��«Ӱҵ

RAYMOND – Keeping moms and dads happy is part of the deal when helping prospective students choose a college.

Nicholas Demarest, center, of Brandon, talks with Laurie George during the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. With him is his mother, Colleen Demarest. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)

“There’s so much to offer here with all the programs available,” said Colleen Demarest, who with her son, Nicholas, a Brandon High School senior, at this year’s Thursday Night Lights pregame recruiting event Oct. 10. “It still feels close and friendly here even with all that’s here.”

Talking business with faculty about their child’s education comes just as easy as the fellowship, said Candice Garror, of Clinton, whose daughter, Julia Jordan, brought fellow Clinton High School classmate Ella Ballenger along to check out ��«Ӱҵ’ offerings.

“This is very organized,” Garror said. “There’s lots of information at each table.”

The annual recruiting event is a chance for prospective students and their families to find out about the college’s academic transfer programs and more than 80 career and technical program options. Faculty and staff in booths set up across from Joe Renfroe Stadium offered an array of information on housing, athletics, honors program opportunities, and the college’s multitude of other activities outside of the classroom.

Tiffany Fields, left, and her son Ryan Fields, both of Clinton, speak with ��«Ӱҵ Connection student Glyn Heath, also of Clinton, during the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)

“Thursday Night Lights is a great event for high school seniors because they get to meet so many ��«Ӱҵ faculty and staff members. Guests receive a lot of information about ��«Ӱҵ, but we also have a lot of fun,” said Kathryn Cole, district director of Enrollment Services. “We kick back and relax, enjoy a special band performance, and cheer for the Eagles at the football game.”

The information students receive from faculty often help put a wide range of interests into sharper focus as they transition to college-level studies.

“I’m pursuing music and vocal performance,” said Ryan Fields, of Clinton, a senior at Christian Academy, attending with his mother, Tiffany Fields. “Music allows you to be expressive, whether happy or sad.”

Katlyn Moreland, of Jackson, a senior at Mount Salus Christian Academy, looks forward to lively discussions in her upcoming college classes in topics such as law and political science.

“I like to know the ‘why’ with certain issues,” Moreland said. “I’m inquisitive and like to ask questions.”

For more information on what ��«Ӱҵ can offer to upcoming high school graduates, go to and click on the Apply Now tab, Cole said.

• 

  Ella Ballenger, left, and Julia Jordan, right, both of Clinton, enjoy the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. Ballenger and Jordan are seniors at Clinton High School. With them was Jordan's mother, Candice Garror, center. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)

• 

  Dr. Bernice Spurlock, Nutrition and Food Science instructor, speaks with Katlyn Moreland, of Jackson, a senior at Mt. Salus Christian Academy, during the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)

• 

  Kristin Furdge, center, of Terry, talks with Cindy West, dean of Career and Technical Education at ��«Ӱҵ Raymond Campus, during the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. With her are her parents, Richard and Daphne Green. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)

• 

  Zoie Lee, Endia Kelly, Chassidy Crump and Kelia Anderson, all seniors at Terry High School, enjoy the Thursday Night Lights recruiting event. (��«Ӱҵ/April Garon)