Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District welcomed Reverend Jessie King, Superintendent of Leland School District, as keynote speaker for 2025 Winter Convocation.
"The odds may be great, but you are greater," said Reverend Jessie King as he spoke to Yellow Jacket staff on Monday. "You are the change. You are the hope. You are the reason that the next generation will thrive."
Overcoming the odds was the theme as Yellow Jacket teachers, administrators and classroom support staff gathered for the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Winter Convocation on Monday, ahead of the start of a new semester.
"I'm sure there are those who didn't believe we could do it," Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee shared, reflecting on the A milestone the district achieved last year. "But a lot of hard work and passion from our team made this happen. The Mississippi Department of Education announced our district's A-rating back in September, and we believe it validates so much of what our teachers and students are accomplishing every day in the classroom, on the athletic fields and on stage."
As the first day back at work for the semester and a unique opportunity to get more than 650 staff members in one room, Convocation became an opportunity to celebrate a milestone, showcase accomplishments in the classroom and extracurricular activities, gain inspiration from a longtime educator and reaffirm a focus on student growth.
"I'm a graduate of Starkville High and call myself a Yellow Jacket, and I want to thank you," said Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill, who joined the event program to offer comments and congratulations from the community. "You have done incredible work over the last year to achieve the A rating. The city can pave all the roads and have the safest, cleanest community, but the quality of our school district is the first question we are asked when recruiting businesses to stay here and move here."
Mike Tagert, CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership echoed the Mayor's sentiments.
"In our community development organization, we continually talk about the four components of a successful community: Healthcare, Infrastructure, Public Safety, and Public Education," he shared. "Without those four components and especially public education, a community cannot reach its potential. A community cannot provide the runway needed for our kids to reach their potential."
"For years, we’ve dreamed of having the school system that our kids deserve," Tagert, who is also a SOCSD parent, continued. "And for years, each of you have put in the hard and difficult work to make that happen. Today is a great day for the City of Starkville and Oktibbeha County but its only possible because of all of those difficult days before…and we are grateful."
The years of work leading up to the district's A-rating has been a recurring theme this fall as SOCSD has entered the new category of "high performing districts," a moniker many staff members and community stakeholders believe has already been true of the district's work. The state's accountability model is based in part on performance on several assessments given each spring, but teachers are often reluctant to allow that to be the only benchmark of student success. Administrators believe SOCSD's continued emphasis on growth alongside increased opportunity for students in the arts, athletics, advanced academic programs like college prep, and innovative career exploration will provide a sustainable formula for the future.
On Monday, teachers rode buses and carpooled to the The Mill at MSU for Winter Convocation and enjoyed a delicious luncheon along with a program that included performances by several Yellow Jacket student groups, updates from administrators and a keynote address.
Yellow Jacket Boys and Girls Choral Sextets performed selections from the SHS Singers' Winter Concert held in December, and several award-winning All-State participants performed their audition pieces. In addition, members of the SHS Theatre Troupe 1180 performed individual theatre selections that have been accepted for performance at the Mississippi Theatre Association state competition this January. Students in the Partnership Middle School piano program also performed.
"We are so proud of the excellence our Fine Arts and Performing Arts programs offer students every day to grow and showcase their talents," said Dr. Tony McGee. "It was a real treat for our team to enjoy their presentations."
The highlight of the luncheon was a message from noted educator, Reverend Jessie King, Superintendent of Leland School District in Leland, Mississippi. Reverend King is a product of the school district he now serves, and is a graduate of Delta State University, Mississippi Valley State University and William Carey University. He is also Pastor of St. Peter Church in Greenville, Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership roles with the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents.
Reverend King shared his personal story of being part of the first integrated class of students to attend Leland Public Schools, where the historic year served as what King described as an "experiment" for the entire state and a catalyst for generational change nationally.
"I had no real knowledge that I was a part of the experiment for the state," he said. "Or for the nation because the tides were turning and mindsets and ideologies were moving forward. The needle was changing as it relates to equity and equality."
He related this experience to the uphill battle teachers today –– even teachers in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District –– still face when working to help students learn and overcome factors such as poverty, chronic absenteeism, limited access to healthcare, and broken families.
"Today's message is about overcoming the odds," he said. "My story is a story that is embedded in poverty where educational resources were scarce. But my story is not about hardships alone. It's also a story about perseverance. It's a story about courage and determination."
But, Reverend King shared with SOCSD staff that his story is broader. It's a story of the power of educators to provide not only learning, but hope to students –– a hope that for him, led to a life's calling.
"No, my story is also about the power of educators –– educators like you who can ignite and transform lives in the midst of unfavorable odds and tough challenges," he said.
He explained that teachers in his early years provided a place where he felt special, where he was able to step outside of his tendency to stay quiet and learn to participate, and where he got his earliest opportunities for leadership. He shared that these experiences helped him know that he wanted to make that same kind of difference in the lives of others.
It's the kind of difference he said the teachers in the Starkville community are making every day in SOCSD classrooms –– a difference that has gained a new benchmark with the district's A-rating on the 2023-2024 Mississippi school accountability ratings.
"You're the architect of futures," he shared. "For every child that walks in your classroom, you're more than just a teacher. You are the ones who help dreams take root and give young people the hope that they need to build a life of purpose and a life of dignity. It is teachers like you that can change the trajectory of an entire community."
He pointed to comments of community members like Mike Tagert and Mayor Lynn Spruill as evidence that the impact is already being felt.
"Being an A-rated school district, you are changing the landscape," he said and reiterated the importance of community and partnerships in affecting change and growth.
"These are your partners. They are with you," he reminded staff. "They are saying go ahead and move forward! They are your cheerleaders. They're saying, 'Don't you stop. Don't you quit.' When you don't have enough, call on them."
In closing his comments, Reverend King reminded teachers and staff that the work is not finished, and many students still face what seem like unsurmountable odds.
"As we move forward this semester, I urge you to keep this in mind. You are the change makers. The odds are still against many of your students. They are facing challenges. But every day you show up, you are making a difference. Every lesson you teach, every word of encouragement you offer, every challenge you help a child overcome is an investment in their future."
It is the future that Superintendent Tony McGee encouraged his team to look to. While the SOCSD A-rating is a huge milestone, the first of its kind for the district, the burden comes in maintaining the standards that have been set this past year.
"We're already seeing some of our benchmark data," he said. " And I'm excited about the work you are doing so far this year. The goal is to continue that progress for every student to achieve the growth and potential available to them."
And that potential for students extends well beyond the reading or math classroom as the district seeks to provide an increasing number of opportunities to expand each child's idea of what's possible and tap into their interests.
"We can be dream builders, or we can be dream killers," McGee said. "I see every day that you are dream builders for our boys and girls. I'm proud of you, and excited to see what new things you can accomplish this semester."
