ACCENT students attend Gifted Day at the Capitol

By Clinton Courier | February 3, 2026 |

Special to The Clinton Courier

Representatives Stephanie Foster and Clay Mansell with the Eastside Elementary ACCENT students and teachers

Owen Carner and Representative Clay Mansell

The Mississippi Association for Gifted Children (MAGC) recently sponsored “Gifted Day at the Capitol.” Gifted students in ACCENT classes at Lovett and Eastside elementary schools attended.

Twenty-one fourth-grade ACCENT students from Eastside Elementary School, along with teachers Carley Marett and Toni Stubbs, attended and went on a tour of the Capitol. The group was recognized in the gallery of the Senate. While in the Senate chambers, students saw Senate Bill 2016 pass. The students will be able to follow this bill throughout the session and possibly see a bill become a law.

Students introduced themselves and shared with legislators from both chambers why gifted education is important to not only the students but also to Mississippi. Students created business cards sharing information about gifted education. While speaking with legislators, students shared a business card with them to remind the legislators of the importance of gifted education.

Marett and Stubbs say they received several compliments from legislators, lobbyists and other adults present regarding how impressed they were with the students’ bravery in approaching, shaking hands and talking to adults they did not know. Students spoke with District 56 Representative Clay Mansell as well as lobbyist Joel Yelverton, both of Clinton, and several students shared cards with District 63 Representative Stephanie Foster.

Lovett Elementary had fifteen students and parents attending, as well as teachers Jessica Cline and Felicia Hudson. Students made and wore buttons sharing the importance of gifted education. During the visit to the Capitol, Lovett students had the opportunity to meet with Senators Blount, Norwood and Frazier, all of whom represent Clinton and Hinds County. They also engaged in a productive discussion with Representative Mansell. During the meetings, the Lovett representatives highlighted the value and impact of their gifted program and emphasized the critical need for the restoration of its funding. In addition, the group toured the Capitol building and were formally recognized by the Senate while seated in the gallery.

MAGC hosted a luncheon for a small group of gifted students, parents, teachers and legislators. The fourth-grade students attending from Eastside were Lucy Cabel and Declan McGriggs, along with Clinton High School senior Murphy Schoggen. The students shared their current experiences in gifted classes and what they are learning.

Cabel shared with a legislator about the Rube Goldberg machine her class completed earlier in this school year and how they had to have perseverance as well as work together when the machine was not completing the run the students had predicted or planned. The legislator shared with Cabel how they could use those skills in the House.

Kayla Quick, current MAGC president and Northside ACCENT teacher, shared with the attendees how the elementary students were current gifted students, while Schoggen represented students who have experienced gifted education and are products of the program, explaining how his gifted education classes introduced him to engineering at a young age. Once Schoggen was in high school he began taking the engineering classes offered by Clinton High School’s Career Center, completing all three classes by the end of his junior year. He plans to attend Mississippi State University in the fall and major in aerospace engineering.

Quick shared with the group the importance of gifted education in Schoggen’s life, as well as the importance of retaining students like him in Mississippi.