The Raguoc is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year in the lives of all Columbia Academy students. Our staff tries to balance the book with every aspect of student life. Our funds are generated by two methods: Ad sales and yearbook sales. It costs approximately $36,000 to publish this yearbook. Our greatest needs are new computers with sufficient memory, a camera (right now we are using students’ cameras), and space. At this time, we are running our accounts in the black, but it is struggle to keep it there, so we have no extra money for these needs.
The Christian Performing Arts Team is a Christian organization offered to students in grades 7-12. Any student interested in becoming a member must fill out an application at the beginning of the school year. The team is responsible for devotion once per month. They use many creative ways to share the message of Christ such as sign language, black light, drama, visual art, and puppetry. They also perform at the Area Wide Youth Rally and Kids’ Rally each year. Members have the opportunity to attend the Christian Performing Arts Festival in Jackson in February. Practice is usually one Saturday or Sunday afternoon each month. Donations would be greatly appreciated to help fund the Area Wide Youth Rally.
More than 60 years ago, DECA organized around an ambitious goal: to improve education and career opportunities for students interested in careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. What began with a few hundred students in 17 states has grown to over 185,000 students in all 50 states, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, Germany and Mexico.
DECA’s objective is to support the development of marketing and management skills in career areas such as hospitality, finance, sales and service, business administration and entrepreneurship. Programs and activities are tailored to the specific career interest of students and include technical skills, basic scholastic and communication skills, human relations and employability skills, and a strong emphasis on economics and free enterprise.
DECA provides recognition and leadership activities directly related to attainment of specific occupational and leadership skills. DECA’s mission establishes clear criteria for its programs and activities.
The mission of DECA, Inc. is to enhance the co–curricular education of students with interest in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA helps students to develop skills and competence for marketing careers, to build self–esteem, to experience leadership and to practice community service. DECA is committed to the advocacy of marketing education and the growth of business/education partnerships.
DECA is a nonpartisan, non-sectarian 501(c)(3) association of students, teachers, and administrators and is recognized and endorsed by all 50 state departments of education and the U.S. Department of Education.
DECA Membership Scope
DECA chapters operate in over 4,500 high schools and 200 colleges across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and Canada. Recently, chapters have started in Germany. With over 185,000 members, (172,000 high school and 13,000 college members) DECA has a significant impact on today's youth.
Columbia Academy’s DECA chapter was chartered in 2005. We have attended district, state, and international competitions. This year at district we had thirty-four students medal.
Our annual community service project is a breast cancer awareness program and biannual blood drives. This year we raised $500.00 for Waiting for a Cure, a local cancer support foundation. We also did two “60-Second” fundraisers raising $255.00 and $850.00. Our chapter sells Belk charity tickets for travel expenses.
The Key Club is a service organization sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. Membership is based on teacher nominations. To be eligible for membership a student must be in the 9th through 12th grade, have at least an 80 GPA, be honest, dependable, and industrious. They should exhibit an interest in the betterment of his/her school and community and be motivated to work. Each member is required to perform at least 50 hours of volunteer service.
The Key Club is involved with the following projects: Tutoring students, Christmas for Kids, helping the Marion County Humane Society, donating to the Spay and Neuter Clinic, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital fundraiser, Clean-up day before school, and the Habitat for Humanity.
Mathcounts is an accelerated math competition for the seventh and eighth grade students. A student must be recommended by his or her math teacher to participate. The student attends practice sessions held once a week for an hour after school beginning in October. A test is given to the participants in late January or early February to determine the team. Attendance at practice is also a factor. The team of four represents the school in late February in district competition held at JCJC.
This will be CA’s 5th year to participate recently, having competed in the 1980’s previously. Our team has placed in the top 4 teams each year. Recently, we finished 3rd in district, with Jon Luke Watts placing 3rd in the individual competition this year.
A set of 6 scientific calculators, costing approximately $10 each would be helpful to the program.
Mu Alpha Theta is a national honor society for mathematics. To be a member, a student must have an overall average of 90 from the core curriculum and a 90 overall average for mathematics classes which include college preparatory classes. Students must have earned credit for Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. A student must pay $10 per year which pays for certificates and pins as well as national dues. A student must have 5 hours of service per semester of membership to be able to wear Mu Alpha Theta credentials for graduation.
This year’s Mu Alpha Theta students collected over 200 canned items for the food pantry in Columbia. They collected over 100 items for the Ronald McDonald House. They have also collected over 10,000 soft drink tabs for St. Jude’s the last four years.
Members of Mu Alpha Theta compete in the Science and Mathematics Tournament at Mississippi College each February.
The National Honor Society is a national academic organization made up of juniors and seniors. Membership is determined by a numerical average of 90 in the core curriculum (mathematics, English, science, and history). Each member is expected to demonstrate the four qualities (leadership, scholarship, character, and service) held in high esteem by the Society. The member ship is expected to complete 10 hours of community service each year. The Columbia Academy National Honor Society is involved with making charitable contributions to the Ronald McDonald House, Camillia Home Health and Hospice, and St. Jude’s.
Columbia Academy has been competing in Quiz Bowls in Mississippi for the last four years. The first year CA only competed at Parklane Academy. For the last two years, teams have competed at Mississippi College, Madison Central, and Parklane. The teams have done well each year. This year the senior high team competed in the semi-finals at Madison Central with 54 teams competing and CA being in the top eight. For the first time, a junior high team competed at Madison Central with excellent results. Members are determined by the interest of students, and they are required to have a determined number of hours of practice to be able to compete. If students are interested in joining the Quiz Bowl team, they need to contact the sponsor, Mrs. Kathy Pearce.
The Science Club is open to anyone in grades 7-12. To be a member, a student pays $5.00 a semester and must be willing to help with our recycling project. The students are grouped into teams and twice a week, they empty the recycle cans that contain bottles and cans. They then take the recycled items to Hattiesburg to be recycled. The money received from dues and recycling will be given to a student in the Science Club to help pay for books for college. The Science Club plans to take the water bottles collected to fund a playhouse for the kindergarten playground
Junior High Show Choir- Exclusive
The junior high show choir is made up of 7th through 9th graders. Each member selected for the group goes through an audition process in early May for the following school year. Requirements for auditions are: singing a selected vocal passage, vocalizing, and performing a taught choreography routine. Members are selected by a panel of unbiased judges brought in during the audition process.
The performing group, Exclusive, participates and performs at several community events throughout the year, and presents a fall and spring show for the CA patrons each year. In addition to their local performances, Exclusive competes annually at 3 to 4 show choir competitions during the show choir season, typically from January to March.
In the past several years, Exclusive has had great success during the show choir season at many competitions. During the 2009 season, they placed at all their competitions and received several caption awards. The 2009-2010 Exclusive group has already experienced success so far this season, placing 1st at the South Jones Invitational and 2nd at the MS State Show choir Competition. They also received caption awards at the South Jones Invitational for Best Show Design, Best Vocal, and Best Choreography. Brook McKenzie recently received two first place awards for her vocal performance.
High School Show Choir - The Premiers
The High School show choir is made up of 10th through 12th graders. Each member selected for the group goes through an audition process in early May for the following school year. Requirements for auditions are: singing a selected vocal passage, vocalizing, and performing a taught choreography routine. Members are selected by a panel of unbiased judges brought in during the audition process.
The performing group, The Premiers, participates and performs at several community events throughout the year, and presents a fall and spring show for the CA patrons each year. In addition to their local performances, Premiers competes annually at 3 to 4 show choir competitions during the show choir season, typically from January to March.
The Premiers over the last several seasons have dominated the small division class (20 and under members) placing at almost all of its competitions. Due to increased interest and numbers auditioning for the group, they transitioned this year to the middle division (up to 30 members) for the first time. Placing fourth at their last two competitions this season, The Premiers are experiencing growing pains but are still quite competitive in a new, larger division. They have added a combo band for accompaniment for the first time, and look forward to improving and growing this season.
In addition to the experience of high school show choir, members of The Premiers have gone on to receive scholarship money to participate at the collegiate level at both JCJC and PRCC. Their experience at CA was beneficial to the receiving of these scholarships to help pay for their college education.
The Student Council of Columbia Academy is established:
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To represent our school and God in a positive manner.
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To promote proper school spirit and pride.
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To act as a neutral representative body of the students, free of conflict of interest, and to promote good communication and positive relationships between students, faculty, parents, and administration.
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To unify student organizations.
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To promote high scholarship and the importance of education.
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To initiate, sponsor, and direct student activities for the school community and to encourage involvement of student in all activities.
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To represent the student body at official functions and public occasions.
All powers of the Student Council are delegated to it by the school Administration. The Administration has the right to veto or revoke any act of the Student Council.
The Student Council Executive Board shall consist of the following Student Body Officers:
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President
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Vice-President
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Treasurer
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Secretary
The Student Council Senate shall consist of the class officers from grades seven through twelve. The Student Council House of Representatives shall consist of one student representative from each homeroom. The faculty advisor's shall be appointed by the Administration.
See Student Council constitution for more detailed requirements.
The Annual Homecoming Luncheon fundraiser has netted over $2,000 for the past two years. This is a sponsor-driven activity, with student workers. All money raised is divided between the homecoming court to help cover the costs of each homecoming float.
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
-St. Augustine
Columbia Academy believes that student travel opportunities are as valuable as any classroom lecture. Although all cannot go, none would be able if the trips were not offered. Our students have had the chance to visit England, France, Italy, Spain, and Greece in Western Europe; Costa Rico in Central America; and Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orlando, Atlanta, and Louisville, KY in the United States. Some of these trips have been for competitions with DECA or the show choir, but most have been for the love of education. Travel is a tremendous growth experience. If we wish our student to be world citizens, then we must give them the world’s art, music, languages, and people from which to learn. As Mark Twain wrote: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. We don’t want our students to have read only one page of a book or vegetate in an insular corner of the earth.
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