August 24, 2015 - On Saturday, August 22, 250 students began arriving at Panola College to begin the new semester and move into their residence halls. With an enrollment of more than 2300 students and the residence halls filled to capacity, numerous Panola College faculty and staff and community groups were on hand to help welcome the students and to assist in different ways.
As students made their way through the move in process, they were welcomed by numerous members of the community. St. John’s Episcopal Church greeted students with lemonade and cookies. Cedar Grove Baptist Church passed out notebooks and water to students as they moved items into their apartments. Other groups such as Bethlehem Baptist Church, 418, Sodexo, Panola College School of Energy, Verizon, Baptist Student Ministry, New Life Fellowship Church, Panola College Criminal Justice Department, St. Williams Catholic Church, Workforce and Continuing Education, Church of Christ in Wildwood, Student Government Association, and many others set up tables throughout the Student Center to provide information and treats to the students and their families.
The History Club, SGA, First Christian Church, 418, and First United Methodist Church provided water and helped students find their rooms and move items into the apartments. Still Waters Cowboy Church served 450 barbecue sandwiches and dished out homemade ice cream of all varieties to the workers, students and their families. John Henry Zabcik, Student Minister of Still Waters Cowboy Church, says his church enjoys welcoming the students to Panola College and to the community each year. "We feed the students to let them know we love them and we are here for them. We want to help establish them a "home" while at college. We believe that if we feed them physically it may open the door to feed them spiritually and tell them about Jesus. At Still Waters Cowboy Church College Ministry we believe in serving others, so that we can serve the Lord," said Zabcik.
“Move-in day is always an exciting event. It is wonderful to see the energy that all of the returning students and new students bring. I’m so proud of our faculty, staff, community members, and churches that participate in the event. Many parents tell me that they’ve never seen anything like the friendliness and welcoming attitude that our community gives freely to the students of Panola College,” said Dr. Greg Powell, President of Panola College.
