School House | May 2010 |
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Crestline Elementary School
Jump Rope/Hula Hoop Beloved Principal Leaving Crestline team has active year
Crestline’s Jump Rope/Hula Hoop Team
Crestline’s Jump Rope/Hula Hoop Team has been very busy this year. They have performed at the University of Alabama, Birmingham Southern, UAB, the Exceptional Foundation, Mountain Brook
High School, and Samford University with the Harlem Globetrotters. The 70 member team, made up of 2nd-6th graders, began 10 years ago and is coached by LuAnn Wall and Randy Stephens
Long time Crestline Elementary Employees to Retire This Year
Peggy Pate, Vicki Ellenburg, Brenda Lanier, and Edna Rush
VICKI ELLENBURG –
Retiring 1st grade teacher How long have you been at Crestline and in what position? I have been at Crestline for 12 years and I teach first grade. However, I have been teaching for thirty-two and a half years. The first six-year olds I taught are nearing the ripe old age of forty. What will you miss most? I will miss the children the absolute most. They make me smile and laugh each day. I looked at my husband and asked him if he would be able to do that! I think he feels challenged. What do you plan to do in your retirement? My husband wants me to take a “season of rest”, but everyone who knows me knows that my “tail-lights” are always on. I am constantly moving and on the go. I will continue my involvement with the Be Who You Want To Be program that mentors children in Birmingham and Jefferson County. I have a passion for helping children stay in school, so I will be volunteering at area schools and helping any way that I can.
BRENDA LANIER – Retiring Child Nutrition Program How long have you been at Crestline and in what position? 15 years in the Child Nutrition Program What will you miss most? My co-workers and the kids.
What do you plan to do in your retirement? Volunteer at my church, exercise, and play games at a local community center.
PEGGY PATE –
Retiring 2nd grade teacher How long have you been at Crestline and in what position? 6 years as a student, 9 years as a parent, and 19 years as a teacher What will you miss most? “The Crestline Family” (Students, faculty and staff, and parents) What do you plan to do in your retirement? Reconnect with family and friends and spent time with grandchildren
Edna Rush –
Retiring Kindergarten paraprofessional How long have you been at Crestline and in what position? I have been at Crestline for 18 years as an assistant teacher in kindergarten. (My sister says I need to say kindergarten paraprofessional.) What will you miss most? I will miss my Crestline “family” which includes the staff, who are my best friends, the children and their parents. What do you plan to do in your retirement? I plan to enjoy my grandchildren, sew, knit, spin…and do things with my husband… travel or just do something on the spur of the moment.
Crestline clips provided by Julia Peterson
By Jennifer Gray
Dr. Mike Melvin will be leaving Crestline Elementary School after 18 years as Principal that have seen tremendous growth in both the student body and the school itself. Crestline Elementary Melvin wants to Principal Dr. Mike Melvin see if the skills he has developed and the knowledge he has gained through his experiences at Crestline can make a difference at another school. So, Dr. Melvin will be leaving a school system where he has had all of the best possible resources in terms of faculty, parents, building, and technology, to go to an elementary school in Crenshaw, Mississippi that is failing. Crenshaw Elementary has been taken over by the state of Mississippi. It is up to Melvin to turn the school around and help give the students a good education and a chance for success. “Crenshaw is the polar opposite of Crestline in every way, “ said Melvin. More than 80% of parents of Crenshaw students do not have a high school education, and the medium income of their families is $20,000 below the national average. Of the 172 students, 100% qualify for free or reduced lunches. What would lead Melvin to such a school after being at one of the best? “I felt like God wanted me to utilize the knowledge I have gained to help a struggling school,” he said. Melvin said that early on in his career as a Principal, a position he has held not only at Crestline, but two other schools, he came to realize that the elementary level
was where he wanted to spend his career. “It is where the foundation is laid for their entire educational experience. I realized I wanted to remain at an elementary school so I could be a part of that.” Melvin will actually be a paid employee of the University of Mississippi. He is being brought to Crenshaw through the Barksdale Reading Institute. Jim Barksdale, the President and CEO of Netscape founded the Institute. In 1999, he donated $100 million dollars to create the Institute and asked that it be administered through the University of Mississippi. The purpose is to help failing schools with staff development, literacy coaches and grants. The state has turned Crenshaw over to them, and they, in turn, have hired Melvin. Melvin said that his first priority would be hiring the best people he can. “The strength of any business or school is the people,” Melvin said. Crestline’s recognition by the Federal Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School in 2000 is something that Melvin said he is most proud of. He is also proud of the two major construction projects that Crestline has undergone while he has been there. Dr. Melvin said that he will miss Crestline, especially the people. “This whole situation has shown me how important relationships are here. The concern for others and how the people here look out for one another is amazing,” he said. He went on to say that he has been fortunate to work at a school where he has the most cooperative and helpful parents that he has ever worked with. “They truly want to be partners with the staff here. The staff at Crestline is so professional. The concern they have for every child is amazing.” Good luck Dr. Melvin!