MS House Speaker White tours Hayes Cooper Center at DSU

by Nathan Duff

Cleveland, MS (08/12/2024) — Contact: Christy Riddle FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: (662) 846-4336

Email: criddle@deltastate.edu

MS House Speaker White tours Hayes Cooper Center at DSU

CLEVELAND, Miss. - Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Jason White was on the campus of Delta State University Friday, August 9 to tour the new home of The Hayes Cooper Center (HCC), a K-6 magnet school within the Cleveland School District which relocated to the DSU campus after the Center's campus in Merigold was extensively damaged by fire on April 11.

Speaker White and a delegation from his office along with Mississippi Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons, Mississippi District 13 Representative Sarita Simmons, Cleveland Mayor Billy Nowell and Delta State President Dr. Daniel J. Ennis toured HCC to see the renovations made to help ensure the needs of the students were met. White said, "The success of the Delta is vitally important to every aspect of everything we do as a state. This is about being sure we have our finger on the pulse of this huge swath of our state here and all the things it supports from an economic standpoint to quality-of-life issues, and higher education as well. We are excited to be here."

HCC Principal Sonya Burford said, "We want to show Speaker White that this is going to work. Being on campus at DSU makes so many things available that are within walking distance for field trips. We get to show the kids new things that they have never been exposed to."

Delta State renovated Kethley Hall over the summer to become the new home of HCC. DSU Vice President for Finance & Administration Dr. Edwin Craft has worked closely with HCC and Cleveland School District administrators to prepare the campus for the start of the school year. He said, "I think it is amazing when a community comes together to meet the needs of the student population and the people of the Delta. We really were able to do a lot in a very short amount of time."

Cleveland School District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Bramuchi said, "We have had a great first week. It has gone shockingly smoothly."

Cleveland Mayor Billy Nowell said, "With the leadership they have here at HCC and Delta State, I know that they are in good hands. The whole town is excited about it. It's great to see all the young life running around here. It means the world to a lot of people."

Bramuchi indicated to White that she hopes the state legislature will continue to prioritize the needs of school districts in the less-populated areas of the state. She said, "In Cleveland, our bonding capacity is only 32.8 million dollars. You can't really build much with that, and our schools are old. We went through a terrible ordeal, but it is a new day at Hayes Cooper. This is a really unique situation, and I just want to thank Speaker White for coming to look."

White said, "One good thing about Mississippi is that, since there are so few of us, and we do have so many challenges, that we have gotten pretty good at bobbing and weaving and punching above our weight class a little bit. I hate the circumstances that led to Hayes Cooper having to think outside the box so radically, but it has made our policy makers think outside the box as well about possibilities and what could be. We want to see this work and be a model for some other places and regions in our state where partnerships like this make a whole lot of sense."

DSU President Dr. Daniel J. Ennis said, "We are so glad to be able to provide a home for the Hayes Cooper Center in this time of need and we look forward to the opportunities that this partnership will foster."

Cutline: (L to R) Cleveland School District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Bramuchi, DSU President Dr. Daniel J. Ennis and Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Jason White toured HCC's new facility on the DSU campus on Friday, August 9.

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