The first-ever Teacher Corps Reunion took place on the weekend of July 16th.  “The Reunion was a booming success beyond all expectations,” said Dr. Andy Mullins, the Co-Director of the Teacher Corps.  “It was a great time and it was wonderful to see so many of our alumni.  It truly warmed my heart.”

“We had 55 alumni from all over the country attending,” said Ben Guest, Program Manager for the Mississippi Teacher Corps.On Friday afternoon there was a town-hall meeting led by Dr. Germain McConnell, Co-Director of the Teacher Corps.  “I was pleased with the feedback,” said Dr. McConnell.  “There was some good interaction between the alumni and the current participants.”

(MTC Class of 1998)

On Friday evening there was a dessert reception.  On Saturday the events included speeches by Dr. Mullins, Dr. Whitney Thompson Webb, Dr. McConnell, and Mr. Guest.  Harry Gaston, Program Manager from 1998-2000 could not attend but sent a note that was read by Dr. Webb.

A group photo was taken Saturday morning.  You can view it here.

(MTC Class of 2000)

After the speeches each class did a short presentation.  “All the presentations were good.  However, the 2000 Class really blew me away,” said Mr. Guest, a member of the 2000 class.  “Steven Sproles and Allison Litten performed a song they wrote on the spot for Teacher Corps.  Steven also did impressions of Dr. Sullivan and Mr. Rowland.”  You can view the Class of 2000 presentation in Quicktime here.

(Allison Litten and Steven Sproles Perform)

On Saturday evening Dr. Mullins introduced his former boss, Governor William Winter.  Governor Winter then gave the keynote speech. “Governor Winter spoke eloquently about the impact that one teacher can have,” said Mr. Guest.

“The speech was inspiring,” said Dr. McConnell.  “For me, having been associated with the program for so long, it meant a lot that Governor Winter spoke so highly of the program.”

At the end of the evening the “Andrew P. Mullins Jr. Award” was announced.  This is a peer-voted award that will be given each year to the Corps member that best exemplifies the values of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.  The award is named after the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Teacher Corps, Dr. Andy Mullins.  You can watch the award announcement here.

You can access video and audio of all the Saturday events here.

The next MTC Reunion is scheduled for July 9th and 10th, 2010.

(Dr. McConnell and Gov. Winter Share a Laugh)

The Mississippi Teacher Corps is the most competitive alternate-route teaching program in the country. It is a two-year program that recruits recent college graduates to teach in critical-shortage areas in the Mississippi Delta, in exchange for a full scholarship for a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Mississippi. The program was founded in 1989 by Amy Gutman, a Harvard University graduate student, and Dr. Andy Mullins, then Special Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education. Since 1989 more than 300 participants, reaching an estimated 60,000 students, have taught in critical-needs school districts as part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.

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