The rain postponed the Alumni Golf Tournament's original Friday, March 28, date however the Wednesday, April 9, date "fared" well with a nearly full slate of participants.  

  JCJC alumnus (pictured below), Ryan Caldwell's name was drawn to have a shot at winning a $1 million annuity, sponsored by Magnolia Real Estate of Ellisville.  The former baseball player made a great attempt at making the shot from 165 yards away on No. 18.  

    To read more about how players placed click on the link to Shawn Wansley's story: JCJC Alumni Golf Tournament          

  The JCJC Foundation's annual Gardening Symposium is always a fun time for gardeners to swap stories and learn about the latest trends, and this year was no exception.  

  Gary Bachman, Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, opened the workshop with a discussion on one of the hottest topics in the food and gardening world - microgreens. Using a detailed PowerPoint presentation, he explained how easy and economical these trendy and tasty greens are to grow right at home.

  Christine Coker of the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center enlightened her audience on the numerous types of edible plants that can be incorporated into a typical landscape. The JCJC Culinary Arts students kept the food theme going with a  demonstration on how to carve fruit and vegetables for unique table settings.

  Michelle Andre (pictured above) from Ball Horticultural in Chicago, Ill., talked about new plants suited for South Mississippi gardens. Paula Pettis of Prissy Pots  in Gulfport encouraged her attendees to look for different or unusual containers to use in their home gardens. Nichole Bush from Blooms and Bushes in Hattiesburg gave an update on the JCJC Centennial Coleus Collection which was introduced at the 2013 symposium.  

 Following a luncheon prepared by the JCJC Culinary Arts students, Tracy Proctor, (pictured below) who owns Designs by Tracy Proctor in Tupelo, taught everyone how to "pull it out of a hat" when it comes to floral design in the home. Proctor's step-by-step demonstrations incorporated plant materials that had been freshly snipped from the landscape that morning with flowers purchased at a florist.

 Participants enjoyed perusing and purchasing plants from the JCJC Horticulture Department. All proceeds from the annual Gardening Symposium go toward meeting scholarship and other needs of the Horticulture Department.

    JCJC 2005 alumna, Erin Rasberry Napier shared "All Things Jones" with about 350 high school juniors from the Pine Belt at "Junior Preview Days."  The art graduate explained she stumbled into a niche' market and opened her own business, Lucky Luxe after graduating from the University of Mississippi.  

  She shared experiences, like designing wedding invitations for a Turkish princess and visiting New York every fall to meet clients. She also explained how coming to Jones was a pivotal point in her life.  Working on the JCJC yearbook, she honed her design skills which led her to open her unique online stationery business using vintage letterpress to create her product.  

  While away in Oxford, Miss., for college, Napier said her love for her hometown grew.  Laurel is lucky to have had Napier volunteer her services. We at Jones are proud of how this Bobcat painted a clear path for so many to discover how Jones can be the pivotal point in their educational careers, like Napier did almost ten years ago.   

  The JCJC women's tennis team claimed the MACJC/Region 23 title with an impressive performance last Saturday at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Tennis Complex.  The Lady Bobcats won two doubles and two singles' titles as they compiled 29 points. Meridian was second with 22 and Mississippi Gulf Coast finished third with 21. It was JCJC's first title since 2010.   

  All three teams qualify for the NJCAA Division I National Tournament May 3-9 at Tyler Junior College in Texas.

  On the men's side, the Bobcats won a doubles' crown, as they finished third with 17 points. Itawamba won the title with 35 points and Meridian finished second with 23.  Those three men's teams will head to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament May 11-16 at Collin College in Plano, Texas.
   Congratulations to JCJC head coach Mark Easley who was named the women's Region 23 Coach of the Year.

  The Baseball and Softball teams have set their sites on getting another state championship and would love to add National and Regional champs to their lists of honors.    

  The JCJC Lady Bobcat Softball team will be vying for its third straight state championship.Their victory last weekend gave JCJC a 2-0 series sweep and advanced the team to the four-team, double-elimination state tournament May 2-4 at Itawamba Community College in Fulton.  The JCJC ladies will face Pearl River Community College at 6 p.m. on Friday in the opening round of the MACJC State Softball Tournament at Itawamba Community College.

  For the fourth time in five years, the Jones County Junior College Bobcat Baseball team claimed the MACJC South Division championship. The top-ranked Bobcats earned that distinction with a 14-5 victory over the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves Saturday afternoon in Game 2 of a doubleheader. JCJC ends regular season play with a 38-8 overall record, which is a school record for regular season victories. The Bobcats finish 18-6 in division play.  

  The Bobcats will now host Holmes Community College, the North Division No. 4 team, in a best-of-three playoff series on May 2-3 at Community Bank Park. Game times are to be determined, but Game 1 will be on May 2. Game 2 will be on May 3 with Game 3, if necessary, to follow 30 minutes after Game 2. All games will be nine innings.

  The Jones County Junior College golf team has qualified for the Region 23 Tournament. The Bobcats finished sixth in the MACJC State Tournament here Wednesday at the Pine Burr Country Club.  The top five Division II teams head to the regional, which will be May 3-4 at Wolf Hollow Golf Club on the Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson. However, Meridian Community College - which won the tournament - is a Division I team and cannot compete at Co-Lin. Thus, the Bobcats will qualify for the tournament as the fifth D2 team.  

 Congratulations!  to the following JCJC alumni who recently married: 

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