Author: Mary Margaret Busby

Holmes Community College was ranked #2 for Best Online Community Colleges in Mississippi by Optimal’s Guide to Online Schools. Optimal (formerly SR Education Group) has been publishing rankings of online colleges since 2009. The company’s goal is to help students make educated decisions when choosing an online degree.

Each year, Holmes Community College honors students with the highest GPAs as valedictorians and salutatorians. This year, one of the valedictorian had an even more impressive accomplishment: Addison Stevens of Madison earned her Associate of Arts degree as a dual-enrollment student while simultaneously graduating from high school.

Winona native James “Bradley” Steed, son of Gloria and Kenny Steed, overcame insurmountable odds to get to where he is today and he couldn’t be more excited about it. After battling an aggressive brain tumor that first made an appearance in 2014, he managed to not only graduate from Winona High School with his class in 2017, but also graduate from Holmes Community College in May of 2020.

The Holmes Community College Grenada Campus recognized its students’ achievements and honors a little differently this year. Rather than hold an on-campus celebration, instructors representing each academic and career-technical program wrote letters to the award recipients explaining why they were chosen. They mailed certificates to the students, as well.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holmes Community College decided not to hold the traditional on-campus commencement ceremonies this year and instead held a virtual ceremony on May 15. Graduates and their families were able to view the ceremony (and still can if they missed the 10 a.m. viewing) at https://events.holmescc.edu. Diplomas will be mailed out after graduation.

The Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus recognized its students’ achievements and honors a little differently this year: rather than hold an on-campus celebration, faculty and staff created a virtual presentation for students to watch. Instructors representing each academic and career-technical program submitted a video clip of them presenting the award to the student as if they were there presenting on stage.

Holmes Community College Grenada Campus Academic Coordinator Kathryn Harlow Cox recently earned her Ed. D. in Higher Education and Leadership from the University of Mississippi. Cox’s dissertation was entitled “Factors Associated with Student Withdrawal at a Mississippi Community College.”

Holmes Community College students Kalee Beck of Carrollton, Ivey Devine of Winona, Sarah Elizabeth Hardy of Bentonia, Gracie MacGown of Madison, Shakeria Smith of Ackerman and Nathan Wildhaber of Jackson were all named to the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa honor society All-Mississippi Academic Team. Nominations are based on outstanding academic performance and service to the college and community. MacGown was named First Team, and the others were named to the Second Team.

The Ridgeland Campus of Holmes Community College held a “drive up” Pinning Ceremony for the graduating Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Class of 2020 on May 7 in the Ridgeland Campus parking lot. COVID-19 might have made holding a large ceremony in an auditorium not possible, but the faculty and staff still made sure the day was special for the graduates. Nursing faculty decorated their cars and graduates drove up one-by-one to receive their pin and lamp, just like they normally would in a ceremony. Students were asked to have a family member pin them at home, get someone to take a short video of it and submit it. All of the pinnings will be combined with a live Zoom meeting of the graduates reciting the Nightingale Pledge so they will experience all parts of the traditional ceremony.

The Holmes Community College Goodman Campus recognized its students’ achievements and honors during the 2020 Virtual Honors Day Program held May 5 via Zoom. Normally a dinner is held for honorees and their families in Frank Branch Coliseum, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holmes had to make alternative arrangements this year.