Finish Strong Mid-Year Back to School Kickoff

The holiday break is almost over for students on the Coast. However, the ‘Finish Strong Mid-Year Back to School’ kick-off took place to encourage children and parents in South Mississippi to end the school year on a good note.

Gulfport native and military vet Jeffrey Hulum III has a passion for helping the youth. Traveling to different countries and helping children overseas encouraged him to start the ‘Extend a Hand, Help a Friend’ Foundation. “I said, ‘What would it be like to have a mid-year school drive in my own hometown community and just call it ‘Finish Strong.’ This could be the deal breaker of a kid graduating or not graduating or a kid going to the next grade.”

This event gave students the opportunity to listen to local leaders such as Quitman School District Superintendent Toriano Holloway about being successful in the classroom. “Education is important. It’s the foundation of our kid’s future. They need to hear that message.”

The back to school kickoff also caught the attention of parents on the Coast. Gulfport School District Director of Technology Tracy Daniel-Hardy discussed issues of cyber bullying and social media safety. While Laurel School District Superintendent Toy Watts addressed the importance of parents being involved and invested in their children’s education. “It’s always an appropriate time to talk about those things because kids are inundated with technology. They love social media. We just need them to be safe,” said Daniel-Hardy.

Watts said, “I want to talk to parents about what that looks like. It’s not what everybody believes it is. It can look different for different people. The point is to just do it.”

After each speaker inspired the children, every student left with a variety of school supplies to kick-off the second half of the school year. “This is my passion. Anybody that asks what makes me happy, what makes me happy is helping someone who can’t help themselves and that’s a kid. Who am I to not give back to my community from an educational standpoint,” said Hulum.