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The Rotary Club of Mount Pleasant recently presented a check for $2,536 to the ��«����Ƶ Foundation to support the upcoming iCan Kids Discovery College that will be held this summer. Pictured making the donation on behalf of the Rotary Club is (center from left) Shane Webb, Vickie Goates and Hershal Kelley. Receiving the gift on behalf of ��«����Ƶ is Iris Marino (left), Lisa York and Dr. Jonathan McCullough (right). The iCan Kids Discovery College offers children ages 8-16 a chance to participate in a variety of fun learning experiences.

The ��«����Ƶ Foundation recently received a $500 gift from J.T. and Kaye Brison to support the Brison-Crosby Education Scholarship. The scholarship fund is in memory of Kaye?s grandmother, Hettie Agnes Crosby, and will be awarded to an education major attending ��«����Ƶ. Nita May (left), ��«����Ƶ Director of Development, is pictured receiving the gift from the Brisons. To learn more about this or other scholarships at ��«����Ƶ, contact Jonathan McCullough at 903-434-8115.

��«����Ƶ will hold its†May commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 13†at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts. †The 9 a.m. ceremony will be held for students receiving Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees. The 11 a.m. ceremony will honor those receiving Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates. †Long-time board member, Mr. John Bryan, †will be the†featured commencement speaker at both ceremonies.

The doors in the Whatley Center will open approximately 30 minutes prior to each ceremony.

��«����Ƶ is one step closer to having a fully-accredited Funeral Service Education Program, as the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) recently granted the program candidacy.

Rebecca Gardner, ��«����Ƶ Director of Funeral Service Education, and Dr. Shannon Cox-Kelley, ��«����Ƶ Dean of Health Sciences, traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC to defend the program?s self-study that was submitted to the ABFSE late last year.

?This is a major milestone on the path to initial accreditation.

Members of the ��«����Ƶ Chapter of Alpha Delta Nu, the honor society for students pursuing associate degrees in nursing, recently presented a donation of needed items to the Northeast Child Advocacy Center. The donation included personal care items, toys for children and a small monetary donation for their needs. One of the requirements for honor society membership, beyond grades, is the participation in a service project.

The ��«����Ƶ Film Club recently hosted the Mount Pleasant Seventh-Day Adventists? showing of Conscientious Objector, a 2004 documentary about Medal of Honor-winner, Desmond T. Doss.

In addition to sponsoring a viewing of the film, the church supplied attendees with pizza, water bottles, pens, and copies of the book, Hero of Hacksaw Ridge, the biography of Doss that inspired Mel Gibson?s blockbuster Hacksaw Ridge film.

Honors Northeast hosted the ninth annual McGraw-Hill Poster Contest April 28 in the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts. Nearly 20 students competed in the event, where they presented posters summarizing their research on a wide variety of academic topics. William Jones, a sophomore Presidential Scholar from Mount Pleasant, won first place.

��«����Ƶ will host its July 10-20. Children ages 8-16 can choose from a variety of fun, interactive classes that will meet Monday through Thursday for two weeks (eight classes total). Early registration is currently underway. The schedule is as follows:

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• Photography: 8:30-10:00 a.m., ��«����Ƶ main campus, Ages 8-16


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• Robotics I: 8:30-10:30 a.m., ��«����Ƶ main campus, Ages 8-16


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Texas Heritage National Bank recently presented the ��«����Ƶ Foundation with $4,000 to sponsor a Presidential Scholar in Honors Northeast. The ��«����Ƶ honors program was founded in 2007 and has attracted top high school graduates from around the region. Dr. Jonathan McCullough, ��«����Ƶ Vice President for Advancement, (center) is pictured receiving the gift from John Bryan (left), Chairman of Texas Heritage National Bank and Dwyatt Bell (right), CEO of Texas Heritage National Bank.

��«����Ƶ Foundation participated in East Texas Giving Day Tuesday to raise money for emergency scholarships to provide much-needed assistance to students in distress.† ��«����Ƶ employees, foundation board members and community friends gave generously during the event, with gifts totaling $7,115.