Author: Teresa McCreery

ELLISVILLE- Seventeen Jones College students came home with top honors at the SkillsUSA state competition Jackson in April.  However, only the 11, first-place winners will leave for Louisville, Kentucky for the National SkillsUSA competition in June.

“JC SkillsUSA team is extremely excited to travel to Louisville, Kentucky this year with our first place state winners. The competitors are focused and believe they have the skills to represent Mississippi and Jones College in their respective competitions. They demonstrate a level of professionalism that we’ve tried to cultivate over the years. We are excited to afford them the opportunity to showcase their talents,” said Jones College SkillsUSA advisor, Ryan Hearn.

Jones College students, C.J. Hoodless of Ellisville, Preston Hammonds of Leakesville and Lakelin Smith of Lucedale managed to keep a winning streak alive by capturing first place in the Engineering Design and Technology category. The category was introduced last year at SkillsUSA with Jones students winning with the invention of a manual trash-compactor for the garbage can. As avid musicians, this year’s team was inspired to create a guitar strap and stand and they proved once again, Jones students are the team to beat in this newly introduced competition category.

“We’re very proud our invention performed well,” said mechanical engineering major, Hammonds. He credits his Greene County High School teacher, Deborah Neel for helping him find his career path.

“We spent a lot of time preparing for this competition and coming up with something anyone could relate to and appreciate,” said Hoodless, a CAD Engineering Technology major.

Smith, who is also majoring in CAD Engineering Technology, praised his instructor, Karen Kirk for preparing him for this type of competition.

“Jones helped us learn skills on an advanced level to compete confidently. Our invention had to pass inspection with industry leaders.”

This team has been preparing for their competition since early January. While Hearn is very pleased with the win, he was impressed by the team’s score.

“Besides winning first place at state, the team also must garner 70 percent or above of the judges’ scores to attend nationals. This year’s team performed very well, receiving almost 80 percent,” said Hearn.

The guitar strap and stand is made of three-inch wide by four-inch squares, printed on a 3D printer and linked together to a piece of nylon and leather strap bindings to attach to the guitar. To switch from a strap to a stand, an aluminum rod is inserted through the squares and is attached to the base stand, which was also made from the 3D printer.

“We are improving on our invention and will further develop the idea with the hopes of producing a better quality strap and stand for mass production. We’ve already secured a ‘poor man’s patent,’” said Hammonds. “Also, the squares can be customized with logos and colors. We also designed the strap to make it easy to add or remove the links.”

Freshman, Savannah Holifield of Soso said she is looking forward to returning to the National SkillsUSA competition. She took first place honors in the Promotional Bulletin Board state competition as a sophomore and junior at West Jones High School.  Returning to national competition as a college student is even more exciting to Holifield.

“This will be my third year at the National SkillsUSA competition. Even though I have experience competing on the national level, I’m a little nervous because this is the first time I’m competing in a drafting and design skill group,” said the first place state winner in the Architectural Drafting category.

She further explained, judging takes place throughout the entire week of competition, regardless of whether you are actively competing, or at a workshop.

“The way you present yourself, even when you’re not competing, reflects on the college. Judges take all of that into consideration.  Your character and how you present yourself could influence your score. Your first and the last impression can have a big influence on earning scholarships too,” said Holifield.

Also headed to the national competition are civil engineering technology majors and first place winners in the Quiz Bowl competition, Steve Lambert of Miller, Missouri, Colton McLeod of Richton, Levi McLain of Waynesboro, Dylan Butler of Ellisville and Mayson Norton of Mobile, Alabama. Freshman, Daniel Patterson of Sumrall, and Joseph Blake Pryor of Laurel, also earned first place honors in Automotive and Extemporaneous Speaking, respectively.

Jones College students earning second place in the State SkillsUSA competition were Cameron Sullivan of Laurel in the Job Skill Demonstration Open competition; Tanner Bryant of Ellisville in the CNC Technician category; Jose Garcia of Hattiesburg in the CNC Milling competition; Logan Pippen of Ellisville in the CNC Turning/Lathe category and Adam Backstrom of Richton in the Sheet Metal competition. Jacob Ledet of Laurel came home with third place honors at the SkillsUSA State competition in the Technical Drafting competition.

The SkillsUSA National Competition will be held June 24 through 28, where Hearn said hundreds of student competitors are getting real-world experience and recognition for their skills.

ELLISVILLE- Jones College radiologic technology graduate from Heidelberg, Malik Rashad Porter received a $400 scholarship from the Mississippi Radiological Society. Porter’s scholarship was based on the MRS’ requirements for recipients which include having a high academic achievement, being of sound moral character and having a financial need.

“Malik was an outstanding student while in the program and I know he will be an asset to the imaging profession. I appreciate the Mississippi Radiological Society for providing this opportunity for Radiologic Technology students in the state of Mississippi,” said Jones College’s Radiography Program Director, Mandy Pearson, M. S. R. T. (R).

Porter was also honored to be voted as the “Clinical Student of the Year” by the staff at the colleges’ six, clinical affiliates. The part-time radiologic technologist is currently employed at South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel and at Magee General Hospital.  Porter plans to continue his education to complete a Bachelors of Radiological Sciences through the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Photo by Megan Clark

ELLISVILLE – First through six graders will have the opportunity to check out college this summer as a part of Jones College’s Kids’ College summer camp.  Campers will gather Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7, from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.  The $95 non-refundable tuition includes all supplies and snacks.

Kids’ College courses include Food Science, Zoology: Animals Up Close and Personal, Art, Survey of Science and Physical Education.

Limited space is still available for some grades. For more information, email program director, Missie Meeks at missie.meeks@jcjc.edu or check out the webpage at www.jcjc.edu/camps.

 

ELLISVILLE – Whether it’s continuing their education or working in a medical facility, 21 Jones College students earned their Associates Degree in Nursing and are ready for the next step in their lives. The graduating class captured a piece of history with a group photo of everyone before they departed from the two-year college.

Pictured in random order are: Courtney Bass, Columbia; Jessica Byrd, Hattiesburg; Madelyn Cooley, Laurel; Kaitlyn Cox, Ellisville; Karrigan Eidt, Natchez; Megan Fewell, Mendenhall; Emily Frometa, Richton; Carlie Guthrie; Hattiesburg; Andrew  Hargrove, Ovett, MS; Lauryn Hicks, Laurel; Katelyn Ekes (Hinton) Laurel; John Holland, McLain, MS; Jessica Ingram, Mt. Olive; RaNeisia Jordan, Hattiesburg; Kristi Kavanaugh, Hattiesburg;  Brandi Logan, Hattiesburg; Marli Malone, Richton; Kimberly Graves (Miley), Purvis; Bethany Poole, Ovett; Leigh Stubbs, Collins and Dalton  Walley, Petal.