Noted Cartoonist Illustrates Value of Teachers During Clinton Public Schools 2024 Convocation at MC
The state’s most renowned political cartoonist and the mayor of Clinton joined Mississippi College leaders in formally welcoming hundreds of educators to the fall academic semester during the Clinton Public School District’s Convocation July 16 in Nelson Hall.
MC’s School of Education and its Office of Graduate and Professional Studies host the ceremony to thank the neighboring school district for its strong commitment to the community. Convocation represents the only time that all CPSD faculty, staff, administrators, and employees gather together for a singular event.
Having the event at MC signifies the rich relationship the School of Education has cultivated with the district.
Marshall Ramsey, editor-at-large for Mississippi Today, whose cartoon depicting Barbara Bush rushing to embrace her daughter, Robin, in Heaven captured the nation’s attention upon the former first lady’s death in 2018, was the featured speaker at the event.
With his trademark wit, Ramsey recounted how individuals nationwide embraced the image – especially members of the former First Family, each of whom wrote letters of appreciation to him. The cartoon struck a chord with people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum.
“I got Savannah Guthrie (of the Today Show) and Brett Baier (of Special Report with Brett Baier) to agree on something,” Ramsey said to laughs from the audience. “I got NBC News and FOX News to come together. I deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.
“It was one of the most powerful moments of my career. I’ve drawn over 10,000 cartoons, but that one cartoon totally changed how I view my job.”
Ramsey – whose wife is a teacher – told the crowd that the cartoon also changed how he viewed their job. The national phenomenon wouldn’t have occurred, he said, without the encouragement he received from a number of teachers who helped him refine his talents – from his mother, who made sure he had a ready supply of pencils and crayons with which to draw, to the college speech instructor who told him he could do better despite making a 95 on a tough exam.
“Every morning we wake up, we have a blank canvas,” he said. “We’re all artists, whether you can draw a stick person or not. You have the power, every day, with your actions, with your brush strokes, with your attitude, which is the paint color you chose to put on that canvas – you can paint some kind of picture that changes the life of somebody that you come across.
“At the end of the day, you are giving away something in your soul that’s so unselfish, that can totally change the life of one of your students, one of your parents, one of your coworkers, maybe even one of your principals. You are the most powerful people that I know, and I’m so incredibly honored today to wish you the best school year ever.”
Ramsey’s heartening presentation underscored an unofficial theme to this year’s Clinton Public Schools Convocation: influence. Each of the speakers touched on the myriad ways that teachers help shape their students’ futures.
Andy Schoggin, superintendent of schools, welcomed the assembly and told of a young boy who observed Michelangelo chisel his famous sculpture, “David.” When the legendary artist had completed the world-famous work, the boy asked Michelangelo how he knew David was sitting in the block of marble.
“What matters is not what we put in, but what we bring out, what we get to reveal – it’s not what we tell others, but what we uncover and discover about them,” Schoggin said. “It’s not what we see, but what we need to do when we take the time to really get to know someone.
“We find what we look for.”
Among companion plants, he said marigolds are the best, primarily because they protect a variety of plants. Vegetables in particular will grow big, strong, and healthy, encouraged by the marigold.
“Marigolds exist in our schools as well,” Schoggin said. “Many of you are marigolds for others and you may not even know it. Encouraging, supporting, nurturing, growing teachers on their way to maturity. If you can find at least one marigold in your school, stay close to it and you will grow. Find more than one and you will thrive.
“Under the right conditions, anyone can flourish.”
Phil Fisher, mayor of Clinton, noted that a child starting first grade in the CPS during his first year in office would be a senior in high school this year.
“That child entered the top school system in the state, and he enters the 12th grade in the top school system in the state – and in no time in between has it ever wavered,” Fisher said. “That child has received the best education possible in this country.”
He spoke of the city’s efforts to support its exemplary school system with infrastructure improvements, such as water, sewer, and road maintenance efforts, that will position Clinton by the year 2030 to be prepared for the next century.
“There was a time when, if you didn’t have a family business in Clinton, you had no job when you got out of school,” he said. “Now we have companies here willing to hire our graduates. If our young people choose to move, they can move, but if they choose to stay, they have options here they’ve never had before.
“I wish you all the best for the new year and hope you have the most fun you’ve ever had.”
Cindy Melton, dean of the School of Education at Mississippi College, discussed many of the postgraduate educational programs Mississippi College offers teachers and noted that more than 60 percent of Clinton Public School District employees have at least one degree from MC.
Noting that Meet the Teacher Day at Clinton Public Schools was coming up later in the week, she recalled one of her more memorable experiences as a CPS teacher during the annual event and praised the attendees for their approach to teaching.
“What you do is so valuable,” Melton said. “Your students are seen, they’re heard, and they’re valued. I have had the incredibly unique experience of seeing how you love on those kids. Thank you for pouring into them.”
She noted her own children are successful products of the Clinton School system and expressed her appreciation to the assembly for the attention and guidance that was shown to them through their scholastic journeys.
“You are our extended family – not just for the Meltons, but for Mississippi College,” she said. “What you do is so important. We value you. We appreciate your work. And we thank you for allowing our children and all of our students to be valued.
“We hope you have a fantastic year.”
Mike Highfield, MC provost and executive vice president, reminded the attendees that they are not only partners with the School of Education at MC, but that every single faculty and staff member at MC is involved in the Clinton Public School System.
“Seventy-six percent of Americans cite the most influential person in their lives outside of a family member is a teacher,” Highfield said. “Do not underestimate the impact that teaching has on the students in your classroom.
“I wish you the best.”
Paula DeYoung, a member of the Clinton Public School District Board of Trustees, recognized all of the first-year educators in the audience. She said that virtually everyone in her family were products of the Clinton Public School System and thanked the attendees for their contributions to the community.
“I hope to continue that legacy (as a Board member) and it’s because of you and the quality of life that you instill in our children,” DeYoung said. “You teach them to love each other. You teach them to respect each other.
“As a parent, we entrust our kids to you and all of our administrators every single day. Thank you for loving your job – even during those times when you don’t like it. Please continue to love what you are doing.”
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