Vicksburg High School: Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA

Hi from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Some folks pronounce our state "Miss-sippi". Ours was a river town -on the Big River- during the civil war. Because the Mississippi River was an important supply route, control of The River was crucial to both sides. There was a big stand-off here for two months, ending July 4, 1863. In addition to The South, the townsfolk were also big losers; they suffered immensely and resorted to living in caves in the hillsides, with very little water and the constant barrage of cannons. It was over 100 years after the surrender of Vicksburg before our town celebrated July 4th. We have a National Military Park encompassing both the Union and Confederate lines, which attracts over a million visitors and Civil War buffs a year.

After the Civil War, the Big River (have you seen Roger Miller's musical (play) "Big River" aobut Huck Finn's and Jim's adventures on the Mississippi River, as created by Mark Twain) changed course and left the Port City of Vicksburg high and dry. Then along came the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who dug a canal from the Yazoo River (not Yahoo!) to the Mississippi and reconnected us with The Big River. We are again the Port City of Vicksburg. We have four river boat gambling casinos and we're a port for the paddle wheel steamboats, the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen, as they ply the muddy waters from New Orleans to Memphis and back.

Our school, Vicksburg High School, is one of two big public high schools in Vicksburg. We have seven AP courses; more clubs and competition teams than anyone can keep track of, including Quiz Bowl and Academic Decathelon teams; large band and choir programs which meet as regular classes; classes in the visual art e.g. photography, ceramics, and art through Honors Art 4; and of course, LOTS of sports. Last year our girls' soccer and girls' basketball teams lost state championships by one point each. And we usually have some very speedy boys and girls and who place in the top 1-3 at State Cross Country. Last year, also, we had the Channel One Coach of the Year, our boys' basketball coach, Coach Robinson.

We are pleased to be a part of the Global Water Sampling Project and look forward to hearing from everybody.

Ellen Czaika
Biology II Teacher
Vicksburg High School