THE DAILY LEADER / RHONDA DUNAWAY / Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Kay Burton speaks to parents at Lipsey School gymnasium Friday about the importance of staying involved in their children’s education. Burton was representing the Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program in recognizing Mississippi Rising Scholars and Mississippi Rising Star Scholars for their achievements.

Mississippi Rising Scholars and Mississippi Rising Star Scholars were recognized Friday at Lipsey School for their achievements.

Rising Scholars and Rising Star Scholars are preliminary to the Mississippi Scholars program, which is a student achievement and scholarship program sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council and the Public Education Forum of Mississippi.

For the junior scholars, there are two recognitions: Mississippi Rising Scholars, who are students who make all A’s and B’s, and Mississippi Rising Star Scholars, who are students who make all A’s.

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Kay Burton said students who meet the requirements for the Rising Scholars program at each school in the county will be recognized.

“Each school operates their own Rising Scholars program,” Burton said. “Some have community service requirements that are usually achieved on their campuses, but at this level it’s mostly academics that we recognize.”

Burton said the purpose of the junior scholars program is to encourage parents to stay involved in their child’s education, and for students to remain on track for a successful future.

“The message we try to get across to parents is staying involved in the students’ school-work,” she said. “Because we see such an academic decline when they get into junior high. They should continue to expect their children to do what is required to have a good educational foundation and be a part of this program.

“We feel like giving them this recognition now will give them the incentive to continue achieving and making good grades. The Scholars program in high school is such an attainable goal and we want as many of our students as possible to work into the program, to stay on track. We want to help lay the groundwork for them to be successful as adults and to create an able and ready work force for this area.”

The Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program will recognize 2014 graduates and award scholarships at an annual banquet Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Easthaven Baptist Church, 130 Highway 84 E., Brookhaven.

Burton encourages businesses or others who might donate funds for scholarships or offer internships or employment for students and graduates to do so.

“We are looking for partners in the community,” she said. “For us and other local business owners, our community wants to show our support for parents, teachers and the students. We are putting our money where our mouth is when we award scholarship money. We want to let them know we believe in them.”

Burton said that after this year’s Scholars banquet, the Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program will have given out more than $750,000 in scholarships to students in every high school in the county and city since the local program started in 2006.

“We have a Mississippi Scholars program instituted in every high school, including Brookhaven Academy and Mississippi School of the Arts,” Burton said.

Burton said the Lincoln County Mississippi Scholars program is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.

“That means any money they donate towards scholarships is tax-deductible,” she said.