Spotted doing good, hosting a community clean up day for Keep Copiah County Beautiful. Volunteers (l to r) are Isaac Heggins (age 15); Cathy Stroud, director of Keep Copiah Beautiful; and Sharon Langley. (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale) Kinsley’s Dazzle Co. is all set up at C&L Treasures in Wesson, and she is so excited to her very own business and sell some glitter! She makes her products herself and comes up with color combos she thinks buyers will love. (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale) Sweet treats, sweeter people! "Pops" and AJ Jackson of Destiny's Delights and Power Insulation, the heart behind Destiny's Delights — a new family-owned and operated bakery in the heart of downtown Wesson (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale) A CEO who sweeps his own floor - Ricky Breazeale, CEO at Grace Foam Solutions (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale) Sawyer Chambers enjoying lunch from Firehouse BBQ and the Wesson Park (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale) Spotted downtown - Parker and Christy Shaw enjoying a recent beautiful day shopping and hanging out. (Photo credit: Jessica Breazeale)

By Misty Strieff Prine “Nobody every talks about this part…You know, the part where you’re no longer a caterpillar and not yet a butterfly. You don’t know who you are, and you don’t know where you’re going. All you know is that every fiber of your being is calling for transformation. For disruption. For a revolution of the spirit. So, surrender. Breakdown. This is not the death of you. This is the dying of who you once were. This is your rebirth, darling. And these are called, “growing pains.” – Unknown. This is SO beautiful to me. The middle stage, that in between, is often the most difficult part...the part where the change takes place. It’s so hard and you must learn some really tough life lessons there. We’ll call them “growing pains”. I think we’ve all been in a season of “growing pains” at some point in our lives. In those seasons, we’ve learned a lot of difficult lessons and ones that we should be able to apply to upcoming situations in our lives. You know that God uses those times to prepare us for what He knows we will have to face so we need to really look for the lesson we stand to learn while we walk in those valleys. It’s sure can be hard in those valleys but it’s beautiful after God gets you through them (because HE WILL) and I promise you, when you look back, you will rise and you will be amazed at how God truly worked it all out for your good! If you are going through the growing pains stage in your life, hang in there. You’ll be a butterfly as soon as God is through molding and making you into what He would have you be. He’s got to make sure your wings are ready to spread and make a mark on this world on the journey He has planned for you. Remember that on your most difficult day!

By Bob Garver Poster Credit IMDB All-time-great director Steven Spielberg is back with a film built around one of his most popular subjects: aliens. From the man that brought us “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” comes “Disclosure Day,” a film about a small group of people deciding that it is time to let the rest of humanity know that they are not alone in the universe. After deeply personal project “The Fabelmans,” this is Spielberg’s return to blockbuster filmmaking. And I do see this movie as a blockbuster, just not much of one. The film essentially follows six characters: hacker Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson), TV newswoman Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) and her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell), organizer of key players Hugo (Colman Domingo), and shady coverup leader Scanlon (Colin Firth). Kellner has flash drives with evidence of alien activity on Earth dating back decades. Margaret suddenly has powers that are not of this world. Hugo has a full-sized replica of Margaret’s childhood home for some reason. Scanlon has alien tech that he’s ironically using against the aliens and their allies. Let the race to expose or bury the truth begin. Following a botched drop to get back a kidnapped Jane from Scanlon, Kellner goes on the run with sketchy help from Hugo in a storyline reminiscent of recent Oscar winner “One Battle After Another.” Jane is shocked to learn that her boyfriend knows the truth about aliens, and he’s shocked to learn that she once aspired to be a nun. At first, she’s a liability to Kellner because she’s blissfully ignorant, then she’s a liability because she doesn’t agree with his cause, then she’s a liability because Scanlon gets to her. Kellner knows the score with the aliens, but Margaret doesn’t. She doesn’t know why she suddenly speaks every language or knows the personal life of everyone she sees or can’t help but speak an alien tongue on air. All she knows is that some bad people are after her because of it, and the skeptical Jackson is reluctantly along for the ride. Could it have something to do with repressed childhood memories about unconvincing CGI forest animals? Kellner and Margaret meet up to have an action scene with a speeding train. We know from “The Fabelmans” that Spielberg loves speeding trains almost as much as he loves crashing them. For a movie called “Disclosure Day,” there’s a lot of suspense around whether or not the truth will be disclosed. Spoiler Alert: it will be, so don’t worry about it. If you want to worry about something, worry about the individual characters making it to the end alive, which isn’t a lock. Though these characters are so dull that I couldn’t get too invested in their survival. Spielberg usually makes good decisions about the way this film looks and sounds (Yes, frequent collaborator John Williams is doing the score), but I don’t agree with how he has the story unfold. Instead of exploring the rich potential for how humanity will respond to this mindblowing news about aliens, he focuses on the buildup to the news, which isn’t that interesting. There’s a brief mention of how people will react if their deeply-held religious beliefs are shaken, but it’s brushed aside in favor of chase antics. I would have put the disclosure at the beginning of this film and given the bulk of the runtime to the fallout. Grade: C “Disclosure Day” is rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images and strong language. Its running time is 145 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com The longer I live, talking and being with people, the more I realize that there is no one-way-only-lifestyle that is completely normal. For instance, my present lifestyle seems absolutely normal to me. But President Trump probably feels the same way about his lifestyle. So does the grandmother who is living in the poverty-stricken Brick Kiln District in Pakistan. Each person feels that their accustomed style of living is pretty close to normal. Anything else has a tendency to make us feel overwhelmed, awkward, anxious, or out of place. Notice I didn’t say typical, just…normal. But let yourself become exposed to a different style of living and other surroundings, where you can observe happy, contented people living their daily lives, and you can become acutely aware of something. You will see that differences in lifestyle and location, wealthier or poorer, is not the creator of happiness or discontentment. Those feelings are a choice and have to come from within. For example, I recently spent an evening on a horse farm, with a family that was so contented and happy with their lives. Lives that include sixteen hours of hard outdoor work, every day. But believe me, they loved their lifestyle. Earlier this past week I listened to a pastor and his wife speaking compassionately of the hardships several people in their church were undergoing. In spite of the emotional pain and stress as they walked through it all with these friends, they love their life and they love that they are involved and needed. You could not blast that couple out of their ministry with a cannonball. My point is this: find your own normal. Find the desire and passion that is inborn in you, and go for it. Anything different from that purpose driven lifestyle could likely be the dream of someone else...but not yours. Dream long and hard. Take the time to find that spark within you. Fan it in to a flame. Then set out to do what is necessary to put it into action. Remember folks, life here on earth is short. The average age of dying is now 73.8 years, give or take a few years in terms of male or female. And also know this, even that span of life is broken into several groups. Babyhood, elementary, teen, adult, and finally, senior citizen years. You don’t have an unbroken 73.8 years to accomplish what you are dreaming. What you could do in your teens is very likely not a viable possibility when you are a silver-haired senior. So take advantage of being the age you are right now. Because as of tonight, the age you are today is never going to roll around again. Take your courage in hand, step out and begin living your God-given dream, (just do it within the confines of your current age group.) Go live your own individual true normal.

. Wesson Attendance Center recently recognized its outstanding student-athletes during the school's 2025-26 Athletic Awards Program. Among those honored were members of the boys and girls soccer teams, who were recognized for their achievements, leadership, dedication and contributions throughout the season. Girls Soccer Awards Pictured (l to r) are, front row: Emory Britt, All-Region; Maria Hall, All-Region and Senior Award; Macy Loy, Senior Award, All-Region, and Most Valuable Player; Jaide Shoop, Coaches Award; and Mikelyn Douglas, Rookie of the Year; and back row: Jaycee Heard, Defensive Player of the Year and All-Region; Madelynn Brooks, Most Improved; and Ady Rose Dowd, Offensive Player of the Year and All-Region. Boys Soccer Awards Pictured (l to r) are Boys Soccer Award winners Aiden Wallace, Senior Award, All-Region, and Most Valuable Player; Isaac Stovall, Senior Award and Most Improved; Grady Smith, Coaches Award; and BP Robbins, All-Region and Best Defensive Player of the Year Award. Not pictured are award recipients Melvin Hernandez, Cade Duplantis and JT Shumaker.

By Jessica Breazeale Nobody told the sailcat catfish what it was supposed to look like. It didn't get a memo. It didn't have a choice. It just is what it is — a common, unremarkable fish pulled from the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal waters of Central and South America. Fishermen have been catching them for centuries without thinking twice. The topsail catfish, also known as the sea catfish or sailcat has carried a quiet reputation along Gulf Coast communities for a long time. Somewhere along the way, people stopped calling it just a catfish. They started calling it the Crucifix Fish. It wasn't marketing. It wasn't a gimmick. It was fishermen and coastal families noticing something they couldn't unsee. By the mid-20th century, the dried skull of the sailcat had become a folk relic — sold in small boxes at coastal gift shops alongside a poem. The poem, attributed to Conrad S. Lantz, read: "Of all the fishes in the sea, our Lord chose the lowly sailcat to remind us of his misery. His body on the cross is outlined, the hilt of the sword which was plunged into his side is clearly defined." People weren't buying these as curiosities. They were buying them as keepsakes of faith. Something about holding that small bone felt like holding a whisper from God. Here's where this gets layered in a way that's hard to dismiss. The top fin of the sailcat rises tall and curved — like the sail on a sailboat, which is exactly how it earned its name. Beautiful on its own. But now imagine the fish dies. Its body drifts to the seafloor. The flesh fades away. And what's left — the endoskeleton, fully intact — looks like the crucifix. Jesus, hanging on the cross. Turn the dried skull over and look at the back. There's a marking that resembles a Roman shield. And if you pick up the bone and shake it, you'll hear a faint rattling from inside the skull — a sound that, according to the legend documented by the State Library and Archives of Florida, represents the dice being tossed for Christ's garments at the foot of the cross. It was documented on a postcard from the Gulfport Marine Museum in 1961 and is archived in the Florida Memory collection. The shield of the soldiers. The casting of lots. Hidden inside a fish bone. You can call it a coincidence. You can call it apophenia — the human tendency to find patterns. That's a fair conversation to have. But Paul didn't think creation was accidental. He wrote this to the Colossians: "For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see… everything was created through him and for him." — Colossians 1:16 (NLT) Everything. Through Jesus. For Jesus. If that's true — and Paul staked his life on it being true — then creation isn't just scenery. It's not just beautiful. It's intentional. It's been communicating something since the first day anything existed. The stars. The sea. The bones of a fish nobody was paying attention to. All of it points somewhere. All of it pointing to Him. Creation has been running the same advertisement since day one. And tucked into the skeleton of a common Gulf Coast catfish — one that fishermen have been throwing back for generations — is a sermon that no human being wrote. What has creation been trying to show you lately that you might have overlooked? Downloadable version

By Jessica Breazeale Downtown Wesson will come alive Saturday, July 4, as the community is invited to gather for a night of fun for the whole family at Wesson Park from 5 to 10 p.m. The evening promises something for everyone, with a watermelon seed spitting contest, hot dog eating contest, and a dunking booth featuring local officials. “Our goal for this event is to not only celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, but to also celebrate what helped build this country, and that is community,” said Wesson Mayor Alton Shaw. “With everything going on around, it will be nice to have a wholesome atmosphere with music, events, local vendors and capped off with a fireworks show to allow everyone to have a moment to just get together and unwind.” Kids are encouraged to decorate their bikes, wagons or floats for a patriotic parade showing off their red, white and blue. A patriotic costume contest will also be held, so Wesson residents are encouraged to start planning their best patriotic looks. A DJ be on hand to fill the park with music throughout the night, and music lovers will be pleased to hear there will also be a street dance. Local church food vendors will be on hand with lots of options for dinner and snacks, and families also have the option of bringing their own picnic supper. The celebration will also feature a special ceremony at 8:15 p.m. honoring the 250th birthday of the United States of America, recognizing 250 years of freedom, faith and the American spirit. The night will conclude with a fireworks show at 9 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs for sitting. “Bring your family, lawn chairs and a picnic supper or buy food from a vendor - Wesson’s July 4th celebration is not to be missed!” said Alderman Mike King. The event is hosted by the Town of Wesson, the American Legion and Auxiliary and the Garden Club.

Ethan Coleman Students from Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter earned national recognition at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada, with six of the college's ten competitors placing among the top ten in the nation in their respective events. Several Co-Lin students finished as the highest-ranked community college competitors in the country, competing against students from colleges and universities nationwide. Thomas Baker of Brookhaven earned a sixth-place national finish in Foundations of Economics. Baker was the highest-ranked community college student in the event, and only two community college students advanced to the Top 12 finals. Olivia Vaughn of Union Church placed seventh nationally in Project Management, also earning recognition as the highest-ranked community college student in the competition. Vaughn was one of only two community college students to advance to the finals in her event. The team of Anna McKenzie of Smithdale, Clay Boyd of Bogue Chitto and Jarvis Walker of Crystal Springs earned a seventh-place national finish in the Hospitality Management Case Competition, demonstrating strong problem-solving and business strategy skills against top competitors from across the nation. Ethan Coleman of Meadville placed seventh nationally in Impromptu Speaking, showcasing his communication and public speaking abilities in one of the conference's most challenging events. The team of Baker and Vaughn placed eighth nationally in Business Presentation. They were the only community college competitors to finish among the Top 10 in the event. "Our students represented Co-Lin exceptionally well on the national stage," said Dr. Richard Baker, Vice President of Business Affairs and FBLA co-advisor. "To have multiple students finish as the highest-ranked community college competitors in the nation speaks volumes about their dedication, preparation, and talent. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments." The FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference brings together some of the nation's top business students to compete in a variety of business, management, communication, and leadership events.

By Misty Strieff Prine “Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories.” Ronald Reagan. I know of so many today that have lost loved ones in our community and surrounding areas. Grief doesn’t just apply to the recent but lingers through the years. Losing someone you love leaves an emptiness that cannot be filled. We are human beings and to grieve is normal. Everyone processes grief in their own way. We need to be mindful of that and gentle with one another. Grief can overwhelm you and weigh heavily on your heart. However, as Christians, if your loved one knew Jesus as their Savior, you have a peace of knowing where they are today. What a celebration they are having there and, although you miss them tremendously here, you know that you’ll see them again one day because you’ve accepted Jesus as well. The promise we have in Jesus is the most beautiful peace we could ever ask for. Our hearts will forever sting here but we must hold on to the precious memories that we have of our loved ones and know that, through Jesus, they have been made whole again. If you are grieving today, I want to pray for you. Dear Lord, I pray today for those who are grieving the loss of their loved one. I pray that you will give them a peace that only You can give. Give them the strength they need to get by day by day. Lord, I lift them up to You today and I pray they will lean on You each day and remember they are never alone. In Jesus name, Amen. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ~Psalm 34:17-18~

By Jessica Breazeale Yemy Wolfe during one of her regular runs around Wesson. Tell us about yourself — where are you from originally? I was born in Colombia, South America. I was adopted at the age of five and moved to Alabama in 1999. It was quite a journey — a new country, a new language, a new life — but it shaped everything about who I am today. I attended the Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega, Alabama, for both middle school and high school, graduating in 2010. How did you end up in Wesson? I moved here in 2017. My mother accepted a new position at Belhaven University, and Wesson became home for our family from that point forward. It has been a wonderful community to settle into. Why do you choose to stay in Wesson? I have always loved small towns — there is a warmth and closeness here that is hard to find anywhere else. Being near my family is a big part of it, too. And one of my favorite things is meeting new friends and teaching them sign language. It opens up a whole new world of communication for people, and I love being the one to share that with them. What do you like to do with your free time? I stay active — I enjoy running and walking, which helps clear my mind and keeps me grounded. On fall Saturdays, you will find me cheering on Alabama football. Roll Tide! Beyond sports, I genuinely treasure time spent socializing with friends. Those connections matter deeply to me. Are you involved in the community here in Wesson? I volunteer at Copiah Nutrition, and it has become such a meaningful part of my week. My best friend Ana teaches me how to make healthy, delicious teas — I love learning something new while spending time with her. I also enjoy meeting new people there and attending the weekly Bible study. We help with GOAT Camps too, which is just so much fun! Giving back is something I feel strongly about — it connects directly to my faith and my values. Community means showing up for one another. Do you have any pets? I have one dog named Lou Lou and three cats — Pumpkin, Pearly Mae and Lilly. They keep life interesting and the house full of personality. What are the things in life that matter most to you? My family comes first, always. Beyond that, I am driven by helping others and by the satisfaction of working as part of a team toward something meaningful. When everyone pulls together, remarkable things happen. What dreams or goals are you working toward? I would love to buy a house — to put down real roots here and have a place to call my own. I also hope to travel more with my family and friends. Seeing new places together, making memories — that is something I look forward to. Is there anything you would like your neighbors to know about you? I am deaf, and I communicate through American Sign Language. I am also a Christian, and my faith is central to everything I do. I love the deaf community deeply, and my church is an important part of my life. If you see me around town, please do not hesitate to say hello — I am always happy to meet a new neighbor.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB From the fifth “Scream” movie proving a shockingly strong January release in 2022 to “Backrooms” opening to over $81 million just last weekend, the past few years have been some of the best ever for the horror genre. So it makes sense that this would be a good time to revive the “Scary Movie” franchise and spoof some contemporary classics. And not only are franchise mainstays Anna Faris and Regina Hall back for this sixth installment after missing the fifth, but originators Marlon and Shawn Wayans are back after absences from the third, fourth, and fifth. Everything is in place for this silly movie to give its audience a seriously good time, but it turns out the movie itself is an unfunny joke. Following an actually-promising opening sequence featuring recent Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor, the loose premise kicks in: a new Ghostface is terrorizing the families of Cindy Campbell (Faris) and Brenda Meeks (Hall). Cindy, now a parody of Jamie Lee Curtis in the recent “Halloween” reboot, has estranged daughters Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif), based on sisters Sam and Tara from the 2022 “Scream” (with Tuesday also a spoof of Wednesday Addams, because Jenna Ortega has played both Tara and Wednesday). Brenda, a parody of Octavia Spencer in “Ma,” has son Brad (Gregg Wayans) and nonbinary child Dei (Sydney Park), based on twins Chad and Mindy from the 2022 “Scream.” Since the 2022 “Scream” is apparently the only movie being parodied that the filmmakers have watched closely, you can probably guess how Sara’s boyfriend Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) and Brad’s girlfriend Elle (Ruby Snowber) figure in. Of course, Cindy and Brenda aren’t the only familiar faces. Brenda’s stoner brother Shorty (Marlon Wayans) still lives in town, attending the same school as his niece and nephew because he’s too stupid to graduate. Brenda’s ex-gay (though still very gay) ex-boyfriend Ray (Shawn Wayans) is also back in the picture. Other returning characters include bumbling Officer Doofy (Dave Sheridan, also the voice of Ghostface), reporter Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri, here to parody Demi Moore in “The Substance”), weirdo Hanson (Chris Elliot, doing Nicolas Cage in “Longlegs”), and presumed original killer Bobby (Jon Abrahams, offering little more than a “Smile). The movie blows one opportunity after another to get in juicy gags about the recent glut of successful horror movies. “Sinners”? The movie can’t do more than set a series of sex jokes at a church and have corny white people show up uninvited at a black party. “Weapons”? This movie knows about “the run,” but can’t have its characters do anything funnier than yell “Six Seven” and get hit by a car, this franchise’s go-to lazy way of ending a scene. The only parody that really worked at my screening (and it did work – the audience was roaring) was of an animated movie that I’m not sure qualifies as “scary,” though I guess demons are in the vicinity of scary. There’s minimal heart at work in this new version of “Scary Movie,” and even less brain. I know to expect “dumb” humor from this franchise, but the people who made this movie simply didn’t do their homework. Example: a character goes over the top with emotion in one scene, and another character corrects her, “Stop trying to win an Oscar. It’ll never happen for a horror movie. Just ask Demi Moore.” Yes, Demi Moore did lose in her Oscar bid for “The Substance” (to 2022 “Scream” cast member Mikey Madison), but you know who did win an Oscar for a horror movie? Amy Madigan for “Weapons.” I could overlook that blunder – even in a movie that parodies “Weapons” – if there hadn’t been a reference in the beginning of the movie to Teyana Taylor losing the Oscar that Madigan won. How can I care about this “Scary Movie” when it doesn’t care about its own scary movies? Grade: C- “Scary Movie” is rated R for crude sexual content, graphic nudity, strong violence, and drug content and language throughout. Its running time is 96 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Special to Wesson News On stage at Carnegie Hall For many of them, it started with doubt. A twenty-year-old from Brookhaven who thought the invitation had to be a joke. A shy teenager who had only ever sung alone. A young woman who joined the choir simply because a persistent friend wouldn’t take no for an answer. But on Memorial Day weekend, twenty-four from Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Co-Lin) stood on one of the most storied stages in the world — Carnegie Hall — and performed a world premiere piece written just for them. “At first, when I heard the opportunity, I thought it was a joke,” said Cole Rutledge, 20, a music education major from Brookhaven. “There’s no way someone like me could ever go sing at Carnegie Hall.” He went. They all went. A Two-Year Journey to the Stage The performance was the vision of Bobby Helms, director of choral activities at Co-Lin, who was invited to conduct at Carnegie Hall in the summer of 2024. “This has really been two years in the making,” Helms said. From the start, he wanted to debut something original — not a standard repertoire piece, but something audiences hadn’t heard before. He reached out to Sherry Blevins, a North Carolina-based composer known for writing both her own lyrics and music, and the two spent the better part of a year shaping what would become the world premiere piece, “To Truly Love.” The collaboration unfolded across countless phone calls, texts and emails as the two worked to find a subject worthy of the stage. The work draws from deeply personal territory. Blevins was inspired in part by a family member’s suicide attempt, and the piece explores the weight of self-worth — asking whether a person would still be loved if they fell short of what others expected of them. “We wanted something that would be heartfelt by every individual,” Helms said. “Something that each person has maybe had dealings or feelings with — mixed emotions about various things. Not just something universal, but something personal.” “I know the singers felt every emotion,” he added. “There were family members and other people who said they were just in tears during the performance." The concert brought together four choirs: the Co-Lin Concert Choir, the Mississippi Boys Choir, the Presbyterian Christian School Choir from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the First Baptist Church Choir of Tyler, Texas — chosen in part because a featured composer was a member of that congregation. Composers in attendance included Blevins and Raphael Fusco, an American composer who completed his doctorate in Italy and now lives in Vienna, Austria. A Broadway star and vocalist named Chessa Metz also joined the ensemble as a soloist for the performance. A third composer, Richard Nichols of Texas, who had previously orchestrated music for one of Blevins’ earlier pieces, also participated. For the Students, More Than Music For many of the Co-Lin students, the trip was their first time in New York City — and for some, their first time on any major stage. T'Kijah Denson, 19, a pre-physical therapy major from Georgetown, Mississippi, joined the choir only after a friend from the college choir kept nudging her. “She came up to me saying, ‘You sound like you can sing,’” she recalled. “And she just kept coming to me.” The persistence paid off. Beyond the performance itself, she said the experience gave her something she hadn’t expected: “I gained more friends and confidence.” Denson was also quick to recognize the role the broader community played in making the trip happen, offering a message to everyone who donated or helped with fundraisers: “I would like to thank them, because, without that, we probably wouldn’t have gotten this far.” Alyse Chappell, 19, a West Lincoln native majoring in psychology and hoping to work in ABA therapy with autistic children, had a bucket-list reason for making the trip. “I wanted to see a Broadway show ever since I was like twelve,” she said with a laugh. “That was like the main reason I wanted to go. But also performing in Carnegie Hall was obviously a huge deal in the music world.” Cole Rutledge, who helped pay for the trip by working at a local restaurant alongside his choir and band scholarships, said New York exceeded every expectation. The biggest city he’d visited before this was Dallas. Then came New York — the vendors, the energy, the street life. He even caught the tail end of Knicks playoff fever, watching fans flood out of Madison Square Garden in celebration. “Just seeing the community of New York come out for something like that — even though it was something small — that was cool to see,” he said. Getting There The trip didn’t happen without sacrifice — and without community support. Students worked fundraisers, sold popcorn, hosted dinner theater events and even sold trash bags to raise money. Choir scholarships, financial aid, contributions from the college and its foundation, and a Walmart grant all helped close the gap. Helms was emphatic in his gratitude. “We want to thank all of the administration at Co-Lin — Dr. Middleton, Dr. Martin, Dr. Henderson, Dr. Baker — everyone in the business office and foundation office, and really any faculty members who helped with fundraisers or bought things from the students.” What They’ll Take Home For Helms, the moment of standing on the Carnegie Hall stage as a conductor for the first time will stay with him. But more than the personal milestone, he hopes students carry forward the message at the heart of “To Truly Love.” “I want them to take the text from that piece and apply it to their lives every day,” he said. The Co-Lin group said they also enjoyed touring the city, taking in a Broadway show, dining at Ellen’s Stardust Diner and taking a dinner cruise of the NYC harbor. They also walked Central Park and sang under the infamous Bethesda Terrace Arcade for onlookers.