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Situated in the northeast corner of Mississippi, Booneville is a town of around 8000 citizens who are part of "one big neighborhood" according to the Chamber of Commerce. A small town by some standards, this community has much to offer including a top-ranked community college, a large hospital, and 41 industries. The community also has been certified as a Mississippi Hometown Retirement City and is a Mississippi Main Street Program City. One of the attractions in Booneville is its Historic Downtown section. The Train Depot was built in 1913 and currently houses the Chamber of Commerce. Booneville's history dates to before the Civil War. Records show, for example, that the first depot in Booneville was built before the Civil War and destroyed in the battle of Booneville in 1862.
History and progress go hand in hand in Booneville. The Middle School campus has as part of its physical plant an Environmental Education Center that cost approximately $3.5 million when construction was completed in 1998. The building is energy efficient with its geo-thermal heating and cooling system, and the 23,000 sq. ft. of space is environmentally designed. Classrooms in this building are all equipped with the latest technology including an interactive video system, multimedia computers and video data projection systems at each teacher's station, and nine multimedia computers for students' use. The science lab is equipped with science probes and monitoring equipment for biological and physiological studies.
Part of the Environmental Education Center includes the Earth Studies Auditorium that has a seating capacity of 287 and is equipped with a large multimedia screen, a high-tech sound system, Internet access, and state-of-the-art lighting. The auditorium is the setting for various school productions and activities. It is also available for community use year round. A recent addition being built on campus is an Observatory that will house a large telescope donated by the U. S. Navy Oceanographic Command at Stennis Space Center.
Everything is not totally high-tech at Booneville. Students plant vegetable and ornamental gardens, grow berries, and do other landscaping projects including the building of a large gazebo in the center of campus. They also build and maintain natural history display cases in the atrium of the Earth Studies Center. Mrs. Brenda Scott and her STEP students maintain a small goldfish pond and fountain in the foyer of the Environmental Center. This is not the typical middle school entrance hall by any means!
The Booneville School District has achieved Level V accreditation in the state of Mississippi. Over 400 students in 5th through 8th grades attend the middle school. Booneville's vision is to help students become life-long learners who will be able to interact successfully in a technological environment. They have taken great strides toward accomplishing that vision.
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