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July 30, 2010  |  Email This Page

Imagine moving here with children in middle school. Their principal would be the state's "2008 Principal of the Year," and according to Health Magazine, they would be enrolled in the "2^nd Healthiest School in America." Going on to Amory High, they would be covered by a blanket insurance policy to protect them if they were injured in any school-related activity. As seniors, they would get a free laptop computer at AHS. The entire town is Wi-Fi. Upon graduation, your children will be offered free college tuition at impressive Itawamba Community College.

The closer you look at our schools, they keep getting better: According to Amory Schools Superintendent Jim Sappington, every administrator (including himself) in the district makes four personal visits each semester to homes of children considered "at risk" (if this is needed). The middle school offers the option of same gender classes during this important time of a child's development. In 2008, a $600,000 grant was awarded to promote a "Safe Routes to School" program that encourages walking and bike-riding to school for all the students in the district to battle a nationwide concern about childhood obesity.

Numerous AP and "Mississippi Virtual School" honors courses are available for our most talented students. Amory High’s Drama Club is the only high school to ever perform at the Memphis Orpheum Theater.

Public Schools so good that no long-standing private academies have had a presence here. In Monroe County our schools are beloved – just go to a high school football game on Friday nights in the fall and see how close-knit and friendly a community can be!

"If you believe in yourself and have pride and dedication, and never quit, you'll be a winner." - Bear Bryant

Monroe County offers 2 excellent school districts for our families. Amory School District serves about 1,900 students at Amory High (a 3A-classified 530 students), Middle, an upper elementary (grades 3-5), lower elementary (Pre-K through 2) and a vocational school. Monroe County School District (MCSD) serves the broader county with three "Attendence Center" campuses, which are K-12: The Smithville and Hamilton Attendence Centers total 700 students and the largest is Hatley at 1,100 students. Of all high schools in the county, in 2008 Hatley High scored the highest on the state grading system: a 4.7 of 5. MCSD also offers a unique "Advanced Learning Center" as well as a County Vocational Center which is adjacent to our county airport just south of Amory. The high schools in MCSD are classified as 2A.

"At the time my wife and I were looking for a position our children were 6 and 4. I grew up in a Western Tennessee town where the better schools were private. We specifically wanted a community with excellent public schools and Amory met this need as well as all the others we wanted." - Kam Otey, MD

"One of the greatest underlying qualities of this community is how we handle our cultural diversity. You don’t see cultural divisions here." - Jim Sappington

"Not only are we culturally diverse, but all the church groups are together – there are no church or neighborhood cliques in Amory." - Cheryl Moore

"People here wave and speak to each other, even if they don't know who they are speaking to. My girls love the freedom they have to roam outside (we have 10 acres of land) and I love the fact that I don't have watch their
every move to make sure they are safe." - Tim Dickerson

"With more than $1 Billion in industrial investment in Monroe County between 2009-2010, we will establish a tax base on which many county programs will be grown and improved. Regarding our schools, they are already a model for our state; imagine what they will be in 10 years with these new funds!" - Tony Green, Chamber of Commerce

"ICC is one of the premiere community colleges in the nation. We have experienced double digit increases in enrollment each year over the past 10 years. I would people considering our area not to believe the stereotype of Mississippi seen in movies and media where Mississippi is portrayed in movies and the media. Northeast Mississippi is a very progressive area with caring, compassionate people." - David Cole, PhD

Meet our Educators:

Jim Sappington
Superintendent
Amory School District

Scott Cantrell
Superintendent
Monroe County SD

David Cole, PhD
Itawamba Community College
ICC's Role in our Area

The Amory School District – Panther Pride is strong in Amory!

David Poss
Principal
Amory High
Invitation to Parents

Chris and Dane
Amory High Seniors
Student Body President & An Eagle Scout
Prepared for Life!

Cheryl Moore
'08 Principal of the Year
Amory Middle School
Reassurance to
Families

More on the Amory School District

The Monroe County School District – The Attendance Center Difference and its proven results

Tim Dickerson
Principal
Advanced Learning Center
Pooling the Top Talent

Dylan, Rob, and Caitlin
Seniors
Hatley High School
Notes for New Kids

Van Pearson
Principal
Hatley High School
"We see 'em grow"

More on the Monroe County School District

Was that free college tuition? You bet. The entire town is Wi-Fi? Uh-huh.

The Gilmore Foundation, serving Amory, Monroe County and all of Northeast Mississippi, offers compelling grant programs for the betterment of our area; its modern 2007 $2.8 million campus and conference center is in downtown Amory next to our remodeled (2008) $1.4 million Amory Regional Museum. The locally-governed, private-sector foundation started in 1916 grew to over $30 million-plus after the sale of the hospital to its parent company, HMA. Beginning in 2007, $17 million in construction has been funded by the foundation for a variety of projects. Much of its work directly relates to our children. More on the Gilmore Foundation

Itawamba Community College
Information and Campus Tour

Located in Fulton, the Itawamba County Seat, ICC is approximately 30 minutes north of Amory on SR 25. This very charming "college town" embraces the school. ICC is impressive, with a modern and spacious campus and facilities. Its Allied Health program graduates are professionals who support Gilmore Memorial.

Amory High Football Friday
A Perfect Autumn night, and a Win!

So popular, there is reserved seating with season ticket holders. Amory is home to multiple state champions and hometown of Will Hall, the 2003 Harlon Hill Award Winner – the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy as quarterback for the University of North Alabama. On campus is its privately-funded $300,000 field house.

Starkville
(49 miles)

Oxford
(67 miles)

We are about an hour from the two top state colleges in our state, and a 2 hour drive to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa – close to 3 major colleges of the Southeastern Conference. The SEC is the perennial college sports conference in the NCAA for major college football, basketball and more. Besides attending their games, we enjoy their music, cultural and performing arts programs which add to our social calendars, and Tupelo has a University of Mississippi extension, just up the street from us! The prestigious Mississippi University for Women is 40 miles to our south in Columbus. These colleges and their features are close and we enjoy them frequently!

Resources/Websites (in order of appearance):

www.amoryschools.com
Health Magazine, 9/2008 PDF
(Amory Middle is #2 Healthiest School)
Monroe County Schools: www.mcsd.us
State Education Department: www.mde.k12.ms.us
ICC: www.icc.cc.ms.us
www.gilmorefoundation.org
www.msstate.edu
www.olemiss.edu
www.outreach.olemiss.edu/tupelo
University of Alabama: www.ua.edu
Mississippi University for Women: www.muw.edu

With the exception of four photos from ICC Sports, all the photos in this section were taken specifically for this recruitment website over a 5 day production visit for this entire virtual presentation of our hospital and our region – this shows how all of this is so easily accessible, but also the hospitality of our educators. Everyone we asked was happy to be a part of this and Gilmore Memorial truly appreciates the time they took from their busy days to make it so special. Thank you!

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