Star Student and Star Teacher awards were presented at the conclusion of the Chamber Partnership Banquet held Tuesday night in Prentiss. This is the first time since the year 2000 that all three schools awarded a Star Student, and it will also be the last.

Star Student for Bassfield High School is Kelvin Delgado. Delgado made a 28 on his ACT. He is president of the Beta Club and is also active in Mu Alpha Theta, HOSA, and cheer. He is the former drum major for the Bassfield High School Marching Band and the former HOSA president. Kelvin plans to attend Mississippi State University for his first four years of college and then would like to go to the University of Florida or UCLA for medical school with aspirations of becoming a surgeon.

Delgado chose Sheena Barnes as his Star Teacher. Delgado became a student of Barnes’ when he decided to take her Allied Health class. Kelvin always knew he wanted to be a doctor, and under the direction of Mrs. Sheena Barnes, he has been able to explore and find a possible passion for himself in the world of surgery. Mrs. Barnes has also been a great role model as she strives to receive her doctorate.

Slade McNeil is the Star Student for Prentiss Christian School. McNeil has been a student at PCS for seven years and made a 27 on the ACT.

“You all might have a lot of things, but you don’t have a Slade,” said PCS Headmaster Danny Quick. “He isn’t going to be the captain of the football or basketball team, but he is the guy who performs each and every task asked of him and always considers others before himself. He not only has no discipline record, he has also never been heard making a degrading remark regarding any fellow student.”

McNeil is the son of Allen and Marsha McNeil. After graduation, he plans to attend Jones County Junior College for two years then attend William Carey University pursuing a doctorate degree in pathology.

Headmaster Danny Quick was chosen by McNeil as Star Teacher. Quick teaches advanced math and has been a teacher at Prentiss Christian for 18 years. He also taught math at Prentiss High School for 11 years.

Quick is currently the president of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Activities Commission and is also a member of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Accrediting Commission.

Quick has been given the honor and privilege of being chosen Star Teacher 12 times and is a member of the Mississippi Economic Council Star Teacher Hall of Fame.

The Star Student for Prentiss High School is Elesha Danielle White. White is the daughter of Pastor Ozell and Sis. Jerleen White. She is a graduating senior at Prentiss High School and made a 27 on the ACT.

Elesha is the vice-president of her senior class, vice-president of Beta Club, a member of the JDCSO ACT Club, a member of student government and a member of the PHS choir.

She is also the executive officer of JROTC Bulldog Battalion, where she received the superior cadet award for the 2015-2016 school year.

Along with her school activities, she is a faithful member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of her father, Ozell White. She is the secretary of Sunday School, President of the Junior Ushers, and a member of the Junior Mission and the young adult choir.

Apart from her spiritual duties, she is a tutor at the Jefferson Davis Outreach Ministries and a member of the Jefferson Davis County NAACP Youth and College Division. Elesha was accepted into the Helen Hardin Honors Program at the University of Memphis and is a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship at Mississippi College. Upon graduating, Elesha plans to attend Mississippi College. There she will obtain a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration on mathematics, with plans to become a high school math teacher. Her later aspirations are to return to Mississippi College to receive her master’s degree in educational leadership and become a principal.

White chose Kendra Payne as her Star Teacher. Payne is a 2000 high honors graduate of Prentiss High School, 2007 graduate of Co-Lin where she received her A.A. in Applied Science, a 2013 graduate of Jackson State University where she received her B.S. in Education with a minor in History. She is a faithful member of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Dr. Ronnie Walker.

In addition to teaching at Prentiss High, she is the chairperson of the History Department, the assistant girls’ basketball coach, a member of MAE, a member of HPERD (Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance), Mississippi High School Sports Association, and the Literacy Design Collaboration Team.