Bobcat Bulletin

e-Newsletter  bobcat  


       A publication of the JCJC Alumni Association & JCJC Foundation

                                    May 2015 - Vol 5, Issue 9
Web Services Links to Giving & Event Registration
In This Issue

Higginbotham Inducted into Hall of Fame

Howard Honored

Football Drawdown

Bilderback Joins Jones

SkillsUSA Winners

Welders Win

JCJC A.D. Nursing Pass Up Others in the State

Students Learn from Grammy Winner

Retirees

Lady Bobcats Tennis Champs

Baseball & Softball Updates

Calendar of Events

Wedding Announcements

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Higginbotham Inducted in Hall of Fame
  Elmer Higginbotham's name was added to the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame last week.   Higginbotham, who passed away in 2011, was represented by his grandsons - Tanner Boleware, Hunter Boleware and Brock Walley - during the induction. JCJC President Dr. Jesse Smith made the presentation to the grandsons.
  At JCJC, Higginbotham was an assistant coach from 1971-87 under fellow Hall of Famer, Sim Cooley. Higginbotham then followed Cooley, serving as head coach from 1988-91. He was head baseball coach at JCJC from 1971-88.  To read more about the event and the man, click on the links: Higginbotham Inducted in MS Sports Hall of Fame  and this story: Higginbotham History

Howard Honored
A.B. Howard, who was head basketball coach at JCJC from 1950-77, and current Bobcat head coach Rahim Lockhart share a laugh during the reception for the unveiling of Coach Howard's portrait on April 30.
Photo by Shawn Wansley
   Former JCJC Head Basketball Coach, A. B. Howard will be forever remembered for the 27 years he served as coach with a portrait commissioned by former players.  Those players, Howard often called, "his boys," wanted to do something special for the man who spent his life serving others, and influencing thousands. 
  Ironically, a photo of one of Howard's players inspired the portrait of the longtime athletic director, coach and teacher.
 To read Shawn Wansley's story, click on the link:
Football Drawdown

Bilderback Joins Jones 
   JCJC's new Lady Bobcat Basketball Head Coach, Missy Bilderback officially joined the team last week.  She left Presbyterian Christian High School after spending 16-years building a very successful program in Hattiesburg.  She plans to continue retiring Head Coach, Sandra Sumrall's 17-year legacy of success at JCJC. 
   Bilderback has become familiar with the JCJC athletic department since her husband began as assistant coach for the JCJC football team, last year and said she is ready for the new challenge. 
   To read more about Missy Bilderback, click on the link for Shawn Wansley's story: Bilderback Joins Jones   
SkillsUSA Winners
Lakken Walters models Megann Pruett's 1st place "Fantasy Division" makeup in the Esthetics category at SkillsUSA competition.
   Seventeen JCJC students managed to place in the State SkillsUSA competition recently with 10 students continuing in the national competition with their first place wins.  These students will convene in Louisville, Kentucky to compete with more than 6,000 students nationally in June. 
  Pictured on the right are Lakken Walters as the "makeup model" with Megan Pruett
earning first place in the fantasy makeup division of Esthetics. 
  Making history is the welding team consisting of Ariel Johnson, Jacob McLeod, Russell Green and Garth Breland.  The first three placed first in the Welding Fabrication competition and Breland earned first place in the Welding category. This is the first time JCJC won both welding competitions according to Clint James, JCJC welding instructor and Dean of Learning Centers & Outreach and the Greene County Center Director. 
Ryan Hearn and Josh Ramos
   Ryan Hearn and Josh Ramos, pictured left, are smiling because of Ramos' first place win in Related Technical Math. 
Andrew Murry and Garrett Lancaster








  Andrew Murry pictured on the right, won first place in the Technical Drafting category and Garrett Lancaster took third place in
the Architectural Drafting competition.  
  Katelynn Brock, Lacey McLain and Lexie King earned first place honors in the Promotional Bulletin Board category.  McLain's service dog, Snow was also awarded a medal. 
  In the automotive

Tyler Henry, Hans Vanhouten and Colten Wales
categories, Hans Vanhouten took second place in the Motorcycle Service competition while Colten Wales took third in the Power Equipment Technology category, and Tyler Henry came in third place in the Automotive Technology competition.  To read Teresa McCreery's story, click on the link: SkillsUSA Winners
Welders Win
   JCJC welding students recently won first place in the college division at the Hammer Head 500 in Bay Springs.  The Bobcat team also earned third place in the Open Division of the annual Brick Street Derby. Probably most important to the team, they beat the Mississippi State University team!
  Students had to design, build and fabricate the car, which was made with an aluminum body and a steel square tubing frame. Welding instructor and Industrial Services Division Chair, Rod Tolbert said this is a fun project that the students look forward to each year.
"This is great for the Welding Department because the students get some great fabrication experience as well as the satisfaction of winning."
  Welding student Jared Revette of Raleigh added, "This was a great opportunity for us to learn multiple fabrication techniques, which are skills that will help us in the workforce."
  Team members Ethan Wimberley of Myrick (driver), Revette, Matt Arender of Raleigh and Nestor Castro of Laurel, with instructor/coaches Rod Tolbert and Billy Clark also earned some cash for their win and a trophy.


JCJC Associate Degree Nursing Students "Pass Up" Others in State
   JCJC's Associate Degree Nursing students have proven to be the best two-year college students taking the NCLEX-RN, or state license test with a 96 percent pass rate.  They are second in the state by only one percentage point, to the University of Mississippi Medical Center student's NCLEX-RN score percentage of 97. That means, JCJC was also higher than the passing rate for almost every bachelor's degree nursing program in the state.
  JCJC A.D. Nursing program chair, Erin Knight said she is proud of the faculty preparing students and credits the department's success and the student's scores to student commitment, faculty commitment and clinical partnerships.  
  To read the complete story, click on the link: JCJC A.D. Nursing are Tops in the State License Exam Test Pass Rate

 
Students learn from Grammy Winner, Laurel Masse'
    JC Voices, a small vocal ensemble had the unique opportunity to learn from Grammy winner, and one of the founding members of the jazz quartet, The Manhattan Transfer, Laurel
Massé.  She performed in Laurel at First Trinity Presbyterian Church and wanted to spend time with some local college students for a "Masterclass" or special private lesson before returning to New York.   
   JCJC President, Dr. Jesse Smith quickly said "yes" to the invitation.  Masse' spent almost two hours giving JCJC students rare musical insight and music industry tips. JC Voices, directed by Fine Arts Division Chair, Dr. Susan Smith, said she and the students really appreciated Massé's insight.
  To read the story, click on the link: Students learn from Grammy winner, Laurel Masse'.
Retirees

   Congratulations!!! to seven JCJC faculty and staff retiring this year.  A few of the retirees are not pictured or did not participate in the annual Retirement Tea. Dr. Jesse and Jennifer Smith congratulated: Peck Lowe who worked at Jones in the I.T. department and taugt Information System Technology for 18 years; Teresa Robertson, Business and Office Technology for 18 years at JC; Marvene Bosarge, in Housekeeping worked for 15 years at JC; Jane Jones in CTE Related Studies/ Support Services, served 20 years at JC and the state;Michael Warren, Heating/Air Conditioning Technology instructor worked a combined 25 years at JCJC and the state; John Pridgen, who was the Supervisor of Shipping and Receiving, and Supervisor over Duplication, is retiring after 25 years with JCJC and the state; Dr. Diane Williams, the Director of Counseling & Nontraditional Student Services, leaves Jones after 11 years; and Wayne Street from the Transportation Dept., retired after 27 years at JCJC.
Lady Bobcat Tennis Champs
  JCJC's Krissy Stutts and Tymeka Hunter won the No. 3 doubles consolation round of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Arizona. Stutts and Hunter rallied from two breaks down to defeat Sylvia Madsen and Vanessa Mitrica of Mesa Community College (Arizona), 8-6. The victory helped the Lady Bobcats finish at least in the top 15 of the tournament with 15 points. The event concluded Thursday.  Stutts is a sophomore from Petal and Hunter is a sophomore from Laurel.
  This was the
Tymeka Hunter doing her best at the NJCAA national tournament. 
fifth straight year and the 10th time in the past 12 years, the Lady Bobcats competed in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.  JCJC posted an impressive 13-0 regular season record and finished tied with Itawamba in the MACJC/Region 23 Tournament in Tupelo last month. ICC was declared state  champion via a tiebreaker (most teams in the finals) and the two teams were declared Region 23 co-champions.
   The Lady Bobcats were in 13th place after two days of the NJCAA Division I National Tennis Tournament at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Arizona. JCJC had 13 points, while Itawamba was15th with 12 points and Meridian was 19th with eight points.
  Also, JCJC Tennis Coach, Mark Easley scored another "Coach of the Year" title.  He was recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as the Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year for Women's ITA Region III. Earlier, he was named MACJC and Region 23 Coach of the Year.  Click on the link to read all about the team's accomplishments:Tennis Champs
The Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats shared the Region 23 Tournament title with Itawamba on Saturday. Pictured, from left, are Krissy Stutts, Shelby Gilliland, Claire Rounsaville, Haley Middleton, Breanna Waller, Caitlin Taylor, Tymeka Hunter and head coach Mark Easley. 
Baseball & Softball Update
  It's not how they planned it, however the Bobcat baseball team's loss to the NWCC Rangers last weekend, ended the Bobcat's season.  Northwest Mississippi defeated the Bobcats 7-3 Saturday afternoon in Game 2 of their MACJC best-of-3 playoff series. The Rangers swept the series after winning Game 1 on Friday, 10-8. The Bobcats end the year with a 30-16 record.
  The Lady Bobcat Softball team is one win away from going to national competition with a decisive blow to MGCCC in the Region 23 Softball Tournament which began Thursday. The nation's top 11 teams  came to the "Bank" or Community Bank Park this week as Jones County Junior College plays host to the games slated for Thursday through Saturday.
  The tournament began with 11th-ranked East Central (40-10) vs. top-ranked LSU-Eunice (46-4) with ECCC taking the win and the big upset, by one point. The 2nd-ranked JCJC team (40-4) played the 10th-rated Mississippi Gulf Coast (40-11) Thursday night crushing the Bulldogs, 13-2 in six innings.
  On Friday, there will be a loser's bracket game at 2 p.m., followed by a winner's bracket game at 4 p.m. and an elimination game at 6 p.m.
The championship contest is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday with an "if necessary" game to follow.
  The top two teams in the regional will head to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 13-16 at Traceway Park in Clinton.  This past Sunday at Community Bank Park, MGCCC captured the MACJC Tournament with a 9-3 victory over East Central. JCJC finished third and the top three teams in the event qualified for the regional.
  LSU-Eunice is the defending national champion, while the Lady Bobcats are the defending national runner-ups.  
   JCJC's top Scholar Athletes were awarded recently and both love to run the "diamond."   Click on the link to read the story: Scholar Athletes              
Region 23 Tournament 
Community Bank Park

Friday's games
Game 3, Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4, Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5, Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6 p.m.
Saturday's games
Game 6, Championship, 2 p.m.
Game 7, if necessary, 4 p.m.
 
Top two teams advance to NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 13-16 at Traceway Park in Clinton.
Written by Shawn Wansley, JCJC SID
Calendar of Events

 

 Mark your calendars for these upcoming Events

May 15, 2015
Graduation 10 a.m.

May 29, 2015
Football Drawdown 7 p.m.

For more information call the Alumni Office at 601-477-4145 or email: jcjcalumniinfo@gmail.com 
Wedding Announcements
   Congratulations!  to the following JCJC alumni who recently married: 
 

(The following couples' wedding announcements were found in local newspapers. We would love to hear from everyone. Please email your news and announcements to jcjcalumniinfo@jcjc.edu)


*Morgan Lott of Vernal and Clinton McLain of State Line were married on March 21.  Morgan is a graduate of JCJC.

*Brittany McCann of Waynesboro and Ulysses Dozier of Mobile, Alabama were married on March 28.  Both are JCJC graduates.

*Anna-Lauren Fontenot of Waynesboro to James Prentiss of Leakesville were married April 4. Prentiss is a JCJC graduate.

*Kellie Zehner of Leakesville and Michael Wedgeworth of Ocean Springs were married April 4.  Kellie is a JCJC graduate.

*Deborah Parker of Beaumont and Austin Backstrom of Richton were married April 11. Austin is a 2012 graduate of JCJC.

*Amanda Riley of Sumrall and Matthew Hinton of Waynesboro were married April 25.   Matthew is a graduate of JCJC.

*Sarah Hamrick of Quitman and Jordan Luke of Chunky were married May 2.  Sarah is a 2012 graduate of JCJC.

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"For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair." 
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh  
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 Remember When...  

  in 1971 when the newly formed

Touch of Gold dance team performed? It was a twelve member dance team.

 

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Sincerely,

JoAnna Newcomb 
JCJC Alumni Coordinator 
 
The Bobcat Bulletin is produced and written by the JCJC Marketing Team.