Covington Chamber Mississippi

The promise of public education is being powerfully realized in Covington County schools. Kindergarteners to high school seniors in Mt. Olive, Collins, and Seminary acquire knowledge and new skills in the county’s eight schools. Students are challenged daily to think independently, to realize the relation of classroom to community, and to feel the joy of intellectual work, whether in a college prep class, a gifted (Alpha) class, or a vo-tech classroom.

 

The Covington County School District serves over 3,500 students and includes two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and two attendance centers (K-12). The Alternative School and Vo-Tech Center serve students throughout the district. Students attending classes at the Vo-Tech Center may prepare for many different fields of employment, including Allied Health, Business and Computer Technology, Forestry, Custom Sewing, Child Development, Building Trades, Metal Trades, Marketing, Automotive Mechanics, and Related Studies.

 

The county’s well-rounded curriculum is supported by principals and teachers involved in the state-mandated Onward to Excellence, students immersed in Success Bound Reading in their Reading Renaissance schools, parents implementing a Parent as Educator initiative, and a community committed to the Partners in Education program. The Kids Discovery Zone (KDZ) located in a renovated gymnasium on the Collins Elementary School campus serves grade school students districtwide. Both educators and students from Tupelo to Biloxi are frequent visitors to the KDZ which features a simulated TV station, grocery store, chemistry lab, physical fitness and health room, kitchen, and weather station. Teachers continually write up-to-date KDZ lesson plans for the eager students.

The quality of teaching has not gone unnoticed by the state and nation, for district teachers have received numerous awards, such as the state Alan Barton Award, Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, Mississippi Science Teacher of the Year, Mississippi Master Teacher Hall of Fame, and Mississippi’s Sallie Mae First Class Teacher. National awards include National Board Certification, Christa McAuliffe Fellowship, Disney National Teacher of English and National Milken Teachers of Excellence.

Covington Countians are fortunate to have three accessible institutions of higher learning, all within 30 miles. Jones County Junior College in Ellisville and The University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey College, both in Hattiesburg, all offer many exciting opportunities for students working toward a degree or simply enjoying enrichment courses.