and framed it using reclaimed wood.

The room is energetic, with bright pops of color coming from a rug and three bean bags the kids use to read or watch their online lessons.

The house features a healthy mix of new items mixed with vintage and reclaimed decor, giving it a collected and cozy feel.

Carmen, whose parents live in Pennsylvania now, said she often scours antique stores while visiting them to find things.

She also sources items from vintage stores and auctions online.

Her style is definitely farmhouse, but Carmen said she’s not trying to be Joanna Gaines. She simply decorates with things she loves and tries to stick to shades of white, gray and brown.

“I went with classic, neutral colors and then you can add a pop of color if you wanted to, so you don’t get tired of it,” Carmen said. “I love the fact that you can find different things and they all end up going together.”

She also wanted the home to feel lived-in, with imperfections that add to its charm. The wood flooring, shiplap walls and other architectural elements have a worn-in look to them despite being new.

“I wanted something that looks old so that if the kids come in and scratch it, it’ll be ok,” Carmen said.

The most difficult part of designing and building the house

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was deciding where to save and where to splurge. With so many light fixtures to buy, rooms to decorate and features to consider including, Carmen said managing the budget proved challenging.

The whole process was a family affair, with Carmen’s dad helping out on many of the woodworking projects and Jeremy doing some construction work himself.

“I have to brag on Jeremy,” Carmen said. “Every holiday, every chance he could, he was over here working.”

That brings a personal touch to the home, too. The large wood dining table was made by her dad from 99-year-old wood that came out of a gymnasium at the University of Florida, which is right down the road from where both Carmen and Jeremy grew up.

Her father also made the butcher block top for the kitchen’s larger-than-life island.

The whole living area is wide open, allowing everyone to spend time together whether they’re doing homework, watching TV or cooking in the kitchen. Most importantly for Carmen and Jeremy, though, is that the big, airy space is large enough to accommodate visits from family.

The shop the couple and their kids lived in while building will also eventually be turned into a guest house.

“A lot of our family lives out of town, so we wanted to have room for all of our family to come and stay,” Carmen said.

The couple are from Florida, but relocated to Mississippi when Jeremy got the chance to become a co-owner at Reed’s Metals.

Like any house, the Butlers' farmhouse is still a work in progress, with plans under way to landscape in the front and back of the house as well as spruce up their large back patio and outdoor kitchen.

For now, though, Carmen said they’re just happy to be home. M 72

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THE NUTCRACKER | December 1, 2018

presents 2018-2019 SEASON

Director Sharon Long Associate Director Tracy Peters

THS Performing Arts Center Matinee 2:00 p.m. Evening 7:30 p.m. *School show for area students Fri. Nov. 30, 9:30 a.m.

Ring in the holidays with Tupelo Ballet’s 36th prodution of The Nutcracker. This ballet is a brilliant blend of costumes, sets, and choreography that takes you on Clara’s dreamlike journey.

DON QUIXOTE | March 30, 2019

THS Performing Arts Center 2:00 p.m. *School show for area students Fri. March 29, 9:30 a.m.

A ballet based on the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha with original choreography by Marius Petipa.

KITRI’S TEA PARTY | March 30, 2019 THS Lobby @ 10:30 a.m.

Enjoy tasty treats and meet the cast of Don Quixote on stage.

Tupelo Academy of Dance Arts is the official school of the Tupelo Ballet For more information, visit TupeloBallet.com or call 662-844-1928 775 Poplarville // Tupelo, MS

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DIY: Pennant Flag Here's a DIY to help you show off your team spirit! Gather some felt in your school's colors and a hot glue gun, and head over to mudandmag.com for instructions and downloadable templates. These flags are perfect for a fall football game or as wall decor in a kid's room.

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Jayla Lockrige Lawhon Elementary

HOME

Is Where Your Story Begins

Jason Scruggs Owner

Gena Nolan Managing Broker

TUPELO/SALTILLO 3543 Tom Watson Dr. (662) 620-2232

NEW ALBANY 206 HWY 15N (662) 534-2377

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