A pair of billboards posted along U.S. 82 definitely surprised the high school graduates they honor: Alfonzo Morris and Robyn Collins.
Collins said she was on her way to work at the Sonic Drive-In around 11 a.m. Sunday when she noticed a photo of herself on an electronic billboard beside Shell Rapid Lube.
“Is it me up there?” Collins thought.
“I had to turn around and go to see. When I got off work, I kept blowing back to see it.”
Morris saw his billboard earlier this month. The sign can be viewed by motorists crossing Hinman Bridge near the intersection with West Claiborne Avenue.
Greenwood High School graduate Alfonzo Morris’ relative, Zorlando Moody, had this sign displayed for the month of May.
“I was kind of shocked,” Morris said. “My picture is on a billboard?” he thought.
“It made me proud of myself,” said Morris, who graduated from Greenwood High School Thursday. Collins graduated from Amanda Elzy High School the day before. Members of their families said they wanted to salute the graduates and their achievements especially because their commencement ceremonies would not be traditional as a result of COVID-19 safety restrictions.
Morris, 18, is the son of Moketua Nichols and Tatrieken Nichols, and of Alfonzo Morris. His mom, Moketua, said a relative, Zorlando Moody, had let her know about the billboard, which was his idea. But still she didn’t know it had been posted until others said they had seen it. “Everybody be calling me. They say, ‘Junior — he’s on a billboard!”
She continued, “Every time I pass by there, I say, ‘Hey, Momma’s Baby. I love you!’”
Moody, who is in auto sales with ZDMM Enterprise 2, LLC on Mississippi 7, explained he already had a business advertisement on the board and decided to replace it for a month with one to honor Morris. He also wanted to congratulate all graduates.
“I know this is a special moment for them,” Moody said. For Morris, “this is really kind of exciting for him and the rest of the family.”
Moody also said he is giving Morris a $1,500 scholarship to buy books and intends to do the same for other graduates in coming years. He wants to honor those who will go to community colleges or trade schools.
Morris, who is working at McDonald’s, said he intends to enroll at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia and enjoys auto mechanics. At Greenwood High, he said, “I really liked all of my classes.”
Collins, 17, the daughter of Nekeshia and Robert Collins, is the granddaughter of District 5 Leflore County Supervisor Robert Collins. She also is planning to attend Northwest, although she will be taking courses this summer at Mississippi Delta Community College. She’s interested in becoming a criminal justice major. “I want to be a forensic detective,” she said.
She said her billboard made here feel so “special that they decided to do that for me during my graduation week.” She was referring to her mother, Nekeshia, and aunt Deborah Collins. They decided to go all out and buy three panels on the billboard, each with a photo of the graduate. One shows her in graduation garb; the others picture her as first princess to Miss Elzy and as a basketball player. Collins, a center, played four years for Elzy.
Her mom said she saw a Facebook post showing a similar billboard and contacted her sister-in-law. “I am so proud of her. She was No. 5 in her class. I wanted to make sure that she would have memories to last a lifetime.”
So the graduate’s aunt, Deborah, contacted the sign company and made arrangements for a billboard to run throughout graduation week. “We kept it a secret,” she said. “We surprised her.”
Nekeshia Collins said they split the cost: “You can’t put a price on it. The excitement in her voice when she saw it, that’s just priceless. She is a good girl. We wanted to do something like we did.”
•Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
