NEMCC to celebrate 2023 Homecoming with a jam-packed week

Homecoming 2023 packed with bevy of events

by Michael H Miller

BOONEVILLE, Miss. -- (10/03/2023) — Northeast Mississippi Community College will celebrate its annual Homecoming on Thursday, October 5 at Tiger Stadium during halftime of the Tiger football team's clash against the Holmes Bulldogs.

During recent campus-wide elections, Madison Olivia Bennett of Tishomingo was elected to serve as homecoming queen for the 2023-2024 academic year. Bennett and the rest of her court will be presented at a pep rally in their honor on Thursday, October 5 at 12:10 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Ramsey Student Services Building and the full court with escorts will traverse across the field at Tiger Stadium during halftime.

Joining Bennett on the 2023 homecoming court at Northeast are sophomore maids Chloe Barnes of Chlaybeate, Taitiana Beene of Booneville, Lexie Cartwright of Booneville, Quieneshala Hogan of Aberdeen, Lily Jeter of Myrtle, Shakira Shields of Corinth and Avery Tapp of Iuka.

Freshmen maids include Gabby Bell of Pontotoc, Sherrika Conway of Shannon, Maderona Donaldson of Prairie, Erin Mattox of Booneville, Ay'lonna Simmons of Booneville, Zaniyha Shumpert of Shannon and Isabel Williford of Booneville.

Escorts for sophomore maids are Lakin Cox of Ripley, Jay Huggins of Corinth, Caden Hutcheson of Myrtle, Damario Johnson of Ripley, Kirklyn Johnson of Houston, Harris McReynolds of Starkville and Eli Thompson of Myrtle.

Escorts for freshmen maids are Seth Bratton of Baldwyn, Jamas Cox of Ripley, Demarius Sherman of Starkville, Seth Thomas of Ripley, Preston Ward of Baldwyn, Jonah Warren of Booneville and Zion Young of Booneville.

Jacob Cutshall of Iuka will serve as escort for the homecoming queen - Madison Olivia Bennett of Tishomingo.

However, with the build-up to the official recognition of the 2023 Homecoming Court, the Booneville-based college has a myriad of events happening in and around Homecoming Week.

Thursday, October 5, 2023 (Homecoming Day)
After a week chalked full of events, Bennett and the rest of her court will be officially presented at a pep rally in their honor on Thursday, October 5 at 12:10 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Ramsey Student Services Building before Homecoming festivities kick into full force later that afternoon.

Northeast welcomes four new members to the hallowed halls of the college's Alumni and Sports Hall of Fames during a dinner in their honor at 4:30 p.m. in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union.

Three former standout athletes are scheduled for induction into the Northeast Sports Hall of Fame with Johnny Payton, Fred Stafford and Brynden Trawick all set for enshrinement while longtime Northeast employee and supporter Barbara Shackelford will receive the honor of being the inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Payton was a member of the men's basketball program from 1984-1987 while Stafford followed just a few years later from 1987-1989. Trawick is one of the Sports Hall of Fame's youngest inductees clocking time on the Tiger football team in 2010 before transferring to Troy University and ultimately the National Football League.

Shackelford was instrumental in the establishment of the NEMCC Sports Hall of Fame, the Alumni Hall of Fame, as well as endowed scholarship funds in the names of author Don Lee Keith and long-time Northeast fiscal officer and "Tigers Super Fan" Earline "Woodsie" Woods.

Northeast's 2023 Homecoming Court will have one final stop before heading to Tiger Stadium on Thursday, October 5. The Homecoming Court will gather at the NEMCC Baseball/Softball Complex for their official group photo before heading into Tiger Stadium.

Prior to the Tigers' bout with the Bulldogs, members of the Alumni and Sports Hall of Fame will be publicly recognized on the field prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff.

Northeast's Development Foundation and Alumni Association will also honor some of its 2023 scholarship donors and recipients and the Showband from Tigerland will lead with its pregame show before kickoff.

Northeast's 2023 Homecoming Court is set for presentation at halftime of the football game.

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For a full list of events that will happen during Northeast's 2023 Homecoming Week, here is a day-by-day breakdown of events from the beginning of the week on Monday, October 2 through Friday, October 6.

Northeast's Cultural Arts Committee in conjunction with the Eula Dees Memorial Library is letting fREADom ring during Banned Books Week with participants encouraged to stop by the Eula Dees Memorial Library and pick up and read a banned book. Banned Books Week aims to shed light on the books that have been banned or banished from bookshelves by educational institutions, municipalities, or other government entities for assorted reasons. Timeless classics such as "Gone with the Wind," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and "Pride and Prejudice," along with modern favorites like "Harry Potter," "Goosebumps," and the entire "Junie B. Jones" series have faced censorship. Even the historically significant "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl" has been banned in some locations since 1946 due to its honest discussions about puberty and teenage situations. Some books, such as "All the King's Men," have been criticized for presenting a "depressing view of life."

Northeast's Honors Institute gets in on the Homecoming Week act with its ever-popular shirt sale. Not only does the Northeast Honors Institute have T-shirts for sale in two different designs but the organizers have brought back a long-sleeved holiday shirt for those looking to beat the winter chill. Northeast's Honors Institute is offering a short-sleeved charcoal gray Northeast Honors Institute T-shirt for $20 and a long-sleeve version of the shirt is just $5 more at $25. For those looking for a darker color to add to the wardrobe, the honors institute is offering a tiger head "NEMCC Honors Institute" short-sleeve shirt for $20 and a long-sleeve version for $25. Breaking up the charcoal gray and black shirts is one of the most requested shirts from the Honors Institute and that is the holiday shirt. Situated on a green long-sleeve shirt, the Northeast Tiger mascot works its way through the jungle motif under the title "Jungle All the Way." The holiday shirt, which only comes in a long sleeve, is $30. For more information about the Northeast Honors Institute shirt sale, contact Honors Institute directors Jessica Morris at jamorris@nemcc.edu or Morgan Ricks at mbricks@nemcc.edu For those wanting to purchase a shirt, make checks payable to the NEMCC Development Foundation "NEMCC Honors Institute." Deadline to order is October 23.

Northeast's Collegiate DECA - Hospitality chapter is working its way through Homecoming Week and getting ready for the Spooky Season of Halloween with its latest fund-raiser as members of the chapter come together to offer Halloween Goodies to the masses. Northeast Hospitality DECA chapter is offering up different varieties of decadent delights in the month of October. A dozen 'stitched up' cookies are $15 while spider web brownies are $3 each. For those wanting to tap into the afterlife, Rice Crispy Ghosts will cost $3 each while a bag of caramel popcorn mix is $5 per back with two full cups of the mix making up the bag. To order any of the items offered by the NEMCC Collegiate DECA - Hospitality chapter visit Waller Hall on the Booneville campus, see any Collegiate DECA member, or email gagodwin@nemcc.edu. Deadline to order is October 19.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Northeast Student Activities and Student Government Association along with newly hired intramural director Emily Bell will serve up the first events of the week with a three-on-three intramural volleyball tournament at the volleyball court in front of White Hall on Monday, October 2. Over ten squads have signed up for the volleyball tournament that see teams of three, plus an alternate, take on other trios on the sand court to kick off Homecoming Week.

Action switches over to the lawn in front of the Ramsey Student Services Building on Tuesday, October 3 as Student Activities and the SGA host Games on the Lawn with an obstacle course from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and the fun continues with a Scavenger Hunt on Wednesday, October 3 from 8 a.m. until noon and from noon until 3 p.m. to help carry the Homecoming spirit throughout the week.

Not only does the college's Student Activities and Student Government Association have a bevy of events planned for Homecoming Week but the college's calendar is chalked full of things for Northeast employees, students and the community to take part in.

Continuing on the opening day of Homecoming Week, the Northeast golf team makes the short trek to Philadelphia for the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Tour Stop No. 2 for a two-day affair at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club's Oaks Course.

As the Northeast golf team is headed to Philadelphia, the men and women's basketball team will be sitting for their official team portraits and individuals on Monday, October 2 as part of Media Day for the basketball teams.

Northeast's baseball team wraps up the opening day of Homecoming Week with a crowd- and program-favorite as it brings back its "Hitting Under the Lights" Camp where area youth are able to take in the wonders of the NEMCC Baseball/Softball Complex during a nighttime instructional camp.

Northeast Mississippi Community College's award-winning Adult Education department is meeting the demands of the area by providing more classes for those wanting to get their HiSET or GED during the 2023-2024 academic year.Night courses are set to start for the award-winning adult education classes on Monday, October 2 and Tuesday, October 3 in each of the college's five-county service area - Alcon, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo and Union.

Classes in Booneville, Corinth, Ripley and Tishomingo will begin on October 2 while courses in New Albany will start a day later on October 3.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

A pair of informative events open up the second day of Homecoming week as Northeast's Apple Campus Leader Ben Barrett of Booneville hosts "Tech Tuesday" at 12 p.m. in the Student Union and presents on Digital Notetaking discussing different ways that students can take notes in class and be better organized. From the native Notes app on the iPad to more sophisticated applications like Notability, Barrett will take participants on a journey through staying organized in college.

Northeast embraces that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its second informative session on Tuesday, October 3 as the college's Simulation Center Director Leslie Arnold presents "Fight Like a Strong Woman: Let's Defeat Breast Cancer," in Childers Hall's lecture hall (Room 324) at 1:30 p.m.

Northeast does not slow down as the Lady Tiger softball team hosts Rust College at 4:30 p.m. and Blue Mountain Christian University at 7 p.m. at "The Plex."

Northeast's softball team is coming off an impressive showing against the University of North Alabama on Thursday, September 28 where the Lady Tigers packed out "The Plex," to welcome the Lady Lions to the City of Hospitality.

Sandwiched in between the two softball events, Brenda Mayes and the Lady Tigers volleyball team continue their eight-match homestand against Wallace State Community College-Hanceville with first serve set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Northeast's Division of Mathematics and Sciences opens the City of Hospitality to Dr. Wahnee Sherman, the executive director of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program and the Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program for an information session about both programs in McCoy Hall on Wednesday, October 4 at 9 a.m. Northeast currently has a pair of alumni in the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program and consistently helps fill the ranks of the statewide program that helps to offset the cost of medical school for those looking to major in certain areas of expertise.

Northeast's Student Success Center helps students to focus on their academic work during Homecoming Week with a Success Workshop entitled "Effective Writing Skills for College Students" at 12 p.m. (noon) in the Student Success Center.

In addition to the Student Success Center aiding students with their academic work, the college's Office of Counseling Services has issued a BOOST Challenge for the entire month of October. BOOST stands for Building a balanced lifestyle, Opportunity for growth, Overcoming the fear of failure, Showing up as your authentic self and Taking control of your life journey. During the first week of the challenge, participants are asked to wear an outfit that makes them feel good, go to bed 30 minutes earlier, practice deep breathing for three minutes, reflect on who/what makes them happy and to write down three things that they are grateful for.

Northeast's 2023 Homecoming Court will get its first taste of what it will be like to cross the field at Tiger Stadium when the homecoming court joins with the Showband from Tigerland for a practice at 3:30 p.m.

Intramural Director Emily Bell will crown the first victors in her first event since coming on board during the Fall 2023 semester when the three-day Triple Volleyball Tournament winners are named on Wednesday afternoon. After 13 teams signed up for the inaugural event, only three are left in the tournament and the championship series is set for first serve at 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

Northeast's Wesley Foundation wraps up the third day of Homecoming Week with B-I-N-G-O at its location on Jefferson Street just off the college's campus on Wednesday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, October 6, 2023

While the crowning of the queen happens on Thursday, October 5, Homecoming Week at Northeast does not end with the homecoming court coming across the field. Northeast's baseball and volleyball teams have games/matches the following day for those who want to keep the Homecoming spirit flowing into Fall Break for the Tigers.

Northeast's baseball team makes the short trek up to Millington, Tenn., for a pair of contests against Southwest Tennessee Community College and State Fair College. While the Tigers and the Saluqis are familiar with each other through their bouts during the regular season, the meeting between Northeast and the State Fair College Roadrunners will be the first of its kind. Northeast is set to face off against the team from Sedalia, Missouri at 2:30 p.m.

As the Northeast baseball team is heading to the Volunteer State for a pair of games, Brenda Mayes and her Lady Tiger volleyball squad will wrap up their 2023 homeslate on Friday with a tri-match between the Lady Tigers, the Northwest Mississippi Lady Rangers, and the Bevill State Lady Bears starting at 2 p.m.

Northeast and Northwest face off in the lidlifter of the tri-match while the two visiting schools get the 4 p.m. timeslot and Northeast and Bevill State oversee the nightcap at 6 p.m. in the legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum. With the tri-match, Northeast wraps up its eight-match homestand and its 2023 home schedule for the year but the Lady Tigers have seven more matches on the road before postseason play begins in late October.

Northeast will take an extended rest following Homecoming Week with the college observing a two-day Fall Break on Monday, October 9 and Tuesday, October 10. The college will re-open on Wednesday, October 11 at 8 a.m.

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