School Focus
Summer 2021 | VOL. 5 | ISSUE 2
WELCOME
CONTRIBUTORS
While some will look back at the 2020-
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
2021 academic year as one of the hardest
Nathan Oakley
and strangest times in education, I will
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
remember it as the year our administra-
Jean Cook
tors, teachers and support staff rose to the
MANAGING EDITOR
challenge and carried the torch of learn-
Carl Smith
ing during inauspicious and difficult days.
EDITOR
As educators across the state prepare to return to the classroom this fall, I want everyone to take time and reflect on the
Heather Craig
DESIGNER
Amanda Gronewold
WRITERS
Will Graves Amanda Gronewold Carl Smith Brock Turnipseed
past year. Because of your dedication to your craft and students, you were successful in continuing to support our children in their journey to becoming self-sustaining adults and productive members of society. It is because of your support
All photos were submitted by the MDE or their respective districts unless otherwise noted.
and the support of our entire state that we were able to make sure good, viable public education still functioned as safely
ON THE COVER
and effectively as possible. This issue of School Focus is all about support. From assisting new teachers as they navigated their first jobs during the age of COVID-19 (p. 26) to ensuring educators have the right tools to address students’ varying needs (p. 8), we here at the Mississippi Department of Education are committed to supporting all who walk into our classrooms. Our cover story (p. 18) highlights Project SEARCH Mississippi, a great partnership between the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, local health care providers and participating high schools. By granting internships to a segment of historically underserved students, organizations across the state are providing opportunities that will allow these students to learn new skills that will support them in the future.
Photo by Adam Robison Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
I hope you enjoy this story and the others in this magazine. There are great things happening in Mississippi’s classrooms,
Shaniya Cook, a Tupelo Public School District (TPSD)
and we here at the MDE are glad to have you alongside us
graduate, works with students in 2020 at the North
supporting children through education.
Mississippi Medical Center Child Care Center where she
Thank you for all you’ve done this past year for your students.
interned through Project SEARCH Mississippi, a program that helps students with disabilities receive on-the-job training. Cook is one of three TPSD graduates and Project
Dr. Nathan Oakley
SEARCH Mississippi completers hired by the hospital to
Chief Academic Officer
full-time positions this academic year. Read more about
Mississippi Department of Education School Focus
Project Search on p. 18. 2
Summer 2021
