A packed house applauded, cheered, and celebrated the latest graduating class of Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars Monday night during a banquet at Easthaven Baptist Church.

The students earned more than accolades, though, to mark their achievement; almost all went home with envelopes containing scholarship money to ease the burden of college expenses.

The Monday banquet honored 161 students graduating seniors earning the distinction of Mississippi Scholars and handed out about $130,000 in scholarship money.

More than half the scholarship cash came from colleges, with the rest awarded by individual donors, corporations, churches and civic organizations.

This year represented the most scholarship money raised from private and local donors, said Kay Burton, local chamber of commerce program director and Mississippi Scholars volunteer.

Students from the Brookhaven School District, Lincoln County School District, Brookhaven Academy and Mississippi School of the Arts participated in the banquet and received a medal, a certificate and – for most of them – some college cash.

This year, all Lincoln County students received scholarship money, Mississippi Scholars Chairman Kenny Goza said.

The Mississippi Scholars program requires participating students to take a more challenging schedule of courses than the minimum required for graduation, including extra math and science courses.

The local volunteers who keep the Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program running at full power have earned some wider attention for their efforts.

Vickie Powell, state director of the Mississippi Scholars program, had high words of praise after the banquet for local leaders.

“This program really is a trail blazer,” Powell said.

The Lincoln County program outperforms all the other Mississippi Scholars programs in the state, she said

The annual banquet at Easthaven Baptist Church is a highlight that Powell said she encourages people around the state to attend.

“I can’t give it justice by talking about it,” she said. “You have to see it.”

During some remarks he delivered, Goza said the program’s dinner perennially attracts the highest attendance numbers of any similar event in Lincoln County.

The Lincoln County scholars program has seen only growth since its first banquet in 2006 when $8,000 in scholarship money was distributed.

Since then, more than $500,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

The 161 students honored Monday represent about 30-40 percent of Lincoln County’s graduating seniors, Goza said.

Monday evening also featured a special guest speaker. State Treasurer Lynn Fitch addressed the graduating seniors and their families, offering some encouragement and advice.

She exhorted students to make the most of the time they have.

“We all get the same 24 hours,” Fitch said.

With those hours, the treasurer said each person has the ability to encourage or discourage others – both positive and negative emotions can be infectious, she said.

She also told students to be cautious about their online conduct, warning that unwise social network postings can prove hazardous later when seeking a job.

And when they land in college, Fitch advised students to get involved and to give of their time.

“You truly reap the benefits,” she said.