Executive Director's Message

From the Desk of Kelly Riley, MPE Executive Director

In sitting down to write this article, I reviewed MPE’s eight principles of belief. Our first principle drives all that we do. It simply states, “The welfare of students must be placed above all other considerations. Our top priority is the education of children.” I quickly thought of “Miss Linda” Anglin, our dynamic founder, who so eloquently shared with those at our recent Best Practices Symposium, that “teachers make stepping stones.” Your work creates opportunities for your students. In reflecting back on this past school year, I hope you easily recall the opportunities you created for your students.

This issue of our MPE Journal is full of exciting news. We are celebrating the success of so many of our members, whether they have been recognized as their district’s Teacher of the Year, a STAR Teacher, or a recipient of an MPE scholarship. We’re honored to include an article from the Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE), as they celebrate the success of outstanding teacher candidates from each institution.

We’ve also included our traditional collage of pictures from our 2013 Best Practices Symposium. Those of you who were not able to join us missed an engaging and refreshing day. Dr. David Lee, our keynote speaker, received rave reviews. As one member shared on their evaluation, “The keynote speaker was phenomenal. Very motivational, as well as informative. Just what I needed at this point in the school year.” I hope you’ll go ahead and mark April 12, 2014, on your calendar and plan to join us for our 2014 Best Practices Symposium.

Your MPE Board of Directors gave many hours of service to our association this past year. I’d like to thank Sonya Swafford, Walter Moore and Jamie Jackson for their commitment to our association, as they rotated off of the board recently. We are very excited to welcome Ken Basil, Cheryl Howard and Regina Allen to the board. Deedre’ Coll, a K-1 teacher at Oak Grove Primary School in Lamar County, will serve as your 2013-2014 President. It promises to be another incredible year for MPE and our members.

Where did the 2012-2013 school year go? It is hard to believe that summer is upon us. The 2013-2014 school year will be here before we know it. If you are looking for professional development opportunities this summer, I hope you will visit the “Professional Development” section of our website at www.mpe.org to identify offerings in your area. Whether you are enjoying time with family, traveling or furthering your own professional growth this summer, I hope you will take some well-deserved time for yourself. You deserve it! Thank you for your continued membership in MPE. Enjoy your summer!

To contact Kelly Riley, please email her at kelly@mpe.org