News Release

Two students at South Panola Career and Technology Center are finalists for student of the year honors from the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation. Winners will be announced May 3 at the MCEF awards and graduation dinner in Pearl.

Jacob Champion and Jandon Taylor were named students of the month for MCEF’s northern region during the 2018-2019 school year, automatically qualifying as finalists for student of the year along with four other monthly district winners.

Instructor nominations for student of the month are based on grades, attendance, class discipline, outstanding achievements, leadership abilities and post-graduation plans. During the annual celebration, MCEF will honor a total of 27 statewide students of the month and announce four students of the year for north, south, south central and north central districts. Winners will receive $500 cash prizes.

Setting Champion apart is his strong work ethic and leadership skills. He is a consistent standout in craft competitions, capturing first place in his region’s SkillsUSA welding fab competition, third place in the state competition and second place at the Delta Technical College welding competition. Upon graduation, he plans to study welding at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College or East Mississippi Community College.

Taylor enjoys local and district construction competitions while helping his younger teammates achieve success. An avid outdoorsman, he spends his free time hunting, fishing, and doing welding and fabricating projects/jobs with his father. Taylor is enlisted in the Army National Guard and plans to be a vertical structure engineer.

“Our annual awards and graduation dinner is an opportunity to recognize Mississippi’s best and brightest students and to honor the hard work and dedication they’ve demonstrated in preparing for their futures,” said Mike Barkett, MCEF president. “These outstanding students also are helping ensure that Mississippi has a highly skilled workforce to support the state’s growing construction and manufacturing industries.”

News Release

Two students at South Panola Career and Technology Center are finalists for student of the year honors from the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation. Winners will be announced May 3 at the MCEF awards and graduation dinner in Pearl.

Jacob Champion and Jandon Taylor were named students of the month for MCEF’s northern region during the 2018-2019 school year, automatically qualifying as finalists for student of the year along with four other monthly district winners.

Instructor nominations for student of the month are based on grades, attendance, class discipline, outstanding achievements, leadership abilities and post-graduation plans. During the annual celebration, MCEF will honor a total of 27 statewide students of the month and announce four students of the year for north, south, south central and north central districts. Winners will receive $500 cash prizes.

Setting Champion apart is his strong work ethic and leadership skills. He is a consistent standout in craft competitions, capturing first place in his region’s SkillsUSA welding fab competition, third place in the state competition and second place at the Delta Technical College welding competition. Upon graduation, he plans to study welding at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College or East Mississippi Community College.

Taylor enjoys local and district construction competitions while helping his younger teammates achieve success. An avid outdoorsman, he spends his free time hunting, fishing, and doing welding and fabricating projects/jobs with his father. Taylor is enlisted in the Army National Guard and plans to be a vertical structure engineer.

“Our annual awards and graduation dinner is an opportunity to recognize Mississippi’s best and brightest students and to honor the hard work and dedication they’ve demonstrated in preparing for their futures,” said Mike Barkett, MCEF president. “These outstanding students also are helping ensure that Mississippi has a highly skilled workforce to support the state’s growing construction and manufacturing industries.”