MCC Homecoming 2021 offers games, tributes, royalty
From gowns to T-shirts and golf to baseball, Meridian Community College’s Homecoming 2021 promises to offer a myriad of activities for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community.
It’s a calendar-packed week beginning Monday, March 22, and continuing through Saturday, March 27, as various campus departments prepare for a one-of-a-kind experience. Leia Hill, vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the MCC Foundation, said plans for the week emerged from collaborative efforts with a purpose in mind. “We started with a desire to offer a true homecoming experience for our alumni and create a week full of positive memories for our students,” she said.
The vision for Homecoming 2021 started with Chris Haralson, MCC's sports information director. “He outlined a week highlighting multiple athletic programs and combined those activities with the efforts of our Office of Student Engagement and our newly-formed Alumni Association. From the Eagle's Nest Bookstore to campus life, we all jumped in to create a week we believe will be truly memorable,” Hill said.
She added the College’s signature events – such as the Hall of Fame induction ceremony – will add to the tradition, but there will be more in the offering. “Homecoming 2021 will include a week full of activities for our students and a weekend focused on our alumni, culminating in our first-ever baseball homecoming. I promise you won't want to miss this opportunity to re-connect with MCC. We invite you to come home to Meridian Community College,” she added.
Students are encouraged to dress up on theme-designated days; faculty, staff and students will decorate campus doors for competition, and unique Olympics-style games will have the freshmen battling the sophomores.
On Thursday, March 27, the College’s iconic building will be the focal point for the Ivy-Scaggs Hall dedication ceremony that will get underway at 1 p.m. Also, on Thursday, beginning at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater, the Hall of Fame ceremony and reception will fete MCCers Neil Henry, Wanda McPhail, Michele Smith and Dr. Reginald Sykes. Homecoming court members will be recognized as well.
On Friday, March 26, the MCC Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament will tee off at 1 p.m. at Briarwood Country Club.
Homecoming at Scaggs Field will begin on Saturday, March 27, with the Alumni Association Opening Reception and the 20-year Ivy League Recruiter Reunion Reception set for at 1 p.m. at the Quave Student Life Center. College personnel will greet alumni, and there will be refreshments and giveaways.
Eagle baseball action begins at 2 p.m. when MCC battles Coahoma Community College at Scaggs Field. The 2021 Homecoming Court will be presented, and the queen crowned at 4:30 p.m.
Members of the court include freshmen maids Callie Cowan of Gautier, Kathryn Isabelle Marshall of Collinsville and Rileigh Marlow and Emily Williams, both of Meridian. Sophomore maids are Daetreeona Chante’ Johnson, Morgan Marlow, Jimmyia Smith and Ambreah Waters, all of Meridian. Rounding out the court are Sadie Johnson of Quitman, flower girl, and Madden Minchew of Meridian, crown bearer.