More than 200 people came out Pine Grove Pentacostal Church in Sebastopol last Tuesday to celebrate with graduates as the Eighth Circuit Drug Court, which covers Newton, Neshoba, Leake and Scott counties, congratulated 15 members who had completed the program requirements and recognized dozens more who were advancing in the program.
Marcus Ellis, program coordinator for the Eighth Circuit Drug Court, said the May 7 ceremony recognized the largest number of participants in the history of the program.
“This is the largest group we have advanced at one time,” he said.
Attending the graduation was Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph, an ardent supporter of the drug court program. Speaking to the graduates, Randolph congratulated the graduates on their progress and challenged them to be kind and give back to others.
“It’s nice to get up and be honored and all that, but today is not about that,” he said. “Today is for you, to honor you all, and I’m honored to be here with you.”
Each person in the drug court program has made some bad decisions, Randolph said, but those graduating and those advancing are doing so because they started making good decisions. Throughout life, he said, new challenges and new temptations will come up, forcing graduates to make a choice.
“You’ve got to continue on the right course,” he said.
To help guide their decisions, Randolph urged the graduates to be nice, be fair, be honest, be humble, be right and be yourself.
Circuit Court Judge Mark Duncan also congratulated the graduates saying Tuesday’s ceremony was similar to a Stanley Cup win in hockey. In hockey, he said, each player takes a turn lifting the trophy above their head to celebrate their victory.
“Today is the day you get to raise the trophy over your head,” he said.
However, Duncan said, the “real world” is a lot different from drug court.
“After today, when you go out these doors, the real world is out there,” he said. “Today is the first day of the rest of your lives, and as important as this is, there are far more important days out there.”
Duncan said the real world offers temptation that can cause a person in recovery to falter, but it also provides opportunity to excel and grow. He challenged the graduates to do just that.
“I want you to aim high and dream big and not be content to stay where you are,” he said. “I don’t want you to go out and do silly things chasing those dreams, but I want you to have the confidence to improve where you are.”
