Several students in various schools within the Picayune Separate Municipal School District were honored at Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Jr. High Teacher Tarva LaBustrie presented their winners of the Region I Science Fair held at the University of Southern Mississippi. Aliyah Morrison won sixth place for her submission on health and medicine, while Arianna Fiedl, Tanner Simmons and Darrell Hall brought home fourth place for their health and medicine submission. Kyle Stockstill, Sierra Delancey and Gracie Rawls also brought home fourth place for their microbiology submission. Mathew Nix and Marquis Roberts brought home third place for their zoology submission, LaBustrie said.

She said 20 students participated in the fair, which is an opportunity to be creative, think critically and be exempt from third nine weeks exams.

Nicholson Elementary also had some winners at the fair. Maureen Pollitz presented their winners, which included Cloe Burge and Marcos Magee, who brought home sixth and fifth place prizes respectively in the class I biochemistry category.

Maddi Moore brought home third place in class II biochemistry, Gracie Harveston brought home sixth place in class II botany, Taylor Fore brought home fourth place in class I chemistry, Kaydee Hensiek brought home fourth place in class II Earth, science and environmental science, Ethan Dobbs brought home fourth place in class II microbiology, Julia Catchings brought home sixth place in class II physics and Martin Springer brought home fourth place in class I zoology. 

Members of the school district’s high school and junior high bands also earned some recognition for their recent participation in the Gulf Coast Band Director’s Association Honor Band. 

High School Band Director John Cockrell said Brian Ross earned third chair second band, Tristan Baggett earned first chair first band, Brittany Alexander earned first chair first band, Rebecca Robin earned fourth chair second band, Peyton Stephens earned seventh chair second band, Andrew Bates earned third chair second band, Zach Alexander earned second chair second band and Collin Smith earned ninth chair first band. 

Cockrell said the students competed against 1,000 other students in the Gulf Coast region.

Additionally, Brittany Alexander earned a $1,000 McDonalds Scholarship while Stephens tried out for Lions Band against 93 other trumpet players and earned 15th chair. 

In other business James M. Bateman of EnviroTurf updated the board about his efforts to raise money to conduct improvements to the high school’s football field. 

Bateman said he was able to receive about $500,000 worth of donations or in kind services to have the work conducted, which would include digging out seven inches of dirt from the field, installing french drains and other drainage features, adding a limestone base and then installing rubber pellets to the base before installation of the artificial turf.

He asked the board to consider investing $150,000 of district funds to the project and he would agree to collect the promised donations. 

If additional donations are made to the established foundation to pay for the work, then the funds would remain in that account for future projects the district would like to conduct.

Board President Edward Stubbs told Bateman that Superintendent Dean Shaw would contact him by Wednesday with the board’s decision.

In other action the board approved a motion to apply for funds to conduct the summer feeding program.

The program provides meals to children who would otherwise not have access to meals during the summer months. Shaw said while the program has been conduced at South Side and Nicholson Elementary schools in the past, the program would be scaled back to just South Side theis year, with buses to transport students from the Nicholson area.

Shaw said 10,000 meals were provided through the program last summer.

The next board meeting will be April 28 at noon.