Page 22 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

COASTNOTES
Anola Club Celebrates
of Community Service
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photo courtesy of Anola Club
Anola Club members
ounded in 1943, Pascagoula’s Anola
Club and its members have tirelessly
dedicated themselves to the community. Amidst
the backdrop of World War II,
the Anola Club aimed to meet
the needs of people in the area, regardless of where they were from. In fact, the club made a point of hosting military men and women who were stationed on the Gulf Coast, holding dances and other events in their honor.
Today, the 35-member organization continues to better the lives of others through its monthly service projects and yearly initiatives, such as the
annual Chocolate & Champagne fundraiser. Some of their
current service projects include volunteering at the Jackson County Animal Shelter, serving hot meals at Our Daily Bread and raising money for student scholarships.
In celebration of their 75th anniversary, the club hosted a luncheon fashion show featuring Anola members modeling local fashions. “The fashion show was
a wonderful celebration of all our organization has accomplished these past 75 years,” said chairperson Betty Green. “For some members, being a part of the Anola Club is a third generation tradition — one that we hope will continue for many more.”
Long Beach Teacher WINS NATIONAL AWARD
story by Lynn Lofton
photo courtesy of Tara Meleones
Long Beach teacher Tara Meleones was recently honored with the
John Morton Teacher of Economics Excellence Award by the Council
for Economic Education. A fifth grade teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, Meleones and two other winners were selected for this national award by an expert panel of judges.
Meleones won the award for her lessons on entrepreneurship for fifth graders. “It’s a five-week unit where students, in groups of four or five, create their own businesses,” she said. “They come up with a product, create a business plan, obtain startup capital, and get a permit from our principal. Students then develop a marketing plan and sell their product during the school’s market days.”
Meleones is an art teacher who
fell in love with economics after Hurricane Katrina when she was asked to assist the sixth grade math teacher. She found information about the Stock Market Game and her economics teaching career was born.
That year, one of Meleones’ students won the state essay contest that goes with the Stock Market Game, and she won a trip to the Council for Economic Education convention. She’s still an art
teacher in addition to her economic education duties.
Other national award winners with Long Beach Teacher Tara Meleones (far right).
22 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2018
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