Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha School District recently established the new Partnership Middle School at MSU. MSU and SOSD officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The $30 million building is located on 43 acres of land that MSU donated for the site, which is located north of Highway 182 and east of George Perry Street on the MSU campus. The 128,000-square-foot facility will serve sixth- and seventh-grade students in the district and have additional classrooms for students in MSU’s College of Education who are training to become teachers.

Students will learn core subjects in five-classroom pods, a release from MSU says. Each pod includes common spaces as well as spaces for fine arts, a multi-media center, a gymnasium and a cafeteria. The facility also has shared classroom gardens to teach planting, growing, harvesting and nutrition. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation supported the establishment of the gardens through a $900,000 grant.

For more on the Starkville Oktibbeha School District, visit starkvillesd.com.

JSU Receives Grant for TRIO Student Support Services Programs

Jackson State University's Office of Student Success recently received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the United States Department of Education to implement two TRIO Student Support Services programs.

The programs will provide academic and other support services to low-income, first-generation and disabled college students to increase their rates of retention and graduation, a release from JSU says.

TRIO program services will include academic tutoring, advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection, information on financial aid programs and benefits and assistance, education or counseling services for financial and economic literacy and applying for admission to and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in graduate and professional programs.

For more information, visit jsums.edu.

USM Faculty Receive Grants from Mississippi Arts Commission

Three faculty members from the University of Southern Mississippi's School of Performing and Visual Arts recently received grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission for creative arts projects.

The faculty members are Jennifer Torres, a tenured faculty of art and design teaching sculpture and design; Kelly Lester, director of the Center for Faculty Development and a professor of dance; and Candice Salyers, an assistant professor of dance.

USM's grants are part of a total of $1.3 million in grants that the Mississippi Arts Commission awarded for the 2020 and 2021 school years. The Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts provide funding for the grants.

For more information about the USM School of Performing and Visual Arts, visit usm.edu/performing-visual-arts/index.php.