Mississippi’s U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are encouraging Mississippi high school juniors and seniors involved in student leadership to apply for the 2021 U.S. Senate Youth Program, an educational program that will provide $10,000 college scholarships to two delegates from the Magnolia State.

A Dec. 1, 2020, application deadline has been set for the program’s 59th annual Washington Week, March 14-18, 2021. Because of COVID-19 concerns, the USSYP 2021 Washington Week ONLINE will be virtual.

“The 2021 U.S. Senate Youth Program is adapting to our current environment and going virtual. This year’s program will provide a unique opportunity for our state’s young leaders to engage with our nation’s highest levels of government,” said Sen. Wicker, who serves on the USSYP Senate Advisory Committee. “I encourage every eligible student to apply for this special opportunity.”

“Even as a virtual experience, the Senate Youth Program offers student leaders a chance to get firsthand exposure to our nation’s leaders and the workings of the government. I encourage Mississippi’s talented students to look at this valuable program and apply for the 2021 Washington Week,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.

Applicants must be juniors or seniors and elected or appointed student officers for the 2019-2020 or the 2020-2021 academic year. Because of COVID-19, students unable to serve in qualifying leadership positions for the 2020-2021 academic year may use positions held in the previous year.

The selected Mississippi delegates will be among 104 student delegates overall. The Hearst Foundation fully funds this program, which provides a $10,000 college scholarship to each delegate.

The 2021 Washington Week ONLINE, like previous in person programs, will connect USSYP delegates with the highest-level officials from each branch of government, including their senators, the president, cabinet secretaries, a justice of the Supreme Court, senior members of the national media and other key policymakers.

Interested students can visit https://www.ussenateyouth.org/ for more information. The USSYP 2021 Washington Week ONLINE brochure is available here. To apply, students should also contact their high school principal or Mississippi’s state selection administrator:

Mrs. Sandra Hilliard
Education Specialist, Sr.
Mississippi Department of Education
[email protected] –601-359-2213

For more information on the program, visit https://mdek12.org/OTL/OTC/USSYP.

Mississippi’s 2020 USSYP delegates were Bobby Current of Olive Branch and Alex Stradinger of Ridgeland.

Monday, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that Andrea Sanders will serve as the new Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.

A former social worker for children and current general counsel and principal deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Sanders has been on the front lines of the effort to protect Mississippi’s most vulnerable. She has been a key leader in the efforts to reform the Department of Human Services.

“I am proud to make this appointment today,” Reeves said in a statement. “Not only has Andrea served with integrity and devotion in this field for many decades, she brings powerful personal experience to the job. Andrea was adopted into a loving Mississippi family as an infant. She is not only a leader in the effort to look after Mississippi’s children, she is a testament to the unlimited potential of every child in the system.

“From her work to provide therapy and care for struggling children as a social worker, to her esteemed legal background, to her efforts to clean up the Mississippi Department of Human Services–there is no one who could be better equipped for the job.”

“I am honored and excited to take on this task,” Sanders said. “I know that we have more work to do in order to provide a secure environment and loving home to Mississippi’s children. I’m grateful to Gov. Reeves for putting me in this position of trust, and I know that we have many kids out there who are relying on us to get it right. I believe that we can make a difference if we always remember the God-given potential of every child in our state. All must be protected and uplifted.”

For the second year in a row, the City of Vicksburg has received the 2020 Water Treatment Plant of the Year Award from the American Water Works Association. The award cites overall water quality, plant improvements, energy efficiency and regulatory conformance as criteria for the selection.

“Having the best water treatment plant in the State of Mississippi for two years in a row is just one more reason why people should move to Vicksburg,” said Mayor George Flaggs Jr. in a statement. “Our philosophy is to provide the best quality service at the least cost to the taxpayers. Today, we’re continuing to deliver on that promise.”

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen hired ESG Operations, Inc. in 2016 to manage and operate the city’s water treatment plant on Haining Road. The plant has received a five-star rating from the State Department of Health for the past four years and has been in 100% compliance with all regulatory agencies.