From the
Pearl River
Community College
Department of Public Relations

Press Release Archives

1998

February - March
April
Summer
September
October
November
December

1999

January - February
March
April 1 - 15
April 16 - 30
May
June
 

This online press release page does not represent all releases.
All press releases are archived in the Department of Public Relations, Hancock Hall, Poplarville campus.

May 7, 1999

The age old profession of masonry is alive and well in 2000

     POPLARVILLE - In this information age where data is
transferred at the speed of light and working equipment is as
obsolete as next's month shipment, there is still one craft which
will literally last as long as mankind.
     Dating back to the stone ages, the art of brick laying has
provided, in many instances, the only evidence of human life and
early civilization.
     After an estimated 5000 years, the brick mason industry is
alive and well entering into a new millennium.
     Porter Soley, instructor of the masonry program at Pearl River
Community College, says the industry will need 55,000 brick masons
by the year 2000.
      "It is predicted that brick masons will average $40,000 to
$50,000 per year," said Soley, who attended PRC in 1971 and 1972
and is finishing his third year as instructor of the program.
     And even though there have been technological developments in
brick saws, cutters, scaffolding, mixers, guide poles, lead guides,
brick materials, and mortar, the profession is still not for the
physically weak, or mentally challenged.
     "A brick mason still needs good eye and hand coordination,
good health and physical abilities," said Soley. "The job is
physical and rewarding, and your day's work can last - maybe
forever."
     Soley said Kenny Woullard, a May 1998 graduate, immediately
making $16.50 an hour. Within three months he was pulling down
$19.50 an hour.
     "A 1995 graduate, who apprenticed under me, took a job in
Mobile and he told me last month that he made over $50,000 last
year," said Soley. "There are good jobs available in the
residential, industrial and commercial markets."
     Soley said masonry graduates will spend time serving an
apprenticeship with contractors or with their local brick laying
unions. After the one-year PRCC program, most brick masons start a
two-year period of apprenticeship training.
     Soley said he traveled the southeastern part of the United
States laying fire bricks and lining lime kilns for huge paper
mills and other companies.
     "Years ago work was seasonal," said Soley. "But today's
craftsmen have access to portable heaters, occasionally air-
conditioners, and are trained to do different types of work inside
during wet weather."
     "Brick laying is an art," said Soley. "You still build
something one brick at a time. Becoming a brick mason is a decision
I've never regretted making."
     Soley was hired at PRCC when Charles Ray Rester retired in
1996. "Most of my apprenticeship was under Rester. I owe a great
deal to his mastery of the trade," said Soley. "I learned the trade
from Mr. Rester. He is the best."
     Pearl River's program is one of only three programs in
Mississippi. Soley's son, Jason, represent the state in the
national VICA competition in Kansas City, Missouri during June
competition.
     Soley, who advises the local VICA chapter, said Bradley Smith
of Purvis will represent PRCC in the welding competition and
Bradley Stewart of Purvis will compete in diesel mechanics at the
national event.

Forrest County Center awards presented

     POPLARVILLE - Outstanding students at Pearl River's Forrest
County Center were recognized during an awards ceremony last week.
     Melissa Meyers of Hattiesburg and Jane Stansell of Petal were
recognized for being members of the Phi Theta Kappa All-State
Academic Team and Wanda Allen of Petal and L.J. Daniels of Columbia
picked up the coveted Citizenship Awards.
     Departmental awards were also presented in the Vocational
Division.
     Dental Assisting Technology - Nancy Gayle Moore of Richton
     Heating & Air-conditioning - Eric McCoy of Hattiesburg
     Nursing Assistant - Sylvia Madden of Purvis
     Practical Nursing - Susan Smith of Purvis
     Surgical Technician - Stephanie Lucas of Columbia

Awards presented in the Technical Division included:
     Dental Hygiene Technology - Marisa Carraway of Biloxi
     Electronics Technology - Kevin Price of Sumrall
     Medical Laboratory Technology - Regina Prejean of Foxworth
     Occupational Therapy Assistant Technology - Dawn Garrard of
Clarksdale
     Office Systems Technology - Carolyn Dillon of Hattiesburg
     Physical Therapist Assistant Technology - - Jane Stansell of
Petal
     Respiratory Therapist Technology - Doug Miller of Hattiesburg

Pearl River College will stage 1999 graduations
Friday, May 14

     POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College's 89th
commencement exercises are set for Friday, May 14 on the
Poplarville campus.
     Three services will be held, beginning with the Vocational -
Technical Ceremony  at 10 a.m., followed by the Associate Degree
Nursing Pinning Ceremony at 1 p.m. Academic graduates will march at
3:30 p.m.
     Top students in each division will deliver the ceremonial
speeches before PRCC President Ted Alexander awards degrees and
certificates of proficiency.
     PRCC began holding separate graduations for the academic and
vocational-technical divisions when the 3,000-seat White Coliseum
could not accommodate the large number of family and friends in
attendance.
     Graduates Elaine B. Ellzey of Columbia and Chrissy Inez Martin
of Hancock County will give speeches during the Academic
graduation, while Amanda Boone of Poplarville will give the
invocation and Nancy Joanna Kirkland of Picayune will conclude with
the benediction.
     During the Vocational-Technical ceremony the graduate speakers
are Kerry Thacker of Poplarville and Reginald L. Thomasson of
Poplarville. Melissa Carney of Hattiesburg will be featured giving
the invocation and Richard Stampley of Foxworth will present the
benediction.
     The final graduation numbers for the Friday events will be
released next week, however, the total is expected to be slightly
lower than last year's 500 because the college instituted a late
summer graduation program in 1998.

Job market looking up for Pearl River nursing grads

     POPLARVILLE - For the first time in almost five years there
are some jobs waiting for Pearl River Community College's associate
degree nursing  graduates.
     Over the past few years, PRCC graduates had to wait two to
four months, maybe even six, before landing their first nursing
job.
     Employers have been in a position to take their time as the
supply of registered nurses caught up with the demand.
     Peggy Dease, director of the PRCC ADN program, thinks the
pendulum is about to swing the other direction.
     "Several of our graduates have offers for employment," said
Dease, who will pin 39 graduates in a formal ceremony, Friday, May
14. "That's good news for this class."
     Dease said reports are nursing shortages were showing up in
the Jackson, New Orleans, and Mississippi Gulf Coast markets, while
nursing school applications in the state and nation are down.
     Burn-out, career changes, and changing health care trends are
some of the reasons why Dease expects the nursing job market to
make a turn-around over the next few years.
     But to nail down that first job PRCC's graduates may have to
be willing to move into a larger employment market.
     May graduate Byron Brewer of Slidell, formerly of Picayune,
mailed out nine resumes and received five responses. He has already
been hired by Touro Infirmary of New Orleans.
     Brewer said he was offered a job by Gulfport Memorial without
sending in a formal application.
     There are openings in New Orleans, but the Hattiesburg and
Hancock County job markets are still flooded.
     Angie Gambino, chief nursing officer for the Hancock General
Hospital in Bay St. Louis, said she has seen shortages only in
specialty areas such as critical care units.
     "I will hire some fresh out of college, but I still temper my
overall staff with a lot of experience," said Gambino. "And there
are experienced nurses available in the market."
     Gina Hopkins, with the Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg,
said she has not seen much change in the local area.
     "There are still plenty of nurses to draw from in this
market," said Hopkins. "Most of our people are not moving."
     The story is completely different a few miles south in New
 Orleans.
     "We do have shortages and we do hire new grads," said Cindi
Burlett, nurse recruiter for the Medical Center of Louisiana,
better known as Charity and University Hospitals.
     "A few years down the road it may be a severe shortage," said
Burlett, who left floor nursing for recruiting because of the
Monday through Friday hours.
     "It has not been that long ago we were telling colleges to
turn out more nurses," said Burlett. "Then we (all hospitals)
started downsizing and secure nursing jobs were not so secure
anymore. People started looking into other areas for employment."
     Burlett said other local hospitals were also hiring associate
degree graduates.
     "Ochsner just hired 21," said Burlett. "I also expect
Methodist, Tulane, Childrens, Touro, and Slidell Memorial to hire
a few graduates this year."
     Pearl River's new nursing building allows Dease to now admit
65 students to its program during the fall and spring semesters.
     There are 110 applicants for the 65 fall semester slots. "A
few years ago we would have 300 applicants for 90 openings in the
program," said Dease.
     Over the past few years 90 percent of the PRCC graduates
passed the national nursing exam on their first attempt. The 1999
graduating class will take the registered nurse exam this summer.
     Dease believes this ADN class, which is made up of 34 females
and five males, with an average age of 32, has had an added
advantage because its members have had access to modern, up-to-date
facilities for the past two years.
     "The computer and clinical laboratories on site are a huge
plus," said Dease. "There is always tutorial help available. The
students and faculty have bonded because they are always together."
     Current graduates have also spent 48 hours in an internship
program with local hospitals and have participated in giving pre-
and post assessments on the hundreds of students who are enrolled
in the adjacent Wellness Center.
     Dease said participation in community-based district seminars
and teachings have provided experience in the real world working
environment.
     "Nursing trends are changing. And that's good news for this
class and those in the future," said Dease. "But we are still
looking for compassionate, caring individuals."
     Family and friends are invited to the pinning ceremony set for
1 p.m. on May 14 in the Marvin White Coliseum.

Summer day and night class registration set for Pearl River College

     POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College summer day and
night class registration will be held from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 18
in Hancock Hall on the Poplarville campus.
     Registration will be held in Poplarville but classes could be
offered in Poplarville, Picayune, Columbia, Bay St. Louis, and Oak
Grove.
     Day and night class registration for the Forrest County
Vocational Technical Center in Hattiesburg will be held May 17 from
2-6 p.m. in the multi-purpose room.
     Pearl River summer night classes start May 19. Day classes are
scheduled to begin June 1.
     Students may register for first session day classes, May 18-
26, during regular working hours, in the college's Crosby Hall
Counseling Center. Registration for second session day classes will
be held June 1-23 in the Counseling Center.

Lady Wildcats End 1999 Season At State-Region 23 Tournament

PRCC Softball Team Wraps-Up Year At 21-21; Hinds Take Title Over EMCC

     HATTIESBURG   The Pearl River Community College Lady Wildcat's 1999 season
ended here Saturday at Tatum Park with a 14-4 loss to Hinds, which went on to win the state
title, in the State-Region 23 Tournament at Tatum Park.
     Fourth-year PRCC coach Laurie Neelis' team finished its year at 21-21 overall with its
two losses, including Friday's 6-2 loss to state runner-up East Mississippi in the double-
elimination event.
     "We just didn't hit the ball well," said Neelis, whose team hosted the tournament. "In the
final game, we never got the first extra-base hit and left baserunners stranded all over the place.
You can't win like that...particularly against a team that went on to win the championship."
     Hinds recorded 5-2 and 10-8 wins over East Miss in the finals to clinch the title. The Lady
Eagles fell to Itawamba 11-9 to open play, then dropped PRCC, Holmes (15-3), Copiah-Lincoln
(18-10), Jones (16-12) to set-up the two-game stand for the championship against the Lady Lions from the winners' side of the bracket.
     In the title match, East Mississippi trailed 10-3 after 6 1/2 innings, but the Lady Lions'
made Hinds work for its title with a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to pull within two.
The title was Hinds' first since 1990 and its sixth in school history.
     In PRCC's final game, things stood at 6-3 after four, but only one more run would come
the Lady Wildcats' way and the Lady Eagles cruised to a 10-run victory.
     PRCC finished with 12 hits, led by Marie (Rie-Rie) Willoughby of Poplarville and Jana
Jenkins of Brooklyn (Forrest County AHS) with three singles each. Leah Fincannon of Petal and Traci McMichael of Foxworth (West Marion) had two singles each, while Carrie Thornhill of
Sandy Hook (West Marion) and Stacy Guillot of Poplarville also had hits.
     Michelle Judge, Dawn Carr, and Celeste Bryant led Hinds with home runs.
     In Pearl River's opening game against East Mississippi, the Lady Wildcats' scored their
two runs in the fifth inning to tie things up, but the Lady Lions answered with four in the top of
the sixth and cruised to the victory.
     PRCC finished with nine hits, paced by Alicia Lenoir of Carriere (Pearl River Central) and
Fincannon with two singles each, while Jenkins, McMichael, Guillot, Willoughby, and Kristen
Parker of Bogalusa added singles. Brandie Permentor and Heather Weems homered for EMCC,
while Kelley Black had three singles to lead the winners' 13-hit attack.
     Here is a game-by-game breakdown of the tournament:

FRIDAY, APRIL 31

GAME NO. 1     East Mississippi 6, Pearl River 2.
GAME NO. 2     Itawamba 11, Hinds 9.
GAME NO. 3     Holmes 11, Copiah-Lincoln 9.
GAME NO. 4     Jones 15, Northeast 1.

SATURDAY, MAY 1

GAME NO. 5     Copiah-Lincoln 16, Northeast 4.
GAME NO. 6     Hinds 14, Pearl River 4.
GAME NO. 7     Jones 14, Holmes 13 (eight innings).
GAME NO. 8     East Mississippi 14, Itawamba 7.
GAME NO. 9     Copiah-Lincoln 9, Itawamba 4.
GAME NO. 10    Hinds 15, Holmes 3.
GAME NO. 11    East Mississippi 8, Jones 7.
GAME NO. 12    Hinds 18, Copiah-Lincoln 10.
GAME NO. 13    Hinds 16, Jones 12.
GAME NO. 14    Hinds 5, East Mississippi 2.
GAME NO. 15    Hinds 10, East Mississippi 8.

Pearl River "Voices" finish off concert season

    Poplarville— "The Voices," Pearl River Community College's select vocal ensemble, finished off their concert season at Union Baptist Church in Pearl River County this past Sunday.  This special group, selected by special audition, has been together since the fall semester.  Each year "The Voices" sing for the homecoming reunions, usually entertaining the visiting alumni with show tunes and patriotic songs.
     This year, the ensemble also performed in Jackson for the Mississippi School Administration Convention, at the Boy Scout Scout-o-ree at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, at First Baptist Church in Sumerall, at a senior's luncheon and for the televised morning service at Main Street Baptist Church in Hattiesburg.
     The Voices were also featured in the RiverGold Review this past April, where they
performed "Never, Never Land" as a group, then the men performed a sea chanty, while the women sang a hit from the sixties.
     The Voices are under the direction of Dr. Mark Malone.

PRCC Poplarville campus award winners recognized

 POPLARVILLE - Crissy Martin, a Hancock High School graduate who lives in the Necaise Crossing community, was recognized seven times during Pearl River Community College's Poplarville campus Awards Day program.
 Martin was awarded the Ted J. Alexander Presidential Scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi and received the All USA Academic, Phi Theta Kappa, and Who's Who In American Community Colleges awards.
 She also earned mathematics, physics, and creative writing certificates and plaques.
 Amanda Boone of Poplarville received the All USA Academic, Phi Theta Kappa, HEADWAE, and Who's Who awards.
 Alisha Smith of Foxworth, PRCC's Student Government Association president, received the Academic Citizenship and SGA awards, while Ronald Hague of Carriere picked up the Academic Citizenship and three Creative Writing awards.
 Mattie Corker of Columbia and Martie Woullard of Hattiesburg were presented Citizenship plaques for their respective technical and vocational divisions.

Award winners in the Vocational Division included:

Barbering - Donna Watkins of Hattiesburg
Cosmetology - Dorianne Rankin of Lumberton
Carpentry - James Hal Breland of Poplarville
Poplarville Practical Nursing - Shirley Jefferson of Columbia
Masonry - Josh Smith of Poplarville
Welding - Bradley Smith of Purvis

Technical Division award winners included:

Automated Manufacturing Technology - Curtis Watkins of Picayune
Automotive Mechanics Technology - Bryan Wright of Hattiesburg
Banking and Finance Technology - Brandy Geiger of Purvis
Child Development Technology - Teresa Herring of Poplarville
Computer Technology - Melissa Davis of Poplarville
Diesel Mechanics Technology - Ronnie Cook of Columbia
Drafting and Design Technology - Dwayne W. Bullock of Picayune
Electrical Technology - Robert Morgan of Slidell
Electronics Technology - Leonard Quigley of Picayune
Heating and Air-Conditioning Technology - Jason Vick of Purvis
Instrumentation Technology - A.K. Harrison of Sumrall
Machine Shop Technology - Sean F. Crockett of Sumrall
Marketing & Management Technology - Kerry L. Thacker of Poplarville
Medical Office Technology - Alana Wheat of Poplarville
Office Systems Technology - Omega Childs - Poplarville

Academic Division winners:

Art:

Drawing - Adrianne Breakfield of Columbia
Design - Merritt Lowe of Poplarville & Heath Laprarie of Carriere
 
 

Business:

Department award - David Glasenapp of Carriere
Accounting - Erman Vakiari of Albany through Poplarville High

Communications:

Department award - Neal Broome of Bassfield
Best Actor - Jeremy Hepler of Carriere
Best Actress - Emily Schaibly of Mandeville, LA
Alphi Psi Omega Technical Award - Jenna Wade  of Kiln

Health, Physical Education and Recreation:

Most Athletic Female - Jessica Shanklin of Baton Rouge
Most Athletic Male - Nate Williams of Hattiesburg
Best All-Around Female Athlete - Jana Jenkins of Brooklyn
Best All-Around Male Athlete - Neal Broome of Bassfield

English:

Department Award - Eugene Cuevas of Kiln
Creative Writing - Ronn Hague of Carriere, Liseth Nelson of  Pensacola, Michael McAndrew of Poplarville, Helen Hauck of Hattiesburg, Charles Stogner of Poplarville, Chrissy Martin of Necaise Crossing, Danny Gizzi of Gulfport, Beth Stuart of Carriere, and Bethany Pearson of Picayune.

Mathematical Sciences:

Computer Science - Tommy Wild of Poplarville
Engineering - Jerry Clinton Livingston of Columbia
Mathematics & Physics - Crissy Martin of Necaise Crossing

Music:

Academic Achievement - Crystal Kendrick of Picayune
Ray Patten Memorial Scholarship - Scott Smith of Poplarville

Nursing:

Fundamentals of Nursing - Nancy C. Raffo of Picayune
Nursing II - Karen M. Alford of Purvis
Maternal Infant/Pediatric - Rhonda Ardis of Columbia
Senior Nursing - Lois D. Rinkle of Columbia
SNA Leadership Award - Mary York of Purvis

Science:

Chemistry - Michael Shane Seals of Bogalusa
Biology - Tiffany Vines of Natchez

Social Science:

Criminal Justice - Jodie Dolese of Carriere
American Studies - Tamela Ladner of Hancock County
History - Jason Spiers of Foxworth
Psychology - Kelly Ballard of Lumberton
Sociology - Nicholas Rutledge of Lumberton

PRCC takes home five state VICA awards

 POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College won two first and three second place awards at the Mississippi Vocational Industrial Clubs of America competition.
 Bryan Stewart of Purvis place first in the Diesel Mechanics competition, while the team of Josh Smith of Poplarville and Jason Soley of Carnes won top honors in the Masonry division.
 Second place awards were awarded to Bradley Smith of Purvis in Welding, Jonah Brown of Bassfield in Cabinet Making, and Leroy King of Kiln in Sheet Metal.
 Stewart, the team of Smith and Soley, and Bradley Smith will compete in the National VICA competition this summer in Kansas City, MO.
 Porter Soley and Darryl Smith are VICA advisors.