COLUMBUS – Annunciation prek through second grade students were honored to have the ladies from Project CHEW with the MUW (Mississippi University for Women) Culinary Arts Institute join them on Thursday, October 18. Chef Mary Helen Hawkins and Registered Dietitian, Amanda Dahl, along with student Chef Nicole and student Chef Nolan demonstrated how to “Eat the Rainbow” to get all the nutrients they need to grow. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)
By Maureen Smith
COLUMBUS – Enrollment is exploding at Annunciation Catholic School so it’s time to expand. The school has launched a two-phase capital campaign aimed at enlarging the existing facilities and establishing a long-term plan master plan. Phase one calls for raising a little more than $3 million to add a new building to house six classrooms, a library, a science lab, a technology lab and a new administrative area. This phase will also renovate the cafeteria, expand the gymnasium and reconfigure the current building.
“Currently, we have eight classes and a computer lab in modular classrooms. It is time to make these temporary classrooms permanent in order for us to fulfill our school mission to the highest potential. Our school family has been praying for an opportunity for us to continue providing a Christ-centered environment for children in the Golden Triangle. We are thrilled to undertake this task as we continue to guide students to reach their full potential,” said principal Joni House. She has seen enrollment grow 95 percent in the past seven years. Some students are riding a bus from Starkville daily to attend Annunciation, the only school in the so-called Golden Triangle of Columbus, Starkville and West Point.
She credits the enrollment jump to a great staff as well as a supportive community and parents who believe in the mission of the school and parish.
Father Jeffrey Waldrep became the pastor of Annunciation Parish just last year and has embraced his role at the school. “It has been so amazing becoming a part of the Annunciation Catholic school family,” said Father Waldrep. “Joni House, our principal and mentor, has made it her ministry to enable a talented, creative and spirit-filled team of teachers and staff that rally around a single mission. That mission has and continues our growth in enlightening the minds and forming life-long learners of our students,” he said.
He said he has seen support from both Catholic and non-Catholic families who see the value of the education at Annunciation.
“These are some very blessed times at our school. phase one of this project will provide opportunities for all students to use new technology and science labs, along with a new expansive library. This is not to mention the six new classrooms, stage and locker rooms on the gym and full-service cafeteria. But with all blessings comes responsibility,” said Father Waldrep. He has invited everyone in the community to prayerfully consider joining the campaign.
Parent Kay Regimbal is one of the campaign supporters. “The foundation that ACS has provided for our children is constantly strengthened day after day and year after year through teaching excellence, character building and spiritual guidance. ACS is making a lasting impact on our children, our local community and our future by raising the bar for academic excellence, creativity and interpersonal growth, developing students who not only think for themselves but love, care and respect those around them. We consider ourselves incredibly blessed to be on this journey with our school family,” she said.
The second phase of the campaign calls for establishing a long-term planning committee, possibly adding another academic building on property the school already owns and adding a chapel. When planning started, the committee looked at several options, including purchasing new land and building from scratch and purchasing an existing school building, but in the end, the committee agreed that the school would do best if it repurposed and added to existing facilities.
Those interested in supporting the campaign can make a one-time donation or make a pledge they can pay off in installments. Call the school office for details (662) 328-4479.
COLUMBUS – Annunciation seventh grade students Kelly Nguyen and John Pryse Tompkins escort the jester during the school’s annual Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday, Feb.13th. Many schools let their students celebrate this holiday meant to use up sweets before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)
By Slim Smith
COLUMBUS – Students at Annunciation Catholic School have been wearing school uniforms for years. But not Friday.
“This is their treat for today,” school librarian Terri Doumit said Friday. “We’ll have a bigger celebration later this month.”
For the 203 students at the school – which serves children pre-K through eighth grade – there is reason to celebrate.
Annunciation school librarian Terri Doumit reads to students in the library. Doumit is the driving force behind a very successful summer reading program, which has resulted in three Scholastic Summer Reading Program awards in three years. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)
On Sept. 4, the school’s four-month summer reading program came to an end. When it was over, the students had logged 295,868 minutes of reading – breaking their own record and emerging as the top school in the state for the third consecutive year. The Scholastic Summer Reading program is operated throughout the U.S. and in many other countries. Annunciation finished in the top 2 percent, ranking 159th out of the 6,229 participation schools.
“We’re just thrilled,” said Doumit, who has been the school’s librarian for eight years and is the coordinator of the summer reading program.
Each year, shortly before the end of the school year, Doumit enters each student’s name in the summer reading program website and furnishes the student and parents with the child’s own user-name and password. During the program, students logged in to report how many minutes they read that day.
“It works out, on average, to about 15-to-20 minutes per day for each student,” Doumit said.
As much success as the school has had in this competition, Doumit said the program serves an even greater purpose.
“The bigger goal is to make sure our students have a passion and a love for reading,” she said. “That’s what I especially like about this reading program. The children get to choose exactly what they want to read. As the librarian, I don’t ever want to force them into any genre or category. We want to provide them with books they are interested in. That’s what creates that love of reading.”
Annunciation plans a more formal celebration later this month, when representatives from the program come to the school for an official presentation, Doumit said.
(Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch)
COLUMBUS – For the second year in a row Annunciation Catholic School won the Scholastic Award for the most summer reading minutes logged in Mississippi.
Annunciation students read and logged 106,859 minutes. The school ranked in the top five percent of the 7,311 schools around the world participating in the annual program. The school won by a margin of only 100-150 minutes.
Steve Lowry and Les Kevehazi, representatives from Scholastic Books, present Annunciation School principal Joni House, with an award for reading the most number of minutes in the state. This is the second year the school has won the summer reading challenge sponsored by Scholastic. (Photo by Heather Skaggs)
“We are so excited about winning the Scholastic award again,” said Terri Doumit, librarian. “We’ll be in the world record book again. Our children and their parents should be commended because not only did they read, but logged their minutes. I’m so blessed to work with families eager to read. Best job ever.”
The program challenges students to read all summer and record the number of minutes per day on a website. Doumit creates online accounts for each student before the school year ends to encourage them to participate.
