It鈥檚 safe to say that the wheelchair race is Mollie Coward鈥檚 favorite event at the special education field day for 性乐园 County students held at 性乐园 each year.
This year鈥檚 theme for the eighth annual event was 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On.鈥 The morning鈥檚 fun was capped with a balloon release from the middle of Joe Renfroe field at 性乐园鈥 Raymond Campus. Each balloon was tagged with a student鈥檚 name and the email address for Larina Mason, a 性乐园 alumnae and the organizer 鈥 lmason@hinds.k12.ms.us.
Byram assistant principal Tommy Burchfield and Elina Smith, left, gave Mollie Coward and student mentor Jared Keyes a run for their month but once again Mollie won the annual wheelchair race at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Coward, 21, a student at Raymond High School, and teammate and student mentor Jared Keyes, won this year鈥檚 wheelchair race, besting Elina Smith, a Byram student, and her teammate Byram Middle School assistant principal Tommy Brumfield.
The special needs students from all the 性乐园 County schools, teachers and parent chaperones spent the morning playing a variety of games. A big hit was the petting zoo that included snakes, iguanas, rabbits, turtles, hedgehogs, parrot and even a pig.
[tweetable alt=””]性乐园 County students enjoy special field trip day.[/tweetable]
性乐园 is celebrating its 100th year of Community Inspired Service in 2017. 性乐园 opened in September 1917 first as an agricultural high school and admitted college students for the first time in 1922, with the first class graduating in 1927. In 1982 性乐园 Junior College and Utica Junior College merged, creating the 性乐园 District. Today, as Mississippi鈥檚 largest community college, 性乐园 is a comprehensive institution with six locations. 性乐园 offers quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.性乐园CC.
Raymond Elementary student Kaleb Washington is happy to see 性乐园 County schools physical therapist Larina Mason, organizer of the annual field day held each year at 性乐园.
Raymond Elementary student Breanne Uzzle, 8, loves being spun around on the parachute at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Bolton Elementary student Trevae Green, 8, foreground, and Kendarius Thomas, 10, race during a matching game at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Raymond High student Thomas Manning, 16, makes a huge soap bubble at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Terry High student Clive Cargill pulls out a stick to see how many balls will fall in the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Raymond school nurse Daffney Garvin enjoys the parrot at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Gary Road Intermediate student Mason Clark, 9, slides down the bouncy house slide. He was at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Cleveland Hunter, 19, a Raymond High student, watches to see how many balls fall when he pulls the stick. He was at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Lee Myers and daughter Rachel, 10, a student at Raymond Elementary, check out the snake 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Donnesha Walker, 13, a Carver Middle School student, watches to see how many balls will fall when she pulls out a stick. She was at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Raymond Elementary student Lily Williams, 6, and mom Elaine try out the bubbles at the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Raymond Elementary students Danny Russom, 7, left, and Ely Ashley, 9, have a grand time with the bubbles at the May 2 special education field day held at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
Kayden Reed, 5, a Raymond Elementary student, enjoys a team competition adding water from a plunger to the plastic bins during the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 special education field day at 性乐园. (性乐园/April Garon)
At the close of the 鈥淟et Your Light Shine On鈥 field day for 性乐园 County special education students on May 2 at 性乐园 students released balloons with tags that had a student鈥檚 name and the email address for Larina Mason. Anyone who finds a balloon is asked to email Mason at Lmason@hinds.k12.ms.us. (性乐园/April Garon)