The Pascagoula School District has a very big reason to celebrate. For the second year in a row, the school district, which encompasses schools in Pascagoula and Gautier, has been named one of the nation's 100 best communities for young people.
To celebrate today's announcement, the Pascagoula and Gautier High School bands, choirs and cheerleaders will perform for the crowd prior to the national announcement. The official announcement from Washington D.C. will take place at 11 a.m. The Family Interactive Center gym features a large movie screen where we will be able to watch the telecast live from our nation's capital.
WLOX News broke the news about Pascagoula on Good Morning Mississippi. We were joined by Marguerite Kondracke, the CEO of America's Promise Alliance. She celebrated Pascagoula's success by saying, "It's wonderful to see the whole community in Pascagoula coming together for their kids."
Last year the Pascagoula School District nominated the community of Pascagoula for the honor which it won becoming the first community in the state to win. Since the school district encompasses both the cities of Pascagoula and Gautier, this year the entry was submitted as a school district and was notified last week of its winning entry, becoming the first and only school district in the state to win the award.
America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING competition, now in its fifth cycle, rewards and recognizes communities making extraordinary efforts to reduce high school dropout rates and provide outstanding services and support for youth.
America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth.
There is no ranking system within the 100 Best winners (i.e. one community isn't "#1") and 100 Best does not mean "perfect." Rather, it identifies communities that are committed to improving graduation rates and making a better life for children and youth. For more information about the program, visit AmericasPromise.org/100best.
The 100 Best honors communities large and small, rural and urban, that are making progress to help young people achieve their potential, which includes earning a high school diploma, securing a good job, and playing an active, productive role in America's economic vitality.
This year, more than 300 communities from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were nominated for the 100 Best distinction.
The winners are a diverse group from 39 different states, ranging from small communities like Landfall, MN, to large cities like New York. There are 29 first-time winning communities and 22 five-time winning communities.
WLOX News will cover the watch party when Pascagoula celebrates its achievement. We'll have reaction to the city being one of America's 100 best communities for children on WLOX News at WLOX.com.
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