15 June ICC film students have exciting opportunities to learn their craft June 15, 2021 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 Itawamba Community College’s film students had an opportunity in Clarksdale recently to screen a documentary that has been a year in the making. The screening was presented at a conference entitled “Rolling on the River.” The film, “Flights of the Mississippi June Bugs: A Greater Truth in Money,” covers the intersection of life and art in the small delta town, which has three important connections, Bobbie Gentry, Emmett Till and Robert Johnson, according to ICC Films sponsor Morgan Cutturini. “The town has seen tragedy and musical greatness, both of which inspired much of modern American culture via rock-n-roll and the Civil Rights Movement.” The Tallahatchie Bridge, to which Gentry’s song “Ode to Billy Joe” refers, is in Money, where she lived just outside of town during her childhood. Till’s tortured body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River nearby, and his open-casket funeral helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. Bluesman Johnson, who is credited with inspiring rock-n-roll, is buried in a cemetery at Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Money Road. ICC’s film students began the project last May when Judge Michael P. Mills of Itawamba County and Oxford invited them to record a Mississippi June Bug conference in Money. Cutturini said the Society of Mississippi June Bugs is an “eclectic group of lawyers, judges, professors, business leaders and others who want to learn more about Mississippi literature, music and art.” The group also includes Sen. Roger Wicker and his wife, Gayle; Mona Mills; former Rep. Steve Holland; attorney/entrepreneur Bill Luckett and his wife, Francine; Miss. Senator Hob Bryan; former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James L. Robertson and his wife, Linda; Ole Miss Professor Emeritus Charles Reagan Wilson; Ole Miss Law Professor Hans Sinha, film producer Clark Richey; actress Amye Gousset; entrepreneur Rubye Del Harden; and blues historian Sylvester Hoover and his wife, Mary. Once a year, usually in June, the group meets at a symposium where members present their papers to discuss a significant Mississippi cultural event, and in 2020, they presented papers relating to Money. ICC’s documentary also chronicles the first Mississippi June Bug Conference in Cambridge, Mass. in 2019, where members traveled to conduct a symposium on William Faulkner’s novel, “The Sound and the Fury.” Boston filmmaker Jeremiah Sjoberg recorded the conference, and Dr. Philip Meredith of Jackson produced the recording, which ICC’s film students used in the documentary about the June Bugs. Filmmakers who worked on ICC’s documentary include Telexus Miller of Aberdeen; Peyton Tackett of Hamilton; James Puckett, Baileigh McGillivray, both of Mooreville; Dashanna Harper of Nettleton; Justin Gary of New Albany; Makel Gandy and Matthew Hearn, both of Okolona; Caleb Hall, Charlie Wright, both of Pontotoc; Kylie Seymore of Smithville; Bailey Phillips and Graham Holliday, both of Tupelo. At last weekend’s conference, ICC’s students filmed the June Bug members who presented papers on Tennessee Williams. The symposium ended with a concert performed by members of the June Bug band at Ground Zero Blues Club. Co-owner Morgan Freeman joined the band on stage for “Let’s Stay Together,” which was originally recorded by Al Green. At both conferences, former ICC film students trained current students in various areas of filmmaking. The students are editing this year’s conference video, and the current documentary will be available on YouTube in July. Related Articles Adult learners who plan to attend ICC in the spring have scholarship opportunities Adult learners who plan to attend Itawamba Community College in the spring 2024 have two scholarship opportunities for financial support. They include ICC’s Adult Learner Incentive and the statewide Complete 2 Compete. ICC’s Adult Learner Incentive scholarship, which provides $2,000 ($500 per semester) for full-time students and $1,000 ($250 per semester) for part-time, is designed to provide an incentive for returning or new students, age 21, or older to pursue a degree at ICC. Criteria for selection include enrollment in a minimum of 12 hours (scholarship can be reduced to $25o per semester for part-time – six hours – status), meeting admission requirements and in good standing at ICC. The application deadline is Jan. 15, and the form is available at www.apply.iccms.edu. To find out more about the Adult Learner Incentive scholarship, contact Candace Thomas, assistant director of Financial Aid, at cdthomas@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8261. Qualification requirements for the C2C grant include at least 21 years of age but no greater than 59, Mississippi residency and U.S. citizenship, household income that meets the Grant Household Income Guidelines and ... Adult learners who enroll at ICC in the fall have two scholarship opportunities for financial support Adult learners who plan to attend Itawamba Community College in the fall have two scholarship opportunities for financial support. They include ICC’s Adult Learner Incentive and the statewide Complete 2 Compete. ICC’s Adult Learner Incentive scholarship, which provides $2,000 ($500 per semester) for full-time students and $250 for part-time), is designed to provide an incentive for returning or new students, age 21, or older to pursue a degree at ICC. Criteria for selection include enrollment in a minimum of 12 hours (scholarship can be reduced to $25o per semester for part-time – six hours – status), meeting admission requirements and in good standing at ICC. The application deadline is Aug. 15, and the form is available at www.apply.iccms.edu. To find out more about the Adult Learner Incentive scholarship, contact Candace Thomas, assistant director of Financial Aid, at cdthomas@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8261. Qualification requirements for the C2C grant include at least 21 years of age but no greater than 59, Mississippi residency and U.S. citizenship, household income that meets the Grant Household Income Guidelines and financial responsibility for a ... ICC Welding/Cutting students celebrate their career path every day Although the nation commemorates April as National Welding Month, students in Kent Lewis’s Welding and Cutting Technology class at Itawamba Community College’s Belden Center celebrate their career path and ultimate profession every day. This year’s theme is “Connected by Welding: Bridging Communities and Industries,” and ICC’s students definitely do. According to Dylan Baldwin, dean of Career Education, ICC’s welding students are an excellent example of the definition of community partners. “They contribute to worthwhile events and charities while sharing their talents as often as possible. Every project provides an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity while honing their skills in their chosen profession.” ICC’s welding students come from different backgrounds and have different career expectations, but they are bound by their love and passion for welding. Among their stories have included “I’m hooked on a hobby that I can have for a lifetime. My grandfather was a welder, and I would have made him proud. I can feel his arms on mine when I stick weld.” Some hope to start their own business, but no matter their story, their chance meeting in ... Three years later...Neither ICC nor TPSD could have imagined magnitude of Middle College success Three years ago, neither Itawamba Community College nor the Tupelo Public School District could have imagined the magnitude of success of its Middle College partnership. The accelerated journey to simultaneously achieving diplomas from both institutions has grown significantly, according to Brittany Terrell, transition counselor. “When reflecting on the past three years of the Middle College program, I am proud of the success these students have shown. I have witnessed students come out of their shell and find confidence in their academic abilities. Not only have they blossomed academically, but they are heavily involved with ICC’s extracurriculars, clubs and organizations.” Jay Salters of Tupelo, who received both his Tupelo High School and Itawamba Community College diplomas last spring, was president of the Tupelo Campus Student Government Association, one of only 12 members selected by faculty and staff members to the prestigious Hall of Fame and a member of the ICC Indian Delegation and a THS Ambassador. He was invited into membership in both Phi Theta Kappa (ICC) and the National Honor Society (THS). However, he’s not the only example. Austin Acosta, currently a ... Adult learners have opportunity to take advantage of C2C program at ICC Adult learners who haven’t completed work for a college degree can return to Itawamba Community College this fall and possibly take advantage of the Complete 2 Compete program. An initiative of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, Complete 2 Compete concentrates on removing barriers that keep adult learners from returning to complete their degrees. Since its inception in 2017, the program assisted more than 2,100 former students in returning to complete their degrees, and more than 4,000 former students, who had not been enrolled in classes for more than two years, were enrolled on a fast path to degree completion. To date, 91 associate’s degrees have been awarded by Itawamba Community College through the C2C program, said Dr. Emily Tucker, ICC recruitment coordinator and adviser and liaison for the C2C program. ICC participants in the C2C program have received $539.344.76 in C2C grant money to date. Additional figures show that 349 total students have been enrolled through the C2C program, and 75 in 2021. Among ... ICC celebrates April as National Welding Month; students in Metallica class share their stories Chris Adair of Saltillo is a student in Itawamba Community College’s welding class that has been funded by a grant from Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands. He and his classmates as well as all students in ICC’s welding classes are joining in the celebration of April as National Welding Month. Adair said that enrolling in the class was a great opportunity to learn welding. “I’m hooked on a hobby that I can have for a lifetime.” His grandfather was a welder for both the Navy and NASA. “I would have made my grandfather proud. I can feel his arms on mine when I stick weld.” A general studies graduate in 2018, Adair said he didn’t know what his future would bring. He said he spent a lot of time playing video games. “I didn’t know what to do. I saw the opportunity and decided to go for it. I was nervous at first, but I’ve started a hobby that I enjoy.” Adair and his classmates have different stories, but their chance meeting in ICC’s welding class has given them ... Comments are closed.