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ELLISVILLE – Clouds and few sprinkles couldn’t keep some curious Jones College students and employees from viewing the eclipse on campus. Special glasses were available for anyone who wanted to view the eclipse including Jones College’s new astronomy students who were on hand to see it with astronomy instructor, Dr. Bharath Kandula. The class was inspired by the historical event and enjoyed making history with their peers.

ELLISVILLE– Mississippi’s third district Congressman Michael Guest spent the day with his Bay Springs constituents before the Easter break touring Hol-Mac Industries, Jasper County General Hospital and Jones College’s Jasper County Center. While at the Jasper County Center as the guest of Jones College President, Dr. Jesse Smith, the Congressman met with students, faculty and staff along with the Center’s Director, Grant Crowder to see first-hand the various programs.

“Congressman Guest is definitely a friend of workforce and growth, and we don’t know where we’d be without him,” said Smith. “He’s doing a great job, and we’re glad he was able to tour the Jasper County Center to see how we’re making a difference in his district.”

The tour included visits through the practical nursing lab and classrooms, health care assistant, phlebotomy, high school equivalency, machining, welding, commercial truck driving, the lineman academy, and academic classes, which are all meeting at the Bay Springs facility.

“These programs meet the specific needs in the community, but as I’m traveling and meeting with business leaders, the programs that you all are offering here are not just needed here in this part of the state, but they’re needed across the state. Y’all are doing a great job with training the future workforce and meeting the needs to make Mississippi competitive as we seek those next economic development projects. I mean, anytime you have groups coming in, they want to know if we can meet their workforce requirements. If we’re going to look at bringing in the next, you know, Nissan, Toyota, Amazon, or those sorts of companies, we’ve got to have the workforce necessary and y’all are training that workforce here,” said Congressman Guest.

As he visited the classrooms, Congressman Guest encouraged the students in the practical nursing program to continue their education, sharing, “I remember my days in school were not always fun, but they were very rewarding. When you look back one day, you’re going to be extremely proud of all the hard work you put in. This is going to open up a lot of opportunities in the future that you wouldn’t have without this education and training.”

Crowder explained to Congressman Guest that the Jasper County Center has a vision to expand as demand grows, however the Center’s success comes from those who work here.

“The staff and faculty here really made this campus what it is and we’re happy you came down to see them in action,” said Crowder. “We’re also thankful for the county’s support, as we are able to help the county prosper as well.”

For more information about the Jasper County Center in Bay Springs, call 601-477-5473 or 601-764-9393, or check out the website: https://www.jcjc.edu/workforce/locations/jasper-campus/

ELLISVILLE– This fall, Jones College students will now have more options to fit classes into their busy schedules with a four-day class schedule. The four-day class schedule has been offered before, but now students will have a longer weekend with classes being offered Monday through Thursday.

“This adjustment is driven by our understanding of the challenges faced by our student body, many of whom are balancing full-time employment with their academic pursuits. Moving the day off to Friday offers a continuous four-day academic week, which is more conducive to uninterrupted learning and provides a more predictable schedule for work and study planning,” said EVP of Instructional Affairs, Dr. Tessa Flowers.

“Additionally, this change facilitates a three-day weekend, giving students the opportunity for extended rest, personal endeavors, or additional work hours, ultimately supporting their mental health, job commitments, and academic success. This strategic decision underscores Jones College’s mission dedication to creating an academic environment that is both supportive and adaptive to the needs of our students.”

Nine out of the 15 Community Colleges in the state offer Monday through Thursday schedules. In fall 2024, Jones joins the growing list of colleges offering more options for working students. A growing number of Jones College students work while enrolled in college courses.

All prospective students should begin the registration process by completing an application for admissions which can be found on the website, https://www.jcjc.edu/admissions/   Currently, students can sign up for fall classes through their Admissions Counselor in Enrollment Services. If you have further questions, please call (601) 477-4257 to speak to an Admissions Counselor or visit https://www.jcjc.edu/enrollmentservices/ to connect with your Admissions Counselor by email.

ELLISVILLE – As Jones College students finish the spring semester, administrators are encouraging students to sign up for the BOGO Summer Classes. The Buy One, Get One special tuition discount allows students to take one class and get another class free. The BOGO summer tuition discount is open to anyone who enrolls in summer classes at Jones College. While some programs have a different charge per credit hour, all courses, including vocational, technical and academic courses will be discounted from the full tuition price.

To view the summer course listing visit https://class-search.jcjc.edu/results.php for any of the three summer term options, including the 10-week and four-week terms. Summer Session I, 4-week classes begin Monday, June 3, and ends Friday, June 28. Summer Session II, 4-week classes begin Thursday, July 4, and ends Friday, July 26. Also, Jones offers the 10-week, full summer session with classes beginning on Tuesday, May 27, and ending Friday, August 2.

Jones College is also offering free CEU’s for Mississippi K-12 teachers needing an additional endorsement or to renew a current K-12 Educator’s License. The free Jones College four-week courses are offered during the June summer session which begins June 3, through June 28.

To be eligible for the no-cost pricing, all participants must complete a Jones College Admissions Application. For a complete listing of the courses available and enrollment information, go to the website: https://www.jcjc.edu/ceu/

For more information to enroll in summer courses or free CEU’s, contact Enrollment Management at (601) 477-4257, email, enrollmentservices@jcjc.edu, or online at: https://www.jcjc.edu/enrollmentservices/

ELLISVILLE- This spring, the first Jones College student will be awarded one of hopefully many scholarships from the newly endowed, Cade Thompson Memorial Scholarship. Lorrie Thompson, a 1993 JCJC graduate and her husband Chris of Soso, endowed the Cade Thompson Memorial Scholarship on JC’s Day of Giving last November, as a way to continue the legacy of their 18-year-old son Cade, who was set to graduate from West Jones High School in 2022. He was also enrolled as a dual enrolled student at Jones College when an accident ended his life on October 20, 2021. Knowing Cade had planned to continue his education at Jones College and hopefully become a Game Warden, the Thompson’s wanted to ensure the opportunity for an education would be available for other students.  

“I want to help somebody, somebody who is not a straight ‘A’ student,” said Lorrie Thompson. “I want this scholarship to go to an average student who may not be expecting a scholarship, like Cade. He was kind of an average student.”

Most of his time was spent outdoors fishing. Cade also played left tackle and tight end for the Mustangs of West Jones High School’s football team. The Thompson’s said Cade was proud to be on the football team. He was prepared to miss the family’s annual Thanksgiving vacation to practice with the team, regardless of whether he was a starter, still earning his position, or being a friend to his teammates. Recently, the West Jones football team retired Cade’s jersey number, #56 in his honor.

“After Cade passed, the mother of a boy with special needs who helped manage the football team sent me a message. She said Cade always treated her son with respect. He would sit and talk with her son, play video games and make sure he was OK, all before football practice. Cade never mentioned it to us. We’re so proud of him,” said Lorrie.

The Thompsons have also established scholarships for West Jones High School football players and cheerleaders. They hope the new JC scholarship established on Jones College’s Day of Giving will help a student like Cade who loved fishing, football, and his family.

“He would have been proud that we were doing this, that’s what he would have wanted, but he wouldn’t want any recognition. That was not like him. He didn’t want the spotlight on him, but I could see him standing there with a grin on his face, proud,” Lorrie shared.

In fact, the family said they hope to keep building upon the Cade Thompson Memorial Scholarship, every year in memory of their son.

“To this day, we still get postcards, letters and stuff from people from Florida, Georgia, places all over. People were praying for us from the Philippines. There are just good people out there who still remember us and want to give back too,” said Chris.

For the last four years, Jones College’s Day of Giving event has surpassed goals. The JCJC Alumni & Foundation Office total last fall exceeded all expectations with a final tally of $652,616.48. Vice President of External Funding, Sabrina Young explained that establishing scholarships like the Cade Thompson Memorial Scholarship continues Cade’s legacy by providing funds that live on forever in others who also impact many more people in the community.

“I’m grateful and thankful on behalf of Jones College for the Thompson’s entrusting us with continuing Cade’s memory and his legacy. Providing the funds to endow a scholarship that will live on forever is a treasure that keeps growing, and becomes even more valuable over time,” said Young.

The Jones College Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 academic year through the JC App. Applicants must be current Jones College students, maintain a minimum GPA of 2.50, and be enrolled full-time for the upcoming academic year. To learn more about how to apply for JC Foundation scholarships, click on the link: https://www.jcjc.edu/Foundation_scholarships/.