The Boys and Girls Club participated in a weeklong camp hosted by Neshoba Now!

By Jace Henderson at The Neshoba Democrat

Children from the Boys and Girls Club took part in a weeklong camp hosted by Neshoba Now! last week.

The new Neshoba Now! nonprofit gave students a chance to dive into music, art, dance, and hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) activities.

“Neshoba Now! is a brand-new nonprofit, and its purpose is to enhance the lives of every single person in this county,” Director of Arts Shawn Byars said. “We are wanting to do so through the arts, music, dance, as well as STEAM projects.”

The camp offered a variety of activities throughout the week. Byars said more details on who is behind the nonprofit will be announced later.

Director of Education Krissy Long led STEAM projects in which students built their own musical instruments using the scientific engineering design process.

“One group wanted to make a guitar, and they noticed on their own that guitar strings have different pitches,” Long said.

She said students explored how the tightness of a rubber band affected pitch and successfully created a working guitar. Other groups built instruments too, including a tambourine made from lids, rice, and beans.

Students even designed their own performance stage during the week with help from Miss Neshoba County Fair Ashton Luke.

The camp also incorporated art projects connected to singer Mavis Staples, who is scheduled to perform at the Ellis Theater on Oct. 15.

Byars said a mural honoring Staples will be unveiled during her visit, and students created sunflower artwork that will be included in a book being prepared for her.

“The mural is going to be about her song ‘Uncloudy Day,'” Byars said. “Throughout the summer, we will be encouraging them to imagine, think about, and create illustrations of images that bring to mind an uncloudy day.”

Local artist Hunter Thrash helped the students draw and color sunflowers inspired by one of his own murals.

“I started painting in the second grade through the talented and gifted program and never expected that skill would eventually lead to creating two large murals in Philadelphia,” Thrash said. “I encouraged them to embrace opportunities and to learn new things because you never know which skill or passion will open doors later in life.”

Dekota Cheatham joined Long in reading one of their “Watson” books to students and provided copies as gifts. Local musicians Philip Savell and Calvin Williams also visited and performed for the students.

Program Coordinator Amechia Carter introduced students to roller skating, which is something organizers hope to include in future camps.

“They’re really drawn to the skating,” Carter said. “We hope to be able to incorporate that into what we’re doing for the community because they really gravitate toward it.”

The camp wrapped up with a special visit from Marty Stuart, Doug Hudson, and Fred Siegel. Campers danced and performed for Stuart before ending the week with slime-making and ice cream.

Organizers said the week was designed to build teamwork, confidence, and creative thinking.

“At the very beginning, so many of them said, ‘What do we do? Where do we start?” Long said. “They came together, and they worked as a team.”

Long said students learned that it’s easier to work as a team, everybody makes mistakes, and every problem has a solution.

Byars said she hopes the students left camp with confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

“I want them to have fun and feel good about themselves,” Byars said. “We did a lot of teamwork activities, and we stretched them. They grew.”

Organizers said opportunities like this camp help expose local youth to possibilities they may not otherwise encounter.

“Kids don’t really see how they can relate to big-time success,” Carter said. “The more avenues we give children to travel toward good things, the better chances that they are successful in the future.”

Marlee Washington, Distinguished Young Woman of Neshoba County 2025 and a summer intern with Neshoba Now!, said opportunities like the camp were not always available locally.

“I had to go all the way to Starkville to attend an engineering camp like this one,” Washington said. “For something like this to come here, it’s kind of full circle for them to be able to experience it.”

Organizers plan to continue the program with additional camps scheduled for June 29 through July 2 and July 13 through July 17.

Neshoba Now! envisions a county where students imagine broader horizons, families have access to modern tools and resources, and communities build pride through connection, creativity, and shared purpose. The initiative aims to create a practical, measurable, and replicable model that begins in Neshoba County and can later be adapted to underserved and economically challenged communities nationwide.