Cellular South Gameplan Scores Touchdown for Mississippi’s Dandy Dozen

Mississippi‘s Top 12 Student Athletes Make History by Meeting NCAA Requirements; Dozen’s Success Attributed to Cellular South Gameplan Educational Program

RIDGELAND, Miss., June 11 /PRNewswire/ — Cellular South, a leader in wireless solutions and innovation and the nation’s largest privately held wireless communications provider, announced today that the Cellular South Gameplan program and the state of Mississippi has reached a historical milestone – all 12 of the state’s top football prospects met initial NCAA requirements for the first time and will be attending college next fall.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090319/CG86339)

“This is a proud moment for Cellular South and the state of Mississippi,” said Orien Watson, sports marketing manager for Cellular South. “The success of the Dandy Dozen and the hundreds of junior high and high school student athletes benefiting from the Cellular South Gameplan proves that early intervention, academic collaboration, personal accountability and community dedication can improve lives and change the tide for academics in Mississippi.”

The Cellular South Gameplan has helped more than 35 of Mississippi’s most promising athletes of 2009 meet NCAA Division 1 core course requirements, which includes the 2009 Dandy Dozen, who all qualified and will begin collegiate training this summer. These promising young athletes include:

    Player              High School                  College

    - Chad Bumphis      Tupelo High School           Mississippi State
                                                      University
    - Tyler Russell     Meridian High School         Mississippi State
                                                      University
    - Pat Patterson     Noxubee High School          University
                                                      of Mississippi
    - Fletcher Cox      Yazoo City High School       Mississippi State
                                                      University
    - Josh Boyd         Philadelphia High School     Mississippi State
                                                      University
    - Kendrick Hardy    Lawrence County High School  University of Southern
                                                      Mississippi
    - Cameron Lawrence  Magnolia Heights School      Mississippi State
                                                      University
    - David Conner      South Panola High School     University of Alabama,
                                                      Birmingham
    - Clayton Moore     Louisville High School       University
                                                      of Mississippi
    - Chris Garrett     Tupelo High School           Louisiana State
                                                      University

State education and athletic association officials praised Cellular South for its trailblazing statewide education initiative.

“Congratulations to Cellular South and these student-athletes for their commitment to academic achievement,” said Dr. Hank Bounds, Mississippi State Superintendent of Education. “These student-athletes will not only be able to perform on the field, they will be able to perform in the classroom.”

Before the Cellular South Gameplan program was launched in 2007 in partnership with the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) and the Mississippi Department of Education, less than half of the Dandy Dozen football players qualified for admission to colleges, according to Dr. Ennis Proctor, executive director of the MHSAA.

“Through the hard work of Cellular South and the cooperation of member schools of MHSAA, every member of the 2009 Dandy Dozen has met NCAA requirements for admission to a four-year college or university,” Proctor said, noting that thousands of other students also have benefitted from the program.

Proctor said MHSAA and member schools expect to see more good results from the program in the near future. “This is a unique and comprehensive program because it helps build character and leadership as well as academic skills,” he added. “We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Cellular South in helping our students achieve their goals.”

The Cellular South Gameplan is a statewide educational initiative designed and funded by Cellular South to inspire, prepare and inform students and student-athletes (grades 7-12) about the possibilities of reaching their dreams through academic excellence. Since its inception, the Cellular South Gameplan has reached the following milestones:

• Reached more than 10,000 student-athletes, parents and administrators through in-school eligibility sessions
• Conducted more than 100 individual counseling sessions including both 2008 and 2009 Dandy Dozen classes
• More than 60 institutions and organizations have hosted one or more workshops for their student-athletes
• All 313 Mississippi high schools have been provided a DVD workshop of the Gameplan program
• Helped more than 80 school districts convert their district grading scale to a 10-point or modification
• Informed student-athletes through added online support on www.cellularsouthgameplan.com and Facebook.

Watson said the Gameplan continues to provide junior high and high school student athletes throughout the state of Mississippi with the tools they need to succeed and attend college. Through its renowned workshops that feature a specially designed curriculum, the program provides students, coaches, counselors, teachers and parents with necessary information on the course and grade point average requirements needed to meet NCAA standards and how to prepare for the ACT and SAT, the two national college admission and placement examinations.

In addition to in-school educational workshops, the program also features follow-up counseling sessions and online assistance at www.cellularsouthgameplan.com. The company also distributed a DVD of its Gameplan seminar program to every high school in Mississippi and unveiled a website with additional online resources and information.

For more information about the Cellular South Gameplan, call (601) 974-7706 or visit www.cellularsouthgameplan.com or www.cellularsouth.com.

About Cellular South

Cellular South is a privately-owned diversified mobile communications company passionately committed to helping customers get the most out of their wireless devices and services. The nation’s largest privately owned wireless communications provider accomplishes this goal by providing the most reliable and advanced 3G nationwide wireless voice and data network, offering industry-leading family and unlimited flat rate voice, text and mobile web plans, and through its online and in-store Discover Centers, which give customers easy, simple and convenient tools, tips, advice and information to get the most out of their mobile phone. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com.

About MHSAA

The Mississippi High School Activities Association is a non-profit, nondiscriminatory association operated by the state’s secondary schools. The Association is responsible for academic and athletic competition among the 530,000 students in the state’s public and private schools, including debate, drama, speech, writing, music and 14 different types of sports. The MHSAA also is responsible for 4,000 officials and referees, who are registered and certified through association clinics. For more information, visit www.misshsaa.com.

About Mississippi Department of Education

The Mississippi Department of Education is the state agency charged with oversight of all public K-12 schools in Mississippi, which includes over 1,000 schools in 152 districts, enrolling over 490,000 students. For more information, visit www.mde.k12.ms.us.

SOURCE Cellular South