For the Daily News

The Colvard Student Union, along with the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, announce the opening of A Chinese Workshop, by artist Jing Xu.
The exhibit opens July 6, in the Colvard Student Union art Gallery and will run through August 29.
Jing Xu was born in Hubei, China. She graduated from the SiChuan Conservatory of Music in Sichuan China, and received a masters degree from the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris, France. Before moving to Starkville, MS, Jing Xu worked as an art-manager, artist, and head of the Chinese branch for the London-based Triangle Arts Trust in Beijing, China.

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For the Daily News

Hollywood Premiere Cinemas will be holding an Eclipse blood drive on Wednesday, June 30 from 1 to 7 p.m.
The blood drive will coincide with the much anticipated release of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on Wednesday, June 30.
Mississippi Blood Services will have a donor coach in the parking lot. All donors will receive a special edition Eclipse blood donor T-shirt and a movie pass while supplies last.

The blood drive will be located at 101 Hollywood Boulevard. All donors must be at least 17-years-old (16 with signed parental consent—forms available at drive location and online), weigh at least 110 pounds and have a valid ID.
“Summer time traditionally sees a drop in blood donations,” Tony Bahou, Mississippi Blood Services manager of communications and public relations, said. “This is a summer tradition we’d like to end. By taking an hour of your time to donate now, you can give someone else a lifetime.”

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PAUL SIMS

A Mississippi State University center has as its mission to conduct research and other work related to the blind and those with low vision.
Dr. Brenda Cavenaugh, the interim director for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, provided details on the center’s mission and efforts to Starkville Rotarians Monday. The center was established in 1981 and is a department within MSU’s College of Education. It serves as the national research and training center for service providers, consumers who are blind or visually impaired, policy makers and researchers, according to Cavenaugh’s presentation.
The organization’s mission is to “enhance employment and independent living outcomes for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through research, training, education and dissemination.”

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BRIAN HAWKINS

Rising summertime temperatures and high heat indexes, coupled with increasing frequency of drier weather, has Starkville Fire Department officials warning residents to take safety precautions when burning outdoors. Monday’s high temperature hit 98 degrees, with heat index of 107. Weather forecasts throughout the rest of the week are calling for similar conditions, though some scattered thunderstorms may drop some rain in isolated areas.
“If the weather continues to stay hot and relatively dry, it could make conditions pretty ripe for a wildfire,” said Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy on Monday. “We would like to remind people to be cautious about any outdoor burning given the heat.”

Fire Department officials have not imposed any type of burn ban within the city limits, but said such a ban was possible if hot and dry conditions persisted over several days.
“We also want to remind people living in the city that they have to obtain a burn permit before they can do any type of residential or commercial burning,” McCurdy said. “We have a few that have been issued the past few days that are still in effect.”

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SHEA STASKOWSKI

A group of 40 Starkville School District teachers have returned from the Model Schools Conference with a renewed sense of educational excitement, a top district official says
“The group was just so engaged and appreciative for the opportunity to be apart of this (conference),” Assistant Supt. Beth Sewell said. “I’m hoping they’ll stay excited and motivated and spread what they have learned (at the conference).”

The teachers spent roughly 10 hours a day for three days attending sessions designed to reinforce the rigor, relevance and relationship model the district has adopted. This is the second year the district has participated in the Model Schools Conference. “Last year we learned about the rigor, relevance, relationship model, and this year they were coming back with a sense of application of the model and how to deliver that to their classrooms,” Sewell explained. “The most important thing is the tools they learned to have an impact on student achievement.”

Second-year teacher and first-time conference attendee Anna Price, who teaches at Sudduth Elementary, left the conference feeling very informed, she said.
“I definitely learned a lot. Last year was my first year as a teacher in general, so it was good just to be able to be encouraged by the veteran teachers there,” Price said. “One thing I really got out of the whole conference was that most teachers just teach the basic skills, but you need to adapt that to real life and real application because we’re much more in a technology age… We have to be acceptant of change.”

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