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TMI was organized for the following exclusively charitable and educational purposes: To train and develop individuals in leadership skills, promote strategic thinking about and analysis of societal issues for the betterment of the communities in the eastern portions of Mississippi and the western portions of Alabama; human and infrastructure development in the east portions of Mississippi and the

western portions of Alabama; and To acquire, establish, retain and maintain a fund or funds to be held, invested and used exclusively in furtherance of such charitable and educational purposes.

Almost a Quarter of a Century Upbuilding Communities!For more than two decades, The Montgomery Institute (TMI) has proud...
01/09/2026

Almost a Quarter of a Century Upbuilding Communities!

For more than two decades, The Montgomery Institute (TMI) has proudly served East Mississippi—bringing people, organizations, and resources together to strengthen our communities.

From economic and community development to healthcare, education, youth empowerment, prevention, and the arts, TMI’s work has evolved to meet changing community needs while remaining grounded in the same purpose: upbuilding people and upbuilding places.

Inspired by the legacy of Congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery and the vision of our founder, Bill Crawford, we believe lasting progress happens when communities work together.

And there is much more ahead! We invite you to be part of the next chapter.

Follow and like The Montgomery Institute on social media.

Visit tmi.ms and join our website community for news, programs, events, and opportunities to get involved.

Thank you, East Mississippi, for more than 20 years of partnership, trust, and community.

Together, we keep upbuilding.



Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams Cornelious D. Smith Bill Crawford East Mississippi Community College East Mississippi Business Development Corporation East Central Community College Community Foundation of East Mississippi East Mississippi Community College City of Meridian-Government Richelle Putnam

What does arts integration actually look like in ABC PreK?It means learning doesn’t stop when one lesson ends. Our teach...
29/08/2026

What does arts integration actually look like in ABC PreK?

It means learning doesn’t stop when one lesson ends. Our teaching artists work together so that what children discover in one experience becomes the foundation for the next, helping young learners make connections, revisit ideas in new ways, and deepen their understanding.

This is where the magic of scaffolding happens. Take a look at how one simple concept can travel through four different art forms and become a much richer learning experience along the way.

ABC PreK believes every child deserves the opportunity to build strong Academic, Behavioral, and Creative foundations through the arts.

Please support us by "liking" and "following" our page. To receive updates, please sign up on our website: www.tmi.ms

We look forward to you being a part of this endeavor!



Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams Richelle Putnam Jimmie Rodgers Festival and Museum East Mississippi Business Development Corporation East Central Community College East Mississippi Community College Meridian Public School District City of Meridian-Government Beverly Henson Samm Jacquot Alana Sparrow Broughton Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts

National Fentanyl Awareness Day: Awareness Can Save a LifeFentanyl has changed the conversation about substance use—and ...
21/08/2026

National Fentanyl Awareness Day: Awareness Can Save a Life

Fentanyl has changed the conversation about substance use—and prevention has never been more important. For our young people, knowing the risks, understanding what they may encounter, and feeling confident enough to make safe choices can make a life-changing difference.

The Montgomery Institute/ - Community Health Improvement Network Drug-Free Communities Coalition (CDC) is working with schools, families, community organizations, and local leaders to make prevention part of the conversation throughout Meridian and Lauderdale County.

Our goal IS to give them knowledge, confidence, support, and healthy connections so they can make informed decisions and protect the futures they are building.

On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, we encourage parents, caregivers, educators, mentors, and community members to talk with the young people in their lives. Ask what they know. Listen to their questions. Help them understand that taking a pill or substance from an unknown or untrusted source can carry serious risks.

Start the conversation: What do you think young people most need to know about fentanyl?

Share this post and help us spread awareness. One informed conversation can reach a family, a classroom, a group of friends—and potentially save a life.

Awareness. Prevention. Partnership. Together, we can protect our youth.

Lacey Williams Beverly J. Knox East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Lauderdale County School District Foundation Southeast Lauderdale High School Southeast Lauderdale High School Southeast Lauderdale Middle School Meridian Public School District

Strengthening Prevention. Building Partnerships. Investing in Our YouthThe Montgomery Institute/CHIN Drug-Free Communiti...
20/08/2026

Strengthening Prevention. Building Partnerships. Investing in Our Youth

The Montgomery Institute/CHIN Drug-Free Communities Coalition continues to build on the prevention work already underway in Meridian and Lauderdale County.

DFC (CDC) Project Director Lacey Williams recently completed the Strategic Prevention Framework Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST), gaining tools to assess community needs, strengthen partnerships, plan effective prevention strategies, implement programs, and evaluate results.

Why does that matter locally? Because effective prevention does more than tell young people what not to do. It helps them understand the challenges they face and gives them the knowledge, skills, relationships, and opportunities to make healthy choices.

That's what TMI/CHIN DFC is working toward through prevention efforts with middle and high school students in Meridian Public School District and Lauderdale County Schools - District and Lauderdale County School District Foundation, as well as through growing partnerships across our community.

We're excited about the progress we're seeing—and we're just getting started.

Read our latest blog to learn how professional training, school-based prevention, and community partnerships are coming together to help build a healthier, drug-free future for Meridian and Lauderdale County. www.tmi.ms

Help us spread the message by sharing this post and encouraging others to learn more about the Drug-Free Communities Coalition's work.



City of Meridian-Government East Mississippi Business Development Corporation East Central Community College East Mississippi Community College Beverly J. Knox Richelle Putnam Meridian, Mississippi Meridian Community College

ABC at Home: Numbers Are Works of Art!Did you know that looking closely at a number can become an arts-integrated learni...
17/08/2026

ABC at Home: Numbers Are Works of Art!

Did you know that looking closely at a number can become an arts-integrated learning experience?

At ABC PreK, the arts aren't something we add after learning—they are part of how children learn. In this simple visual arts activity, children explore the lines, curves, and loops that make each number unique.

As children observe, describe, trace, decorate, and count, they're building skills across all three ABC areas:

Academic: Number recognition, counting, math vocabulary, comparing, and critical thinking

Behavioral: Focus, patience, following directions, persistence, and fine-motor control

Creative: Imagination, shape and design, artistic choices, exploration, and self-expression

Try it at home: Choose a number and ask your child to look for straight lines, curves, and loops. Trace the number in different colors, decorate it with patterns, and then connect the numeral to the quantity. If you're working with the number 5, for example, have your child add five dots, stars or fingerprints.

You can even compare numbers: Which numbers have loops? Which have straight lines? How are 6 and 9 alike? How are they different?

Then, have them draw a picture of whatever they want. Afterward, ask them what lines and curves they see in their drawing. Expand this observation to the things around them, from household items to the backyard to our faces and bodies. Everything visible has a shape or design.

That's arts integration at work—the child is learning math through visual art while also developing the behaviors and creativity that support kindergarten readiness. But they are also learning to observe and analyze!

ABC PreK believes every child deserves the opportunity to build strong Academic, Behavioral, and Creative foundations through the arts. Join us in our mission by following our page and our website: www.tmi.ms



City of Meridian-Government East Central Community College East Mississippi Community College East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Meridian Public School District Lauderdale County School District Foundation Beverly J. Knox Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts Alana Sparrow Broughton Jimmie Rodgers Festival and Museum Samm Jacquot Richelle Putnam Lacey Williams Meridian Museum of Art

Independence is an important part of ABC PreK, The Montgomery Institute’s arts-integrated early childhood initiative des...
10/08/2026

Independence is an important part of ABC PreK, The Montgomery Institute’s arts-integrated early childhood initiative designed to strengthen the Academic, Behavioral, and Creative foundations children need as they prepare for kindergarten. One of the instructional approaches incorporated into ABC PreK is "scaffolding."

Think about the scaffolding used when constructing a building. It provides support while the structure is taking shape—but it isn't meant to stay there forever. Learning scaffolds work much the same way.

We demonstrate. We explore together. We encourage. And then, when the child is ready, we begin to step away. That is where the Academic, Behavioral, and Creative pieces of ABC PreK come together.

Meet the ABC PreK Program Director and Teaching Artist Richelle Putnam, who brings more than 15 years of Teaching Artist experience to the initiative, working with learners from PreK through high school as well as educators and community groups.

As Program Director, Richelle works with ABC PreK Teaching Artists, educators, and community partners to ensure that the arts experiences are more than engaging activities. They are designed to reinforce learning, provide appropriate support, and help children move toward greater understanding, confidence, and independence. Her arts-integrated work draws upon writing, storytelling, music, songwriting, movement, and the visual arts to help children make meaningful connections between creative experiences and classroom learning.

In Richelle’s words:

“After years of working with children through the arts, I have learned that a child who appears to be struggling may be waiting for us to find the way that learning makes sense to them. Sometimes that way is a song. Sometimes it is movement, a story, a paintbrush, a rhythm, or simply the freedom to imagine. So, we are not using the arts to make learning fun; we are using the arts to open doors for every child, regardless of where they begin, so they enter kindergarten believing they are capable, curious, creative, and ready to learn. If ABC PreK can help a child discover that confidence early, we have given them something they can carry far beyond the classroom.”

Academic. Behavioral. Creative. More than the alphabet. Building foundations for a lifetime.

ABC PreK is an initiative of The Montgomery Institute made possible by a grant from The Phil Hardin Foundation.



Samm Jacquot Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts Alana Sparrow Broughton Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams Cornelious D. Smith East Mississippi Business Development Corporation The Meridian Star The MAX - The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience WMOX Radio Supertalk Meridian 103.3 Doug Jernigan City of Meridian-Government Meridian Public School District Lauderdale County School District Foundation Mississippi Department of Education Mississippi State University - Meridian Campus Mississippi Department of Human Services Meridian Community College

Sometimes a child doesn’t need an easier lesson. They need another way into the lesson.That idea is at the heart of ABC ...
09/08/2026

Sometimes a child doesn’t need an easier lesson. They need another way into the lesson.

That idea is at the heart of ABC PreK.

Young children don’t all process information in the same way or at the same pace. A concept that is difficult to understand through words alone may suddenly make sense when a child can sing it, move to it, see it, act it out, or create something with it.

That’s one reason ABC PreK brings professional Teaching Artists into the early childhood classroom.

Working alongside classroom teachers, our artists help create additional pathways to learning—using music, movement, visual art, and storytelling/drama to reinforce the skills children are already developing.

The arts don’t replace classroom instruction. They help children connect with it.

And sometimes, that connection can be the bridge a child needs.

Today, we’re pleased to introduce ABC PreK Teaching Artist Samm Jacquot, whose lifelong relationship with music began in a home filled with bluegrass.

Samm was immersed in bluegrass music from an early age. Her father, Hinkle White, was a musician and friend of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe. Their home often became a gathering place for jam sessions with musicians including Monroe, Joe Stuart, and Norman Barnam. Samm went on to play upright bass and rhythm guitar with The White Family Band, performing at bluegrass festivals in Louisiana and at the Sullivan Family’s annual festival in Chatham, Alabama.

Now she brings that musical experience—and her belief in the power of creative learning—to ABC PreK.

In Samm’s words:

“I am excited to be part of an environment that uses creative arts to enrich classroom learning. Working alongside teachers on active lessons allows us to introduce new perspectives that can make all the difference for a child who might be struggling. I want to be that bridge that closes the gap between struggling and not in some small way.”

That bridge is exactly what arts integration can provide.

When a child who is struggling with a concept suddenly understands it through rhythm, movement, an image, or a story, we’ve done more than teach a lesson. We’ve helped that child experience the confidence that comes from discovering, “I can do this.”

And confidence can become the foundation for what comes next.

ABC. Academic. Behavioral. Creative. More than the alphabet. Building foundations for a lifetime.

ABC PreK is an initiative of The Montgomery Institute, made possible by a grant from The Phil Hardin Foundation.



Samm Jacquot Alana Sparrow Broughton Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts Richelle Putnam Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams City of Meridian-Government Meridian Public School District Lauderdale County School District Foundation East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Community Foundation of East Mississippi Mississippi State University - Meridian Campus Mississippi Department of Education Mississippi Department of Human Services Cornelious D. Smith

Meet an ABC PreK Teaching Artist: Alana Sparrow BroughtonShe says, "Every child should have the opportunity to discover ...
08/08/2026

Meet an ABC PreK Teaching Artist: Alana Sparrow Broughton

She says, "Every child should have the opportunity to discover the artist within them, even when that opportunity is not available at home. A musical child born to nonmusical parents deserves the same chance to explore that gift. I know personally what a difference it can make. I had a stomachache almost every day at school until I was allowed to join beginner band. Music gave me something to look forward to, helped me feel that I belonged and completely changed the way I felt about school. I want other children to have the opportunity to experience that same sense of discovery and belonging."

Every child enters a PreK classroom with a different story.

Some children are already recognizing letters and numbers. Some are still developing the confidence to speak in a group. Some learn best by watching. Others need to move, touch, sing, pretend, draw, or try something several times before it clicks.

ABC PreK is designed with those differences in mind.

Rather than asking every child to learn in exactly the same way, ABC PreK uses music, movement, visual art, and storytelling/drama to create multiple pathways into learning.

Think about learning a letter. A child might see its shape, trace it through movement, hear its sound in a song, find it in a story, or transform it into a picture. Each experience reinforces the others and gives more children an opportunity to make that important connection.

"I am most looking forward to working with the children and helping teachers find ways to bring arts integration into their classrooms," says Alana. "I’m also excited to see the difference it can make, not only in how children experience school and feel that they belong, but in measurable outcomes such as test scores."

That’s part of the “ABC” in ABC PreK: building Academic, Behavioral, and Creative foundations together rather than treating them as separate parts of a child’s development. Our Teaching Artists help bring those connections to life.



Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams Richelle Putnam Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts Clair Griffis Huff Samm Jacquot Cornelious D. Smith Meridian Public School District Lauderdale County School District Foundation Mississippi Department of Education Mississippi Department of Human Services East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Community Foundation of East Mississippi

Meet an ABC PreK Teaching ArtistWhat happens when an artist steps into a PreK classroom? Learning moves, sings, imagines...
07/08/2026

Meet an ABC PreK Teaching Artist

What happens when an artist steps into a PreK classroom? Learning moves, sings, imagines, creates—bursts to life.

ABC PreK Teaching Artists are professional artists who understand that the arts are more than an enrichment activity. Through music, movement, visual art, and storytelling/drama, they use their artistic disciplines to help young children strengthen the skills they need for kindergarten and beyond. A song helps a child remember. A story helps to build language. Movement strengthens self-control and coordination. Visual art allows self-expression. Imaginative play gives a quiet child a voice.

Terrence “Dastoryweaver” Roberts: "I am a master storyteller and cultural historian rooted in the West African Jaliyaa tradition, bringing the bardic practices of narrative, music, and cultural memory into learning spaces. For more than 15 years, I have evolved as a teaching artist whose work blends performance, narrative sermons, and arts-integrated instruction to open pathways for understanding. As a Jali (Jeli) practitioner, I use story and song to entertain, educate, and enlighten—helping learners connect emotionally, intellectually, and culturally."

Working alongside classroom teachers, ABC Teaching Artists create engaging, age-appropriate arts-integrated experiences connecting an art form with early literacy, language development, listening and comprehension, focus, self-regulation, problem-solving, creativity, confidence, and communication. That is the heart of ABC PreK: Academic. Behavioral. Creative.

Terrence says, "I am most excited about bringing the West African Jaliyaa tradition into the ABC PreK program, where storytelling becomes a powerful foundation for early learning. PreK scholars are natural storytellers, and their brains are primed to make meaning through narrative, music, and movement. What I look forward to most is helping our youngest learners build language, curiosity, and confidence through culturally rich stories—planting seeds of imagination and understanding that will grow with them throughout their educational journey."



East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Community Foundation of East Mississippi East Central Community College East Mississippi Community College Mississippi Department of Education Meridian Community College Meridian Public School District Meridian Museum of Art Lauderdale County School District Foundation Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams Alana Sparrow Broughton Samm Jacquot Terrence Dastoryweaver Roberts Cornelious D. Smith Richelle Putnam Clair Griffis Huff

ABC at Home Clap, Count & Create!Did you know that one simple clapping game can help prepare your child for kindergarten...
05/08/2026

ABC at Home

Clap, Count & Create!

Did you know that one simple clapping game can help prepare your child for kindergarten?

At ABC PreK, we use arts integration to help children develop Academic, Behavioral, and Creative skills simultaneously. Through music, movement, visual art, and storytelling, children strengthen early literacy, communication, self-regulation, confidence, and critical thinking—all while having fun!

Try This at Home!

Clap, Count & Create
1️⃣ Clap a simple pattern:
👏👏👏
Ask your child to repeat it.
2️⃣ Now count the claps together.
3️⃣ Let your child create a new rhythm for you to copy.
4️⃣ Take turns creating rhythms.
5️⃣ Finish by clapping everyone's favorite pattern together.
________________________________________
Why It Matters

Academic
Children develop listening skills, sequencing, counting, and early math concepts through patterns.

Behavioral
Children practice focus, self-control, taking turns, and following directions.

Creative
Children experiment with rhythm and create original musical ideas.
Little moments like these help build the whole child—one clap at a time!

Learn more about ABC PreK and how arts-integrated learning prepares children for kindergarten success.



Samm Jacquot Alana Sparrow Broughton Beverly J. Knox Lacey Williams East Mississippi Business Development Corporation East Central Community College East Mississippi Veterans Foundation Meridian Public School District Lauderdale County School District Foundation

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