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Jackson, MS. For the fourth year in a row, State Treasurer Lynn Fitch and College Savings Mississippi have provided students across the State the opportunity to win scholarships through the College Savings Mississippi Art Contest. More than 900 entries were received and today over $3600 in scholarships will be awarded to the 12 student and 1 teacher winners.
“I am excited to meet these extraordinary artists today,” said Treasurer Lynn Fitch. “I’m even more excited to award them these scholarships to help them pursue their dreams through higher education.”
A $529 MACS scholarship will be awarded to the first place contestant, a $250 MACS scholarship to the second place contestant, and a $100 MACS scholarship to the third place contestant in each of the following age categories: Pre-Kindergarten – 2nd Grade, 3rd – 5th Grade, 6th – 8th Grade, and 9th – 12th Grade. Also, the teacher with the most entries will be awarded a $100 MACS scholarship to distribute how they see fit.
“It’s no secret that the cost of a college education keeps going up,” Fitch continued. “In fact, the cost of tuition is rising three times faster than the rate of inflation. In fact, the College Board estimates that the cost of for a four-year education at a public college by 2032-33, which is when today’s infants will start, could be nearly $268,000. Our goal at College Savings Mississippi is to make a higher education affordable for all families. The Art Contest promotes interest in the ways families can save for their children. The scholarships give them a building block for their futures.”
The following students will be awarded their scholarships this afternoon at a ceremony at the Walter Sillers Building Green Space, 550 High Street, Jackson at 3:30 pm (rain location: 117 South Woolfolk Building):
Pre-K – 2nd Grade Division Winner: McKayla Bessonette, 2nd Grade, Union Elementary
Pre-K – 2nd Grade Division Second Place Winner: Brayden Kelly, 1st Grade, Pearl Lower Elementary
Pre-K – 2nd Grade Division Third Place Winner: Sawyer Skinner, 2nd Grade, Union Elementary
3rd – 5th Grade Division Winner: Jacob Young, 5th Grade, Bel-Aire Elementary
3rd – 5th Grade Division Second Place Winner: Lillianna Johnson, 5th Grade, Bel-Aire Elementary
3rd – 5th Grade Division Third Place Winner: Antonetta McCarroll, 5th Grade, Bel-Aire Elementary
6th – 8th Grade Division Winner: Mallory Giblertson, 7th Grade, Sacred Heart Catholic School
6th – 8th Grade Division Second Place Winner: Edgar Trujillo, 8th Grade, Olde Towne Middle
6th – 8th Grade Division Third Place Winner: Gabbie Hunter, 8th Grade, Lafayette Middle
9th – 12th Grade Division Winner: Kaitlyn Pamela Annie Jarrell, 9th Grade, South Jones High School
9th – 12th Grade Division Second Place Winner: Addison Rivers, 11th Grade, Oak Grove High School
9th – 12th Grade Division Third Place Winner: Shay Murrah, 10th Grade East Webster High School
Teacher with the most entries: Wendy Thrash from Mason School in Laurel, MS with 130 entries.
The judges for the contest were Limeul Eubanks, Andrea Coleman, and Herbert Mays. Eubanks is a Staff Officer III for the Arts, Library, and Foreign Language division in the Office of Elementary Education and Reading at the Mississippi Department of Education. Coleman is a Whole Schools Initiative Director at the Mississippi Arts Commission. Mays is a professional portrait painter.
College Savings Mississippi is a division of the State Treasurer’s Office and operates the two state-sponsored 529 college savings plans, MACS and MPACT (Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition). For more information about these plans, visit www.treasurerlynnfitch.com.
If your outlet would like pictures of particular local winners, please contact Michelle Williams.
