By Charlotte A. Graham, countyreporter@laurelleadercall.com
Worshippers from Jones County and surrounding areas gathered at Second Allen A.M.E. Church Sunday for a gospel celebration that marked the official start of a month of activities to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Choirs and soloists from area churches, as well as praise teams and a gospel rap group provided entertainment for the event. Also, Southern Inspiration Inc., a performing arts group from Hattiesburg, performed a dramatic skit.
The gospel celebration also served as a platform to present “Keeper of the Dream” and “Athlete of the Year” awards to area students who were nominated by school officials.
“We sent out requests to both the Laurel School District and the Jones County School District to nominate students for the award, but the Laurel School District was the only one to respond,” explained Evelyn Evans, a member of the parade committee. “So this evening we will honor young people from Laurel.”
Award-winners were selected because of their achievements in the classroom and community, as well as their leadership abilities.
Those receiving “Keeper of the Dream” trophies were:
• Ordriana Crosby — a student of Mason Elementary School, Ordriana is the daughter of Daisy M. Hunter. She is described as a “very bright, sweet lady who loves to learn new things.” She is interested in becoming a lawyer and she spends most of her free time reading.
• Candice Marks — a fifth grader at Nora Davis Magnet School, Candice is the daughter of Larry and Zandra Marks. Her activities include special dance and show choir. She has also played soccer for the Laurel-Jones County Soccer Association. She takes pride in her work and enjoys learning new things. Candice’s long-term goal is to become a singer or teacher.
• Corey Johnson — a student at Oak Park Elementary School, Corey is the son of Lorelei Smith and Corey Johnson Sr. He attended Laurel City Schools until 2007. He then relocated with his family to Georgetown, Ky. They later returned to Laurel in 2009. He played football with the Eagles in the Laurel Pewee Little League. His favorite classes in school are math and social science.
• Alex Sandoval — a native of Saltillo, Coahuila Mexico, Alex is the son of Erubiel Sandoval and Ana Araiza. He lived eight happy years in Saltillo until economic conditions caused his parents to move to “the land of freedom — the USA.” Alex started school in the third grade at North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi, not knowing any English at all.
Even though he had difficulties, he overcame the problem by reading many books. When he was beginning his fourth grade school year, Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and the family moved to Laurel where a close friend of the family, now a priest, offered them temporary shelter. Here Alex enrolled in fourth grade at Immaculate Conception School and then continued his studies at Mason Elementary School. He received an “Outstanding Leadership and Assistance” award from the school for helping non-English speaking students. He said his best year was his sixth grade year when he received the highest of all honors — the Mr. Mason Award.
Now a student at Laurel Middle School, Alex is still collecting knowledge from every source he can.
• Gary McCullum Jr. — a senior at Laurel High school, Gary is the son of Reedia Cobbins and Gary McCullum Sr. Gary, who has one brother and four sisters, lists his hobbies as cooking, singing, dancing, acting, writing poetry and anything else that catches his attention.
• Destiny Moore — a student at Stainton Elementary School, Destiny is the daughter of Pamela D. Ulmer. From the time she was in kindergarten until now, Destiny’s mother says she has always been “very smart.” She said she is proud of her daughter and hopes she receives many more awards after this one.
The recipient of the “Athlete of the Year” award was Laurel High football player Christopher Smith. The son of Robert Hughes and Lesia Smith, he is a former student of Nora Davis Magnet School where he became an aspiring young student athlete. He achieved many small term goals such as playing football and becoming an Honor Roll Student. He continued this success through Junior High School where he was the starting cornerback during the eight grade. His athletic career took off once he got to Laurel High School. He has received a number of academic and leadership awards. After graduation, Christopher plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and pursue a major in Sports Medicine.
The next scheduled event in the Keeper of the Dream Banquet slated for 7 p.m. on Jan. 9. Philadelphia Mayor James Young is the speaker for the banquet which will be held at Sanderson Farms facility on Flynt Road.
Young is the first black mayor for the small East-Central Mississippi town that gained national attention in 1964 as the site of the infamous murders of three civil rights activists — an African-American man from Mississippi and two white New York men — who were working to register African-American voters in the state. All three men were in their twenties when they were murdered.
Tickets for the banquet are $20.
