Former Teacher, Education Student Lauded at Annual T.P. Vinson Banquet

Lindy Hopkins, Samantha Carothers honored for dedication to service

T.P. Vinson scholarship recipient Samantha Carothers (left) and educator award winner Lidy Hopkins (right) met Jacquline Vinson (center) during the eighth annual T.P. Vinson Memorial Scholarship Banquet on March 29.

T.P. Vinson scholarship recipient Samantha Carothers (left) and educator award winner Lindy Hopkins (right) met Jacquline Vinson (center) during the eighth annual T.P. Vinson Memorial Scholarship Banquet on March 29.

OXFORD, Miss. – A retired Saltillo teacher and a University of Mississippi education student were honored for their dedication to teaching during the ninth annual T.P. Vinson Memorial Scholarship Banquet on March 29.

UM alumna Lindy Hopkins, a 30-year teaching veteran of the Lee County School District and the 2005 Mississippi Teacher of the Year, received the 2014 T.P. Vinson Educator Award. Samantha Carothers, a senior elementary education major from Taylor, received the annual $1,000 scholarship, also given in Vinson’s name.

“Lindy and Samantha both represent the qualities Thea stood for as an educator and leader,” said Jacquline Vinson, widow of Theopolis Pride Vinson, former assistant dean of the UM School of Education for whom the scholarship and award are named. “I’m proud that we can honor both career and beginning teachers who share Thea’s humility and dedication to impacting students.”

Since 2003, the scholarship – the first to be endowed after an African-American professor at UM – has been awarded to a junior or senior African-American education student. The educator award, which was established in 2011, is given each year to a Mississippi educator who displays excellence in education and leadership within his or her community.

Hopkins, who holds a master’s degree in elementary education from UM, was selected by the school’s faculty for her accomplishments both before and after retirement in 2008, when she then founded the Teacher Resource Center, a tutoring service and preschool in Saltillo. Housed in a former frame shop, the center offers tutoring and educational programs for more than 100 children each week, as well as professional development and resources for working teachers.

“I’m honored to be recognized for my love of teaching and children,” she said. “Whenever I see a need in our community, I try to fill it with the very best teachers around. I’m touched that someone has reached out to honor me for my work with students. I don’t think I will ever be done with teaching.”

Carothers is student teaching this semester at Davidson Elementary School in Water Valley and will graduate cum laude in May. She was selected for her academic record and her performance during field experiences and service with the UM chapter of Teachers of Tomorrow and summer camps offered for children through the UM Center for Mathematics and Science Education.

“This scholarship has helped me this year because money can be tight as a student,” she explained. “I enjoyed learning about Dr. Vinson and what a kind person he was; how he was someone who could always help friends work through problems. I’m very grateful for what this scholarship has given me.”

Besides serving as assistant dean of education, Vinson was a pastor at Philadelphia M.B. Church. The T.P. Vinson Scholarship Fund was established by his wife and three children and accepts ongoing donations through the UM Foundation to support and recognize students of education and Mississippi teachers.

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