Howard E. Kerce, 33°
Deputy, Orient of Mississippi
PO Box 2767, Jackson, Mississippi 39207–2767

The Scottish Rite Brethren in Mississippi have developed a unique combination of state and private support for combating dyslexia and improving literacy.

Photo: Evelyn Lewis, Jackson, Mississippi School System, works with Lupi Williams during a Dyslexia Training Program videotape lesson sponsored throughout the state by the Brethren of the Orient of Mississippi.
In 1996, Mississippi Scottish Rite Masons accepted the challenge to be advocates for dyslexic children in the Magnolia State. Ill.Julian W. Fagan, 33°, S.G.I.G. of the Supreme Council in Mississippi, endorsed the mission and gathered support from each Valley within the Orient. To initiate the program, we contacted the Honorable William J. "Billy" McCoy, 32°, K.C.C.H., State Representative and Chairman of the Education Committee, and asked for his support of a bill in the Mississippi State Legislature. Largely because of his leadership, the bill passed and a pilot program was established to fund a dyslexia program for interested school districts. The pilot program was a success, and subsequent funding has been made available each year since 1996.

Schools submit a request to be a participant in the program on a yearly basis, and the total amount of $250,000 allocated to the state program is distributed among the schools accepted in the program. Each funded school district must then meet the criteria set forth by the State Department of Education. Thus far, funding has reached the million-dollar mark.

In support of this program, each year the Scottish Rite in Mississippi holds a seminar for all members of the educational community interested in the unique methods needed to teach a dyslexic child. These seminars are conducted in collaboration with outreach leaders from the Luke Waites Child Development Center at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), Dallas, Texas. Each seminar emphasizes methods of defining and identifying dyslexia and the legal responsibilities involved. Incidentally, Dr. Waites is a native of Mississippi.

E. Ray Willoughby, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Jackson, and his wife, Lorna, have 34 dual-well VCRs in their home. They duplicate the TSRHC instructional videotapes which provide a step-by-step method of overcoming dyslexia. To date 15,000 tapes have been duplicated and distributed. The Orient of Mississippi provides the tapes to participating schools at 20% of their original cost so that the schools will have sufficient funds left from their grant to purchase the workbooks necessary in the use of the TSRHC program. The elementary school program (2nd through 5th grade) consists of 350 one-hour lessons. A second series of TSRHC tapes focused on literacy consists of 160 videotapes and is used with students age 14 and up.

So far, Scottish Rite assistance has reached approximately 40 counties in Mississippi, and our objective is to be a partner with the state in every county. To achieve this, plans are being drafted to have additional seminars for educators in each of Mississippi's six Scottish Rite Valleys. Also, we recently completed a one-day seminar at the State of Mississippi Department of Education complex in Jackson. Outreach leaders from TSRHC introduced the dyslexia program to approximately 250 educators. We made a video of the program and will duplicate it ($10.00 each) so that it can be used to inform others who could not attend the seminar.

Fortunately, we have been assured by state officials that additional funding will be provided to continue this very effective dyslexia program for the school year 2000/2001 and beyond. The Mississippi Scottish Rite is appropriately proud of implementing our Order's traditional support of the public schools system by distributing the TSRHC dyslexia and literacy videotape programs to schools throughout the Magnolia State. It is a unique effort that combines state and private sponsorship of the Scottish Rite's mission to children with language disorders. The initial challenge has been met, and we intend to extend this valuable Scottish Rite outreach to communities throughout Mississippi in the new millennium.

  Howard E. Kerce
was appointed Deputy in Mississippi effective January 1, 2000. Retired from a successful career in retail store management for the Sears Roebuck and JC Penney companies, Ill. Kerce is active in several community groups including the Magnolia Speech School and Mended Hearts, an organization working in concert with the American Heart Assn. A Past Master of Capitol Lodge No. 600, Jackson, Miss., he has served as the presiding officer of all Scottish Rite Bodies, Valley of Jackson, and as Valley Secretary and Personal Representative. He was President of the Mississippi Scottish Rite Aphasia Foundation (1992–99) and is active in many other Masonic organizations, among them the York Rite, Red Cross of Constantine, DeMolay, Shrine, and the Grand Lodge of Mississippi, which he is now serving as Grand Orator.