Profile 2024

THE YEARBOOK OF SHELBY COUNTY

LEADERS IN EDUCATION

A LOOK AT THOSE WHO PREPARE SHELBY COUNTY STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS

OOften a thankless industry, education is one of the biggest backbones for success in our country.

Luckily, Shelby County is one of the top counties in the state of Alabama for education with all four school systems located in the county found inside the top 30 of the state’s rankings, including one of the best county school systems in the state in Shelby County Schools.

But it goes beyond that. Shelby County is also home to the University of Montevallo, one of the state’s top public universities, and Jefferson State Community College, one of the country’s top and most innovative community colleges.

and then finishing it 15 hours later following the sporting event or extracurricular activity that night. We don’t see the kindness of the bus drivers who are dedicated to their job during a shortage. We don’t see the difference special education teachers make on a daily basis in the lives of some truly incredible people.

That success, however, doesn’t come without a selfless dedication to others at each level of the education system.

This year’s Profile publication is not only meant to highlight many of those who have dedicated their time to making a difference, but offers a chance to say “Thank you” to those who have decided to make this a career.

We often don’t see the teacher coming in on the weekend or staying late to get work done after spending the day or week with the students. We don’t get to see the administrators starting their day at 5 a.m.

ALEC ETHEREDGE, PUBLISHER alec.etheredge@shelbycountyreporter.com

THE

It is our goal to at least give you a glimpse into he work of these selfless people.

Inside this year’s edition of Profile, you will read about the state’s teacher of the year, a teacher battling cancer who continues to go above her normal duties, Alabaster City Schools’ first Blue Ribbon principal, a hero in her first year as a principal, difference makers at Jefferson State and the University of Montevallo preparing the workforce, and even a dog. Yes, you read that correctly.

No, this does not highlight every educator, but there are nearly 100 faces and names highlighted throughout who make a difference, and in the future, a series may be needed to continue cracking the surface on these incredible people.

We hope you enjoy this special project and appreciate a new respect for our local education when you finish.

Shelby County is home to four of the best school systems in the state of Alabama, one of the top public universities in the country and one of the top community colleges in the country, but that success wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of so many. This year’s Profile dives into those who are going the extra mile to make a difference in education.

EDITORIAL

Donald Mottern

Andrew Simonson

Noah Wortham

DESIGN

Sydney Allen

Jamie Dawkins

Rowan Futrell

Connor Martin-Lively

MARKETING

Evann Campbell

Octavia Campbell

Kari George

Michaela Bankston

Rachel Henderson

Rhett McCreight

Viridiana Romero

ADMINISTRATION

Mary Jo Eskridge

Alec Etheredge

Stacey Meadows

Lauren Morris

Kayla Reeves

Brittany Schofield SHELBY COUNTY

FEATURES

8

The Power of a Moment

Alabama State Teacher of the Year Jeff Norris is raising the next generation of leaders by emphasizing the importance of every moment.

24

Serving her purpose

Despite cancer battle, Sara Harris continues to inspire her students at Calera Elementary School

32 A difference maker

Sandy Evers reflects on years leading up to becoming Oak Mountain Middle School’s principal

40 Winning at Life Thompson High School’s Frankie Perez teaches success both on the field and in life as a baseball coach and ESL teacher

46

52

A hometown leader Principal at Elvin Hill Elementary, Courtney Madison gives back in her hometown

Connecting people with careers

Jefferson State’s Leah Bigbee resolute in mission to fuel the local workforce

66

Educating tomorrow’s educators

Ji Ji Davis leads the University of Montevallo in preparing future educators

72

80

88

Serving her purpose

Cricket the dog adds to success of students in Pelham City Schools

Keeping you informed

Local school public relation officials play integral role in success

Watch Me

Morgan Lambert returns to her stomping grounds as both a teacher and coach, leading her athletes to back-to-back wins

94

Education through leadership

Charissa Cole creates lasting impact for Alabaster City Schools with Blue Ribbon

PERSON OF THE YEAR 2024: JEFF NORRIS

THE POWER OF A MOMENT

ALABAMA STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR JEFF NORRIS IS RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS BY EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERY MOMENT

BY ANNA GRACE MOORE | PHOTOS BY BRYAN POPE

GGlancing about his classroom, Jeff Norris’ grin stretches ear-to-ear, as he watches his students scamper to their teams to take the first shot at the word problem on the board. “Ninety-four, no, 93!” a student shouts.

Like dominoes falling in a line, teams begin proudly calling out their answers, hugging each other, bombarded with joy. Morning math problems have become several of his students’ favorite part of the day, as evident by the crimson red and cerulean blue fireworks drawn in Expo markers near their answers.

Jeff smiles, watching teams one-by-one running up to him, cheering, “We did it!” He responds by high-fiving each student, never leaving one out.

“We sure did,” he thinks.

The Journey, Not the Destination

Jeff was always destined to be a teacher. He grew up with an older brother and a younger brother, and they all played baseball.

When he, his brothers and their friends played together, he was always in charge of the games, helping other kids learn to play or find a spot on the team. Looking back, Jeff says he could see the writing on the wall.

There were times in high school that he acted as an elementary school mentor or peer helper. He sees these times as seeds being planted in his life, building the

foundation for his educational journey.

Jeff graduated from Walker High School, now called Jasper High School, and attended the University of Alabama, majoring in elementary education. He started out teaching third grade for two years, and beginning his third year teaching, he taught fifth grade.

During his fourth year teaching, he began teaching gifted children. During these years, he received not only his master’s degree in gifted education from the University of South Alabama, but also his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Montevallo.

He also received his Ed.S. in teacher leadership from the University of Montevallo,

as well as his National Board Certification. As of 2023, he has been teaching 19 years.

“Jeff Norris is just a great teacher,” Lynn Carroll, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Deputy Superintendent for Shelby County Schools says. “He’s just one of those people that all of the students wanted to have, and all of the parents wanted their children to be in his classroom.”

After teaching gifted children for several

years, Jeff was appointed as the administrative assistant at Montevallo Elementary School. He was there for half a year before becoming an assistant principal at Inverness Elementary School. He worked at Inverness Elementary School for five years before moving to Helena Elementary School, where he became principal. He was there for almost three years.

When the pandemic hit, Jeff says it offered a chance for his family to pray and focus on their goals. This time reminded him how much he loved one-on-one interactions with his students, so he made the decision to return to the classroom.

“It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because I’ve become more excited about our field of education and more passionate about teacher leadership and

Jeff graduates from Walker County High School as a “Crump, Scruggs and Moody kid.”

Jeff attends the University of Alabama, majoring in elementary education because of his love for learning and the positive influence of his father-in-law.

Jeff goes back to school and receives two masters degrees—one in gifted education from the University of South Alabama and another in educational leadership from the University of Montevallo.

Jeff receives his Ed.S. in teacher leadership from the University of Montevallo and and his National Board Certification.

Jeff is appointed as the administrative assistant at Montevallo Elementary School.

Jeff becomes the assistant principal at Inverness Elementary School.

Jeff is hired as the principal at Helena Elementary School.

quality instruction for kids by being back in the classroom setting,” Jeff says.

When the pandemic ended, Jeff returned to the classroom as a sixth grade gifted English teacher at Oak Mountain Middle School. He actually got to teach his son.

Several of Jeff’s former students from Inverness Elementary School were part of the first classes he got to teach at Oak Mountain Middle School, which he says was

a fun, full-circle experience. While he was teaching English language arts at Oak Mountain, Dr. Larry Haynes, who was then the principal, was impressed with Jeff’s teaching style and asked him to consider shifting into teaching math.

Jeff said good teaching is good teaching, and he wanted to serve his students in any way he could. He began teaching math the following year and has loved every minute of

it.

“I spend more time teaching kids to believe they can do math than teaching math content,” Jeff says, chuckling. “Math seems scary, but as soon as you get past the stigma that ‘failure is messing up,’ you understand messing up is part of the experience of math and solving your own problems and figuring out your errors and growing from those errors.”

The COVID-19 Pandemic hits, allowing Jeff to spend more one-on-one time with his family at home. He realizes his desire to be back in the classroom.

Once the pandemic ends, Jeff returns to the classroom to teach sixth grade gifted English at Oak Mountain Middle School and later on, sixth grade math, too.

Jeff is named Oak Mountain Middle School’s Teacher of the Year, then Shelby County Schools’ Elementary Teacher of the year, then the District Three Elementary Teacher of the Year for the state of Alabama.

Jeff is named both Alabama State Teacher of the Year and Alabama Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Entered into the running For National Teacher of the Year.

Part of students learning mathematical equations and problem solving, Jeff says, parallels the experience of teachers figuring out how to engage their students, helping them grow into the best versions of themselves. Not every day will be a good one teaching-wise, but the mindset that both students and teachers must adopt is one that reaffirms their purpose every moment counts.

“I tell my kids giving up is failure, not messing up,” Jeff says. “If I can make math approachable, that is leading to lifelong payoff for them.”

When Jeff transitioned from teaching sixth grade English to math, he says the principles of teaching two very different subjects were not all that different.

“Objectively speaking, there’s definitely more reading and writing in English than there is in math, but what we’re learning about teaching math is that the way to make math stick is through reading and writing and talking,” Jeff says. “It’s been a goal of mine to find ways to pull that into the math

classroom because that’s how you find meaning.”

One unique practice Jeff implements in his own classroom is called visibly random grouping. Each day, students will sit in randomly assigned groups of three, beginning each day by collaboratively solving a challenging problem on their respective group’s whiteboard.

There is only one marker per group, so teams must talk out solutions for the problem and record down their work. Jeff says his students are often paired with others different from themselves so they are constantly learning how to build on each others’ strengths.

“This builds resilience, and that’s important in learning,” Jeff says. “We’re in a society where everything is immediate. Everything happens quickly. That’s not necessarily how learning is. We have to teach kids that struggling is okay.”

Through these exercises, Jeff teaches the difference between being a critic and being a critical friend. Critics exude negativity

through empty judgment; whereas, critical friends challenge each other to problem solve and praise one another when solutions are found.

“Not getting an immediate payoff as an answer and messing up a couple of times before you get the answer is a part of the process,” Jeff says. “That’s a life skill, not a math skill.”

The Road to the Top

Each year, the Alabama State Department of Education has school systems nominate an elementary and secondary teacher of the year. Jeff was named Oak Mountain Middle School’s Teacher of the Year, then Shelby County Schools’ Elementary Teacher of the Year last year, but that was just the beginning of his hard-earned recognition.

Jeff was later on chosen as the District Three Elementary Teacher of the Year for the state. Of the 16 winners (eight elementary and eight secondary teacher of the year award recipients), four were chosen to

interview for the honor of Alabama State Teacher of the Year.

Jeff was one of the four finalists invited to Montgomery to interview for the honor. He progressed to the top two, being named both the Alabama State Teacher of the Year and the Alabama Elementary Teacher of the Year.

“I never expected to be state teacher of the year,” Jeff says. “I love Shelby County, and I love our schools. To be able to showcase all

of the awesome things that are happening is a lot of fun. I feel selfish for being honored for doing something that I love.”

As part of being named Alabama State Teacher of the Year, he is actually not teaching in the classroom this year but is touring schools across the state, leading professional development workshops and working with the Alabama State Department of Education.

“I don’t think you can have a better

nominee or winner than Jeff Norris,” Sandy Evers, principal at Oak Mountain Middle School says with confidence. “He is the epitome of what a parent wants in a teacher for their child. Students love his creativity and how he makes learning fun and engaging.”

Jeff has since applied for National Teacher of the Year, and he, along with all of the other state winners, will gather for a weeklong orientation workshop, furthering

“I LOVE SHELBY COUNTY, AND I LOVE OUR SCHOOLS.”

-JEFF NORRIS

discussions in professional development. In April 2024 at the White House Rose Garden, the National Teacher of the Year Award recipient will be named.

No matter if he wins, Jeff says his number one goal will always be the same—making school a positive place for students to thrive. This goal, he shares, was one instilled in him by so many educators and mentors who made such a strong impact on his life–one of those mentors was his father-in-law, who was the Alabama Elementary Teacher of the Year in 1980.

Jeff says when he and his wife were dating in college, he especially enjoyed spending time with his father-in-law, soaking up knowledge that opened up his eyes to just how influential he, as an elementary

education major at the time, could be to young children. Jeff credits him for helping discover his passion for teaching young children.

The Three E’s

During one of his tours as Alabama State Teacher of the Year, Jeff had the privilege to speak at his hometown’s citywide back to school celebration. At this celebration, he said, “Once a Norris kid, always a Norris kid. I know this because I was a Crump, Scruggs and Moody kid.”

Jeff recognized these three teachers, who all had taught him, honoring them for the impact they made on him. He says he classifies teaching–a life changing business–

into little moments because a single moment has the power to change someone’s life.

Coach Lincoln Moody’s “moment,” Jeff says, was created each day when he smiled at Jeff and welcomed him into the classroom. Another one of Jeff’s favorite teachers, Gina Scruggs, made learning quite engaging by approaching lessons as opportunities for fun.

She engaged each student by teaching activities that utilized each student’s learning style, making lessons fun for every child. Last but not least, Gayle Crump, who is now the principal of Jasper High School, had one of the biggest impacts on Jeff.

Jeff jokes that while nearly all of her students were taller than her, Mrs. Crump’s voice–her influence–was far greater than he

could have imagined as a student. This influence, he believes, empowered him to fulfill his dream of becoming a teacher.

What Jeff learned from these three educators are what he now calls the three “E’s” of good education environment, engagement and empowerment.

Jeff starts out each school year by having students write letters to their former teachers. Even as a math teacher, he reminds each of his students of the power of words, and coincidentally, this activity has yielded one of his favorite memories as an educator.

One of Jeff’s students was also a student years prior in a school where Jeff was principal. In his letter, the student detailed how he kept getting in trouble

and had to visit “Mr. Norris,” who made a deal with him that if he went three days in a row without getting into trouble, they would do a fun activity together–just the two of them.

That commitment is something that stuck out to the student and is what Jeff says is the greatest reward as an educator, while it also is one of the defining moments he strives to create for his students every day.

“You can tell he loves students, he loves children everything about education,” Lynn says. “He has the ability to make everyone feel at ease and can talk to anyone and make them feel comfortable. He’s a natural culture builder.”

DR. JOHN W. STEWART III

PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

Dr. John W. Stewart III was inaugurated as the 15th president of the University of Montevallo on Oct. 14, 2010. An accomplished career academic actively engaged in both the public and private sectors and widely recognized for his service to the state of Alabama, Dr. Stewart has successfully raised UM’s national profile. Since 2010, the University has increased first-year student applications by 44%, secured the first $1 million gift in its history and invested $26 million into campus capital projects and deferred maintenance. Dr. Stewart has also emphasized strengthening UM’s core mission by focusing on the development of new academic programs and promoting increased opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. This focus has included faculty support, resulting in more than $1 million in faculty raises over the last two years as well as the establishment of the President’s Faculty Travel Fund.

FLOYD COLLINS

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF PELHAM CITY SCHOOLS

Floyd Collins has an extensive background with education in Shelby County, serving in multiple roles. Currently the Pelham City Schools assistant superintendent, Collins served as a math teacher at Calera High School for nine years. He graduated from Alabama A&M in 2002 before getting his master’s in secondary education and teaching in 2007 from the University of Montevallo and then his master’s in education leadership and administration from the University of Alabama in 2012. He then quickly transitioned into an admin role, taking over as an assistant principal at Pelham High School in 2012. He served as coordinator of transportation and career tech when Pelham City Schools was formed in 2014 before taking over as director of operations for eight years and then being named assistant superintendent last May.

JOHN AND MELISSA HADDER

SPAIN PARK GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH AND BERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

With many years of education between them, John and Melissa Hadder are a husband-wife duo that continue to make differences in the lives of youth across Shelby County. John served as the Vincent Middle High School head basketball coach and athletic director for many years, leading the Yellow Jackets to several historical accolades before retiring from teaching this past year and taking over as the Spain Park girls basketball coach ahead of the 2023 school year. Melissa is currently the principal at Berry Middle School after serving for several years as the principal at Simmons Middle School and Shades Mountain Elementary School as well as assistant principal at Spain Park High School. Her goal is to create a positive learning environment for everyone with a focus on helping student achievement. Berry Middle School is currently one of the top 10 public middle schools to attend in the state of Alabama under the leadership of Melissa.

MARGIE EUBANKS

CALERA HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR AND THEATRE TEACHER

A choir and theatre teacher at Calera High School, Margie Eubanks is one of the best in the Shelby County School system and worked hard through a recent health scare. In 2022, she was named the school’s Teacher of the Year. She also overcame a scary liver cancer diagnosis around the same time and continues to make a difference in the lives of her students.

MO BIVINS

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER FOR THOMPSON HIGH SCHOOL

A Thompson High School graduate and former women’s basketball player at the University of Alabama, Mo Bivins is now the Thompson High School School Resource Officer as a member of the Alabaster Police Department. She has served as the grand marshal for the homecoming parade at THS and has been honored as The Shelby County Chamber Officer of the Year for the Alabaster Police Department.

KEITH BROWN

PRESIDENT OF JEFFERSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Keith Brown was selected as the next Jefferson State Community College President in 2018, but he is no stranger to the school or its success. Brown was with Jeff State for 20 years and served as interim president before officially being selected as the school’s president. Since taking over the top role, he has remained focus on workforce development at each campus, with the Hoover-Shelby Campus locally putting a big emphasis on those programs to help prepare JSCC graduates to jump immediately into important roles in the workforce.

SERVING HER PURPOSE

DESPITE CANCER BATTLE, SARA HARRIS CONTINUES TO INSPIRE HER STUDENTS AT CALERA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SBY ALEC ETHEREDGE | PHOTOS BY JASON HOMAN, BRYAN POPE AND CONTRIBUTED

Standing front and center in her classroom with a room full of students wide-eyed in anticipation, Calera first grade teacher Sara Harris breaks out in a dance.

The students quickly follow suit, some with giggles at their teacher, but all with one goal in mind—retaining knowledge through interactive lessons at the hand of their teacher.

Through the fog of the boisterous environment of singing and dancing, you don’t see the pain of a teacher with an incurable metastatic breast cancer, and that’s exactly what Harris hopes for.

Diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 2019, the first grade teacher had it return in metastatic form by spreading to her sternum in 2021 when she got her dream job at CES.

Her focus, however, remains on the students, fighting through the painful days to serve her purpose and not let the cancer define her.

“I absolutely love what I do,” Harris says. “I feel like it’s my purpose. The best part of it is the children. It is a joy to walk into this room every day, no matter how tired I am, no matter how I feel, sometimes I walk in and go, ‘Oh, I can’t do this today,’ and when they walk in that door, it wipes all of that away. Watching that lightbulb moment, it’s just so exciting to watch them learn and grow.”

For that reason and her engaging method that she continues to bring into the classroom each day, the hometown Calera girl was named this year’s Teacher of the Year at Calera Elementary School, giving her even more clarity on her path.

Finding her path

It was actually Wonder Woman who set Harris on the path to becoming the teacher she is today, and no, not Lynda Carter from the TV series, but a Calera Elementary

School kindergarten teacher who looked like her and treated her students in a fashion that made them look at her like a superhero.

“She poured time into me, she invested in me,” Harris says. “She would braid my hair during recess and just show me how much she cared. I thought she was Wonder Woman. She looked like her and everything about her just seemed super. It wasn’t every day original kind of things, she went the extra mile.”

She says that was the start of her growing a love for education that grew with each teacher she had through high school.

“They saw things that I didn’t see in myself,” she adds. “It would inspire me to push myself further because I was extremely shy. They would tell me, ‘No, you can be president of this or you can give a speech on that topic.’ I wanted to be that for children also. I wanted to pour that into students and other people as well. That became what I had to do.”

“Her classroom is one of the happiest, most welcoming rooms in our building. She meets all of her children in the hallway with a smile and a hug. She is constantly coming up with ideas on how to engage her students and sharing those ideas with all of our grade level. She is seriously one of the most helpful people you will ever meet.”

– Hailey Dolbare, Calera Elementary teacher

“A lot of people could have said, ‘I just can’t handle all of this,’ but she said, ‘I want to be here as long as I can be here.’”

– Shannon Montgomery, Calera Elementary Principal

“She gives 110 percent, even when she doesn’t feel good.”

– Elizabeth Davis Cain

After graduating from Calera High School in 1993 as part of a class of 44 students, Harris went to college off and on and had her three kids before graduating with a degree in education.

Originally, she didn’t plan to return to the once small town of Calera.

“At first, my sister was a teacher at Calera Elementary, and I thought to myself, ‘Why would anyone want to go back to their hometown?’ But, through the years, there is just something about this town,” she says. “There is such a love for community and still a small-town feel even as it grows.”

Harris went on to teach fifth grade, third grade and fourth grade in that order at Calera Intermediate School, but her heart continued to pull her back to younger children.

That led to her taking an opportunity at

Randolph Elementary School as a first grade teacher to gain experience.

But then, a kindergarten job opened at Calera Elementary School and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to chase down her dream.

“I went here, my children went here, my grandchildren will go here, so it’s part of my legacy to continue pouring into this school and this town because I want this community to keep growing and for these kids to keep pouring into the community,” Harris says.

Now in her 12th year as an educator, she has spent the previous two years teaching first grade at CES after serving as a kindergarten teacher in 2021. She had her dream job at her dream school, but it didn’t come without its challenges.

A detour around the roadblock

As the 2021 school year approached, Harris was giddy with excitement after being hired to take on a kindergarten teacher role at Calera, helping her dream become a reality, while her cancer, to her knowledge, was gone.

Then, a week before the school year officially began, Harris got the news that her cancer had spread to the sternum on Aug. 6, 2021.

“It was gone in a sense. I had kind of beat it because it wasn’t showing up in my bloodwork,” Harris says with tears filling her eyes as she remembers the challenging time.

“It was so ironic. It was my goal to be here and I find out that my cancer is back at the same time I’m about to start my dream job.”

In that moment, while difficult, she didn’t

panic and very quickly told first-year principal Shannon Montgomery what was going on and that she didn’t want the cancer battle to define her, rather that her focus was on making a difference in the lives of the students and living out her dream.

“She has been very open with me about it since the beginning and has never wanted it to define her,” Montgomery says. “A lot of people could have said, ‘I just can’t handle all of this,’ but she said, ‘I want to be here as long as I can be here.’”

Through the adverse situation, she never lost sight of the students and she has rarely missed any days that weren’t for doctor appointments, fighting through exhaustion, pain and mental hurdles to be there for the kids on a daily basis.

“Even when she is out of work, she is constantly concerned about what they need

to have to be able to succeed,” says co-worker and first grade teacher Hailey Dolbare. “She is currently battling cancer in her sternum— taking chemo meds and going to multiple doctor appointments—but all while going above and beyond in the classroom.”

A big reason for the ability to push through, in addition to her drive to make the kids her main priority, has been leaning on her faith and the community support.

“Faith plays a huge part in every part of my life,” Harris says with tears streaming down her face. “It is part of who I am. It’s part of how I respond to them as children, it’s part of how I respond to my co-workers, it’s part of how I respond to conflict, when I’m irritated. It drives me and I see something beyond what’s here. My goal is to hear Him say, ‘Well done.’”

Currently, that’s what keeps Harris going

on a daily basis, knowing that her purpose is to make a difference for the kids.

“It keeps me going, but I also believe if I’m going through this, there has to be a reason,” she says. “It’s either something I have to learn or someone around me has to learn.

Cancer has transformed me physically, but it has also transformed me as a Christian and a person. Things that used to seem like a big deal to me aren’t a big deal anymore because they really don’t matter. In the grand scheme of things, my purpose on this earth is whatever he has placed on my life, and right now, it’s pouring into this classroom and these children. I feel like each child that is in here is in here for a reason and they’re handpicked to be with me for a reason. Each morning, when we have a moment of silence, I pray over them. They don’t know that, but I pray over them and pray over this school for

protection around it and that I will be a positive light in their life.”

It’s that quality that rubs off on the staff and students around her, as they see her working for something bigger than herself.

“Knowing her personally, she is always respectful of people and their views, but she is very vocal in her faith to us as a staff and that is an additional part of who she is,” Montgomery says. “I see that in her. She is very committed and relies on that heavily. She looks to that for strength as a teacher and day to day life, but also the journey she is going through in life. She extends grace.”

Dolbare echoed that sentiment, saying it’s inspiring to see the strength she gains and the grace she has through the challenges.

“She will always tell you, ‘This is not my story, but His story,’” Dolbare says. “When you talk to her about her journey, she tells you that Jesus is right there in the midst of it. She constantly turns to Him. Does she have not so great days? Absolutely! But she keeps

fighting every single day and her Eagles’ family rallies around her every step of the way. She is a literal angel on Earth. Heaven will be bigger because of Sara constantly sharing her unremarkable faith throughout her cancer journey.”

Serving her purpose

Standing on top of tables, teaching a fifth grade class at Calera Intermediate School, Harris and her students join together in singing songs at the top of their lungs.

Another interactive activity, she is trying to make sure her students can remember this song to help retain the knowledge.

“I’m not a great singer, but they go along with it,” she says. “I can’t get on the desks anymore because you don’t want the little ones to fall, but when we sing those songs, they remember them. They know what to do. I want them to come in and think learning is exciting.”

Even though she isn’t jumping up on desks anymore, she continues to sing to her best ability, while also working to create other fun activities that include Math Easter Egg hunts, circus days to celebrate learning, transforming her room into a restaurant for “book tastings” and so much more.

“When I shut that door, I will do whatever it takes to get their attention for them to learn,” she says. “I want them to come in and think, ‘What’s next?’ I want them to have a core memory of this is why I know the doubles like two plus two equals four.”

She says she knows it’s her job to do everything she can for the kids because that’s the purpose she is meant to serve.

“They refill me and don’t just see me as someone with cancer,” she says. “I know there have been times that they have to listen to me say I don’t feel good, and they encourage me to keep going, but I try not to even tell them that. I just want to be there to give them all I can and make sure they have

a fun day of learning.”

It’s a presence that carries from outside the classroom to start the day and into the classroom throughout the day.

“Her classroom is one of the happiest, most welcoming rooms in our building,” Dolbare says. “She meets all of her children in the hallway with a smile and a hug. She is constantly coming up with ideas on how to engage her students and sharing those ideas with all of our grade level. She is seriously one of the most helpful people you will ever meet.”

Montgomery says that the kindergarten through second grade years are so instrumental, and having a teacher go the extra mile like Harris is something that can set a student up for success for the rest of their education journey.

“She wants to make learning fun,” Montgomery says. “Getting to know her, what sticks out, is she is very dedicated. It’s so easy to kind of just give up and not show up for different reasons, but she shows up and when she’s here, she’s in it for these kids. We always have to teach to the standards. That’s what we always hear in education, but the fact that she takes that extra step to say, ‘Hey, what can I do to make this impactful to the kids?’ Standing on the teacher table, hanging bats form the ceiling just because she was setting up for that

learning unit and just giving the kids that little surprise when they walk in the room. That not only makes it fun, but it sticks.”

Fulfilling her dream

Passing Harris in the hallway one afternoon in the early part of the 2023 school year following dismissal, Principal

Montgomery told Harris to come by her office in 10 minutes.

Immediately assuming the worst, Harris began the trek to the principal’s office that we all feared as children, but the news wasn’t the terrifying dream she had made up in her head.

“She thought something was wrong and I knew she would think that,” Montgomery

recalls. “She came in and sat down, I had my serious face on and started off with something vague. Then, I just blurted out, ‘You’ve been named Teacher of the Year! She immediately busted out in tears.”

Harris was in shock. She downplayed it and questioned Montgomery through her tears, saying, “Are you sure. I don’t deserve that.”

“It reminds you that everything you do, people are seeing,” she says. “It sounds ugly, but I’m not doing it for them. I’m doing it for God and these children. But, it meant a lot for others to see something in me that they thought I deserved that. I don’t feel like I deserve it, but it is greatly appreciated and it means a lot to me.”

Montgomery says that is just part of her humble nature and that she continually said that it surely couldn’t be her.

“A lot of times, when you’re doing something good, you don’t really see it and it takes somebody else to see it and that was her,” Montgomery says. “She downplayed it and said she isn’t doing

something special. They see who she is, they see her as a person and a teacher and that is all a part of being Teacher of the Year.”

For Harris, however, it’s all about giving everything she has to the students because that’s the job she dreamed of.

“Some days are harder than others, but every time I walk in this door, the pain is gone,” she says. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed a day because I don’t feel good. I’ll get up and may not be feeling it that day but keep moving forward because they need me to give them 110 percent, so that’s what I do. If I don’t have my all to give to them, they’re not going to get it.”

With that, it’s a medicine unlike anything else that helps Harris get through the difficult times.

Seeing it click with her students and seeing their love for her is the driving force that inspires her to be the best she can be.

“Their joy about learning, their happiness to see me and the way they love me, it just makes you feel so good and excited about

your day,” she says. “Knowing they need me to teach them and they need this, especially in first grade being such a big building block on their education, makes it all worth it. Their smiles, their joy, their happiness to be here and to learn, it makes me feel incredible. It brings me happiness to see their little faces.”

From the kindergarten student who was inspired by her teacher to pour into others to the Teacher of the Year at that same school, Harris is now pouring into others to make a difference in the same facet, and she isn’t letting a terrifying disease keep her from inspiring students the same way she was inspired at the same age.

“According to doctors, the cancer will never go away, but I will work until the half day of my funeral, I can tell you that much,” Harris says. “I will be here as long as I can physically come to school and do it. That could be five years or 15 years. I’m going to keep doing it because I love it and I’m not going to let something like that stop me.”

A DIFFERENCE MAKER

IN HER FIRST YEAR AS PRINCIPAL AT OAK MOUNTAIN MIDDLE SCHOOL, SANDY EVERS REFLECTS ON HER PATH

BY DONALD MOTTERN | PHOTOS BY ALEC ETHEREDGE AND DAWN HARRISON

OOn the afternoon of Feb. 12, 2013 Chelsea Middle School was experiencing the regularly-scheduled chaos of a normal school dismissal. As was the policy at the time, hundreds of middle school bus riders poured into the school’s gym where they prepared for bus dismissal. Sandy Evers, who had just finished her last class of the day in her position as a P.E. teacher, stood attentively and watched over the procession of students while she waited for another adult to take her place for dismissal duty. In those seconds, watching students cascade in, she never anticipated the words she was about to hear next.

In the midst of the organized bedlam, one sixth-grade girl ran toward Evers as the words left her lips, “Coach Evers, coach Evers, there’s a man in the locker room with a gun.”

“It’s one of those moments, one of those powerful moments in your life where time stands still for a second,” Evers says, looking back on the event from 10 years ago. “It

catches your breath and you almost want to turn back time, but you’re standing right there and you can’t. I vividly remember repeating in my mind, ‘What did she just say? Did she say what I think she just said?’”

The words sank in quickly, however, and Evers, who has always described herself as quick to react, took those few words with the seriousness and weight that they deserved. In the next seconds, she was already speeding down toward the locker rooms, which were on the floor below the gym. Already bolting in that direction, she yelled into her school radio, “Code red, put the school on lockdown,” but heard no response, finding out later that there was a technical problem with the radio leading to no alarm sounding.

As a P.E. teacher, and a cross country and track coach, Evers was perfectly aware that with the school day concluding, girls would be steadily making their way to the locker room to change and prepare for the many different after-school sports and activities.

“When I got to the bottom platform there

was this long singular narrow hallway and there’s two entrance doors that lead into the girl’s locker room,” Evers remembers. “I saw that the door was open and all I could see was an arm in a camo-like jacket with a gun—and the gun was pointed at four of my sixth-grade girls.”

Evers quickly reached the end of the hall and threw herself into the room and inbetween the man and her students. Already a mother of four children, Evers thought only of protecting those in her care.

“I just ran to the girls and just grabbed at four of them and just threw them toward the stairs where I just came from and just yelled for them to run,” she says. “Meanwhile, I never even looked at him, I could just feel that he was still behind me with a gun now pointed at the back of my head instead.”

Answering an unexpected calling

Evers hadn’t anticipated a career in education. In college, she ran track at the

University of Kansas and was a heptathlon competitor. Before a pivotal moment changed that trajectory forever, she fully believed she would find herself going into personal training or corporate fitness.

With her father having passed away from a heart attack the year prior, Evers was preparing to compete in her Big-8 Track Championship held in Ames, Iowa. As she prepared for her event, she heard a familiar voice from the crowd cheering her on, Dr. Byrle Kynerd.

Kynerd, who was the superintendent of Briarwood Christian School where Evers had attended five years prior, had traveled across the country at the closing of a school year to see her compete and cheer her on. Knowing Evers’ father wasn’t able to cheer her on, he had made the trip to let her know that he was proud of her. It was this simplest of gestures, appearing at a competition, that changed the course of Evers’ life forever.

“When he came out to watch me compete, he asked me to please consider coming back to Briarwood and teaching and coaching and

getting my teaching certificate,” Evers recalls. “He changed my life for the better. Him believing in me and thinking that I could make a difference in young people just as he made a difference in my life, it was amazing.”

From that moment, Evers knew that she wanted to do for others what Kynerd had done for her—be a difference maker in the lives of others.

She returned to Briarwood in 1995 where she began coaching and teaching, a position she maintained for years until spending one year at Bessemer City High School and then making the move to Chelsea Middle School in 2010. Less than three years later, she stood in the girl’s locker room with a gun pointed toward the back of her head seconds after throwing four girls out of the way.

“The girls took off running, they were obviously scared to death,” Evers says. “God was watching out for me that day and it was not my time either. At that moment, the gunman instead made the choice to go (further) into the locker room and retreated

that way instead of doing anything with me.”

Evers never made direct eye or verbal contact with the gunman, instead, she kept moving. Just seconds had passed since she first ran down the stairs, and girls were still coming down the stairs unaware of the seriousness of the quickly developing situation. Not yet knowing what was going on deeper in the locker room, Evers moved to clear the area and get as many out of harm’s way as possible.

“I just yelled to them, ‘run, run, run,’” she says. “They were just coming down there to get dressed for spring sports. I’m yelling at them, ‘Go back upstairs, go, go.’ I was trying to be quiet, because I didn’t want (the gunman) to hear. It felt like forever, but it’s all happening in split seconds.”

As students in the hall and stairwell ran back to the gym, Evers again turned her attention back to the locker room, peering into the second entrance, and finding no one in the immediate area.

“I’ve yelled on the radio and at this point I peak into the room and open the door to see

if I can see any girls—if I can get anybody else out and all I could see was lockers,” Evers says. “I could hear him yelling in there but I couldn’t see any girls, I couldn’t see anybody at that point.”

Still, students continued arriving and heading down the stairs, and Evers, unaware that her radio call was not received, began to fear that the school was under a larger scale attack with more than one assailant. Still fearing for the safety of any students in the locker room, she made the decision to quickly make her way upstairs and ensure that no students could make their way downstairs.

Once making her way back up to the gym, Evers was face to face with 350 students that were still unaware of the emergency unfolding below them, she ran to the microphone on the gym’s stage and again declared that the school was in a code red situation. Following that announcement, the reaction swiftly escalated and the school’s crisis response plan kicked into full gear.

Evers remained by the door to that

stairwell during the entire incident, placing herself between her students and whatever might be on the other side. As she did so, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Deputy David Morrow, the school resource officer on duty that day, and the school’s principal, Bill Harper, made their way to the locker room and were further directed by a custodian who had also been downstairs during the incident.

“I knocked on the door and yelled ‘Sheriff’s Office,’” Morrow says. “I opened the door, and when I did the offender came around the corner. He started yelling, ‘Get out of here, get out of here.’ And I was yelling, ‘Sheriff’s office.’ He and I saw each other. I saw the gun in his hand. I began giving him commands to drop the gun. He did not drop the gun. He lowered the gun and immediately ran back away from the door against the wall where I couldn’t see him.”

Not wasting any time, Morrow immediately called for backup and entered into negotiations with the man and it was then that he heard him say he had five young

girls hostage in the room with him. Over the next several minutes, and as more officers arrived, the identity of the gunman became clear, especially to Principal Harper.

“Talking to the guy through the door, he recognized me as being his former SRO when I was at high school,” Morrow remembers. “And the principal knew him, recognized him because he had worked as a custodian, as a as a summer helper. I didn’t recognize him, but he knew who I was. The relationship that the principal had with him, for a couple of summers, (played a crucial role). We were able to talk to him and he immediately released three of the girls.”

Over another tense few minutes, Morrow, Harper and other officers were able to talk to the gunman and were able to successfully talk him into standing down. In the years that followed, it was determined that the gunman was suffering from mental illness. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and placed under the custody of the Alabama Department of Mental Health in 2014.

Mar y Harris Wilson

Ms. Wilson

Mar y Harris Wilson has held the position of Circuit Clerk of Shelby

Ms. Wilson

“My belief is that the relationship that he had built with the principal and that he knew me as his former SRO when he was in high school, played a big role in everything that took place and the peaceful outcome that happened that day,” Morrow said. “And that’s what we do as SROs, we try to build those relationships with these kids and let them know that we’re there for them.”

As Evers stood at the top of the stairs, she had no idea that she too had known the man responsible for the last half hour of terror. Throughout the entire event, Evers never saw his face, but looking back now, she easily recalls how he helped her put together furniture for her office prior to the incident.

“(Evers) did exactly what she was supposed to do,” Morrow said. “She got those kids out of the way—the ones that were up in the gym—she did absolutely fantastic by keeping those kids out of there and keeping them contained upstairs and away from the danger.”

Making the difference

It is an unfortunate fact that this event and others across the country have resulted in learning experiences that have led to the design of new safety systems and protocols in schools. In part due to her involvement on Feb. 12, Evers played a role in the reevaluation of safety policies and procedures as a member of the district safety team that was organized shortly after the events.

“It was a healing process to be quite honest, but it also was a learning process for our county to be able to move forward and better prepare our school system, kids and our community to be safer,” Evers says. “I was in shock for a little while—I don’t think I realized that’s what it was, but it was surreal to me. I didn’t realize that sudden loud noises affected me the way they did for a little while. I will say, I tend to be resilient and positive, I look for the good in things. That’s been the life motto of mine, to look

for the good and find the good in things.”

Finishing out the remainder of that school year at ChMS, Evers made a move to teach PE at Forest Oaks Elementary the following school year. During her time there, she attained her administrator’s certification and eventually moved to serve as the head assistant principal of Oak Mountain High School for seven years.

“Sandy and I worked together for two years and she was really my right-hand woman,” says Principal Andrew Gunn of Oak Mountain High School. “I relied on her for so much and she was an absolute joy to work with.”

Gunn worked with Evers for the last two years of her time at OMHS, having also worked at ChMS but starting the year after Evers’ departure.

“She truly, truly cares about the students and their wellbeing,” Gunn says. “She is very much a student first person. When it comes time to make a difficult decision, she is going to decide and make her decision

“IT’S ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS, ONE OF THOSE POWERFUL MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE WHERE TIME STANDS STILL FOR A SECOND.”

-SANDY EVERS

based on what is best for the students. She is a very joyful person and she knows every kid personally as much as she possibly can and gets to know them. They know that she cares for them and has their wellbeing in mind.”

That energy Evers has always carried and brought to every position now resides in the halls of Oak Mountain Middle School. This past July, Evers made one last move to become the principal of OMMS, filling the position following the retirement of Larry Haynes after nearly 20 years in the position.

Here, now nearing 11 years since the event in February, 2013, Evers walks up and down the halls conversing and greeting students, many by name in the moments prior to dismissal. The process is much different now than it was then. Most students have been dispersed to their advisory classes and retrieved their belongings and backpacks from their lockers. A select number of students carry dusters, dustpans and brooms as they clean the halls before dismissal, and they call out for her

attention from down the length of the hall. With each and every student she encounters in the hall, she stops to talk and check in with them in a way that is clearly so much more than a general comment.

“I love middle school kids, I love that age,” she says as she waves to several students down the hall. “It is such a pivotal time in a young person’s life and I love that I’m able to be here during that transformational time in a young person’s mind—where they’re deciding who they’re going to be and making those choices. I love that I can be that extra voice for them encouraging them to do the right thing and make the right choices—to encourage each other, build each other up and say nice things.”

On the right path

Before Evers’ alarm, which reminds her to make the afternoon announcements, goes off, she stops in to speak and visit with the students of a special needs classroom. There, she is bombarded with greetings and smiles

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and she takes a moment with each student to ask about their day. Although a short moment that is over quickly, any observer can see that it is easily the part of the job Evers loves the most. As she leaves that class and walks down the hall, posters and writings can be seen that proclaim the words that enshrine her teaching philosophy, work hard, be nice, smile and call home.

In an image that may be foreign to some, not one student across the entire campus seems anything but ecstatic to see their principal.

Promptly, at 2:53 p.m., Evers is back in the office and reading the afternoon announcements, and as she concludes she dismisses the students. Over the course of the next 10 minutes, 42 buses, carrying more than 800 students, leave the OMMS campus through one exit. Roughly another 400 wait in the car rider lines. Every radio works and administrators confirm and double check with each step of the process. It is

a surprisingly organized chaos that sees a school go from buzzing with activity to silent in minutes.

By 3:07, just 14 minutes after Evers first began her afternoon announcements, the entire procession is over. Every bus is on time, and every student gets where they need to go. All in all, the process is six minutes shorter than the entire length of the incident in 2013.

For Sandy Evers, it’s just another day where she has been able to make the difference, something she has loved doing for the past 27 years and intends to do for years to come.

“I think as many adults in their world that can encourage them and help them stay on the right path the better,” Evers says. “I am in a great place. Oak Mountain Middle School is amazing. The students, community and parents are amazing and it is a blessing and a joy to be here. I cannot say enough great things about it, it’s been great.”

WINNING AT LIFE

FRANKIE PEREZ CONTINUES TO INSPIRE THOMPSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON AND OFF THE BASEBALL FIELD

BY ANDREW SIMONSON | PHOTOS BY ALEC ETHEREDGE AND CONTRIBUTED

IIn 2018, Frankie Perez sat at the top of the baseball mountain. He was not only the coach of state champion Hazel Green, but the first Latino to win a baseball state championship in the top two classifications of Alabama high school sports.

In just his second year as a head coach and his first year at Hazel Green, he not only earned Coach of the Year in north Alabama or Class 6A, but he was named the state’s Coach of the Year regardless of classification.

It was a start to a head coaching career coaches dream of, yet, he felt empty.

“I remember sitting in my room at 2 a.m. with a trophy in my hand,” Perez says. “Everybody was asleep and I was still in my uniform, going, ‘This is it? Really? We’re the best. This is it?’”

Fast-forward five years later, and

everything has changed. Perez is the head coach at Thompson High School, the program that gave him his first chance to coach high school baseball over a decade ago. The miserable man who valued winning at all costs is gone, and in his place is a man passionate about helping his English as a Second Language (ESL) students, smiling and cracking jokes to staff in the hallways and beaming about the opportunities his players are getting.

For Perez, his life as a baseball coach, ESL teacher, husband and father is a dream come true and a full-circle moment, but it didn’t go the way he planned it.

He endured trials and tribulations, experienced many highs and lows and worked tirelessly to get to where he is now–a place he never thought he would be but

couldn’t imagine leaving.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM

“To know what brought me to Thompson, you need to know what got me to Alabama,” Perez says.

Perez grew up in Venezuela, where baseball was all he knew from a young age. He spent three years learning baseball in the Houston Astros’ academy in Venezuela, and his parents sent him to Houston to pursue his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.

He played high school baseball while staying with a host family that he grew very close to, and eventually that turned into an opportunity to play on scholarship in junior college in west Texas.

From there, he was set to play Division I college baseball at Western Kentucky, but after the coach that recruited him left, his scholarship offer was pulled, and one of the few schools that offered him and remained interested was the University of Montevallo.

And off he went to Alabama.

The next season of life was a mixed bag. He recognizes he was blessed with an opportunity to finish his bachelor’s degree on scholarship while still playing baseball, winning a Division II national championship and meeting his future wife, Stephanie, during his time at UM.

However, Perez had to reckon with a dream denied as he knew he couldn’t play professional baseball after a knee surgery prior to coming to Montevallo. The dream that brought him to America would never come true. That left him feeling bitter, and he ran away from his longtime passion.

“I was so disappointed and angry with baseball. Why? Because I left home at such a young age, my goal was to make it big and take care of my family and make millions of

dollars,” Perez says. “I didn’t want anything to do with baseball after I graduated college.”

After graduating, Perez stayed in Birmingham and sold insurance to senior citizens.

By his own admission, he wasn’t good at it and he hated it. Stephanie, then his fiancé, saw how miserable he was and tried to get him back to his passion—baseball—by getting him involved in coaching.

There was just one problem. Coaches in Alabama need to teach at the school, and he wasn’t thrilled with that idea.

“She said, ‘You know, Frankie, baseball’s what you love. It’s your passion,” Perez recalls. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t want to teach. I can’t stand kids. I’m not patient enough.’”

However, unbeknownst to him, Stephanie sent in his resume to Shelby County Schools for a para-professional ESL translator job. She told him to try it for a year to see how it went. He got the interview and was open to the job, but only if he could coach.

They accepted his terms, and Perez

became a baseball assistant coach and an ESL translator at THS.

He still wasn’t sold on teaching, but his attitude quickly shifted and he fell in love.

“Honestly, I thought it was a one-year deal,” Perez says. “I was like, ‘I’m going to struggle with these ESL kids. There’s no way I’m going to have the patience with these kids, no way.’ But being an ESL student myself, when I got to Texas, I was in their shoes. I was that Hispanic kid that understood what the ESL teacher was telling me. So, I was like, ‘Maybe I can give back, kind of pay forward.’ And I fell in love with the profession. I fell in love with helping Hispanic kids, just helping kids, period. And the coaching parts came naturally. Honestly, I feel like that’s when God said, ‘Listen to me, idiot. This is what you’re supposed to be doing.’”

Perez, however, wasn’t satisfied and wanted to become an even better teacher, so he applied for UAB’s Shelby Stars program to earn his master’s degree in ESL, and he received a full ride.

At the same time, he coached on some of Thompson’s most successful baseball teams in program history, earning his first head coaching job at Montevallo High School as a result.

That led to his chance at Hazel Green before coming back to where it all started at Thompson High School.

While his baseball dreams didn’t turn out the way he thought they would when he immigrated to America, he feels blessed that the game has given him the life he has now.

“Baseball has given me three degrees, a wife and a life,” Perez says. “Baseball has

given me everything you can imagine, and it’s because the good Lord has blessed me with the game of baseball. If you cannot match my passion that I have for the sport, it’s because the game has given me way more than I deserve.”

LEARNING FROM FAILURE

While some may say that Perez failed at his dream, he doesn’t see it that way. Through baseball he learned how often you can fail and still be called successful.

“The game of baseball teaches so much

about failure that that’s what I’m passionate about,” Perez says. “You’re going to fail in life. Life is not easy. You’re supposed to fail in life, that’s what life is about, right? Learning from your mistakes and growing… well, let’s use baseball for that.”

In addition to normal practices, Perez leads his Thompson players through daily mental training, including book studies and podcasts, of how sports can help with daily interactions.

His goal? For his players to become 1 percent better every day, not just in baseball, but in life as well. In fact, he’d rather have his

year began playing for Houston Astros academy

1999

year he immigrated

year he won title with UM

2001

2006

year he joined Thompson as assistant/ESL

2008

year he got ESL master’s at UAB 2017

2012

year he became head coach at Montevallo High 2018

year he became head coach at Hazel Green, won state championship and named Alabama Coach of the Year

year he became head coach at Thompson

2022

year he had best singleseason winning percentage in Thompson history

2023

players be successful at life than be the best on the field.

“I do not care how good or how bad my baseball players are,” Perez says. “Can’t care less, because I invest in the kid first. Why? Because I want to make sure that they are good dudes, plain and simple.”

Rewind to the start of his coaching career, and that wasn’t always the case. He prioritized winning and making his players the best at baseball as he could, by any means.

When Perez was an assistant at Thompson, former head coach Pat Hamrick saw a young and passionate man, but one who struggled to relate to his players.

“Whenever you have the passion for the game that he has, you want to see kids excel and have the same desire that you have as a player,” Hamrick says. “Well, high school kids usually aren’t there, especially ninth graders.”

Players respected him, but they were also intimidated by him. Just ask Stephen Poplin,

who started going to Perez’s workouts as an eighth grader at Thompson and has known him ever since.

“He used to be very intimidating, especially the younger you were,” Poplin says.

Perez, however, grew from this and the life lessons learned through his own family, which ultimately set him on the path toward success.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

So, what changed along the way?

“The best thing I ever done to my life is give my life to Jesus. It’s not even close. I’m a Christian man and I believe it,” Perez says. “But I also married my best friend in Stephanie Perez. And the most amazing thing that we have done, what our love has created, is three humans. I still can’t believe it that there’s three humans that have my last name, and they’re my kids. It’s the best thing.”

He gained more empathy for how parents felt about the kids that he coached because

he sees his own children as a gift from God that he deeply cares about.

“I did not see why the parents of a program would baby their players so much,” Perez says. “I was like, ‘Let them be a dude, man.’ And then I had my kids and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s why. Because they’re your treasure.’

He also gained a great deal of patience while raising three kids under the age of nine.

“I can tell my players what to do and they’ll do it,” Perez says, and then cracks a smile. “I can’t tell my own Perez kids what to do and what not to.”

Perez has grown tremendously since becoming a father. By his own admission, he has become mature enough to see the areas he needs to improve on, including learning how to coach different types of personalities and players.

“He’s young enough that he can relate to young players, but he’s also passionate enough that he can instill his desire in them now after tweaking a way to do it,” Hamrick says.

Looking back, Perez hates the way he used to treat his former players at Thompson, Montevallo and Hazel Green. He despises how angry he was and how focused he was on winning. He still keeps in touch with many of his former players, and he always makes a point to apologize.

“I love them to death,” Perez says of his former players. “They’re my boys, they’ll be my boys forever. But I tell them all the time to this day, ‘man, I’m sorry the way I coached you because I abused you. It was not right.’”

One of the many deep friendships he has built is with Poplin, who now works under Perez as an assistant coach and regards him as a second father. He’s witnessed the many changes that Perez has made in his life.

“He used to be really tough, which we needed, but I guess he started changing a little more when he started having kids,” Poplin says. “But even when he was hard on us, he’s that coach that kids just love to play for because he would be the first guy to get on you, but then at the same time, when you do something good, he’s always the first guy there congratulating you or picking you up.”

HERE TO STAY

Alabaster City Schools superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers, who first hired Perez, told him back when he was an assistant that the

time wasn’t right to become the head coach of a program like Thompson. Notably, he wasn’t as concerned about wins and losses as Perez was.

Ironically, the wins kept coming even after he stopped focusing on them. In 2023, he broke the school record for the best start to a season with a 20-0 record and the best winning percentage in program history, the latter breaking a record that he helped set as an assistant coach.

But after the biggest win of his Thompson career to advance to the state semifinals in 2023, he did two things–pray to God and

embrace his wife and kids.

It may just be the best display of how he lives his life now and the people and things he values–seeing what Vickers mentioned to him years earlier about becoming a leader for a team.

“If you’re the Thompson head coach for baseball, you’d better win,” Perez says. “But I started thinking if I focus so much on the winning and don’t enjoy the process, and don’t enjoy the ride, and don’t enjoy the relationships that I’ve been in with these kids, then winning is not going to matter anyway.”

A HOMETOWN LEADER

PRINCIPAL AT ELVIN HILL ELEMENTARY, COURTNEY MADISON GIVES BACK IN HER HOMETOWN

BY NOAH WORTHAM | PHOTOS BY ALEC ETHEREDGE AND CONTRIBUTED

CCourtney Madison is walking down the aisle of a grocery store when an old student of hers sprints up to her. With a giant grin on her face, she wraps her arms around Courtney’s neck in a big hug.

Courtney smiles back and asks the student how they are doing. “You’re doing what you’re supposed to, right?” The smiling student mischievously shakes her head no in response.

This interaction has become something of a tradition between the two of them, with different iterations of the encounter happening each and every time the two happen to cross paths with one another. It all stems back from when Courtney taught her in the fourth grade.

“She had a lot of life going on,” Courtney says. “Each day, she came in and we would do check-ins and she would tell me how things were going and I would always make sure that I saw her as—yes, my student—but also as a person.”

These continual interactions between

them left an indelible mark on the student that persists even into the present.

“This student, no matter where she sees me, will come up and she’s going to hug my neck, she’s going to check in,” Courtney says. “Little things like that—relationships that are built and formed—those little moments transcend beyond a school year.”

Interactions like this serve as the fuel that keeps Courtney at her best. Knowing the impact that she has, it encourages her to get up and serve her students to the fullest extent each day as the principal of Elvin Hill Elementary School.

“That’s why I always say every moment matters, every interaction matters and every word matters,” Courtney says. “Because you never know how that one small moment is going to impact a student for years to come.”

A unique role

Courtney has made Elvin Hill Elementary School her home the past five years as an

administrator and wouldn’t have it any other way as a former teacher at the school and her roots to the city of Columbiana.

“It’s been a great experience every day,” she says. “I feel like I learn something new about myself and this position and serving others. It is definitely a unique role.”

Having always considered herself to be an early riser, she begins each school morning bright and early, starting with what she refers to as her quiet time—during which she does her devotional and prepares herself for the day.

It is in these early minutes of each school day where she prepares herself, and also performs the first tasks of the day in her other lifelong occupation, being the mother of two boys.

“My boys are also here with me,” Courtney says. “They are in first and fifth grade, so that’s where the hustle comes in—me telling them to hurry up, get in the car we’ve got to get to the school.”

After arriving at the school, Courtney

Things to do

Disciplinary action

Respond to emails Meet with students’ parents

meets with the registrar to make sure that all of the substitute teachers are covered for the day before running off to welcome the students in the morning as they enter the school.

“After that, I try classroom visits and checking in on learning,” Courtney says. “I always like to go in and ask students what they’re learning and let them explain that to me.”

She then shifts her attention to emails, meeting with parents, disciplinary actions and checking off the long to-do list of sticky notes that reside on her desk.

It’s a never-ending and consistentlyexpanding list of tasks and objectives, but to Courtney, it is where the thrill of the job thrives.

“Some days, you just never know,” she says with eyes on the notes. “You want to be

Faculty meeting

able to predict it, but you just don’t know.”

Home sweet home

Despite loving every moment of the past five years serving as principal, Courtney didn’t always plan to be in administration or be an educator.

“I always wanted to be a pediatrician,” Courtney says with a smile. “That is what I remember being my end goal.”

However, she changed her mind after a meaningful encounter with a teacher she remembers to this day.

“Fast forward to my senior year at Shelby County High School,” Courtney says. “Frances Schofield—I will never forget Frances Schofield—she was piloting a future teachers program. So, I’m thinking, ‘Why not, I need an elective, let’s do this.’”

Through the program, she was able to get a glimpse into education from the educator’s side of the school desk—fittingly enough at Elvin Hill—which altered the entire trajectory of her professional life.

“We were able to come and do classroom visits, read and work with the students, assist teachers as needed. And that changed my mind,” Courtney says. “The more I did that, the more we went through that class, the more I thought, ‘This what I want to do.’”

That set her on a path toward one day returning to her hometown to not only teach in that same school but lead it as principal of Elvin Hill.

A helping hand

Courtney is a firm believer that an

administrator is nothing without their staff, and at Elvin Hill, she is surrounded by a village of people who help collect each achievement and make it a true place of learning and development.

“Everybody in this building helps me in some form or fashion,” Courtney says. “I call my office staff my dream team—they keep it going.”

At the helm of the school, Courtney is joined in administrative duties by Assistant Principal Jane Smith.

“I honestly could not do this job without her by my side,” Courtney says. “We are such a great duo.”

Courtney and Jane have a history of working well together—having met back when they were both in school growing up in Columbiana. They served as instructional coaches together for Shelby County Schools and collaborated together as teachers at Elvin Hill as well.

“We’ve actually known each other, more or less, our whole lives,” Jane says. “We went to elementary school together, (continued) together through middle school and high school and I’ve always just looked up to her as a person and her spirit and her personality in general is contagious in a good way.”

Together, the two lead the teachers and students and set a positive example.

“She’s in classrooms with students every day,” Jane said. “It’s really the day-to-day interactions with the

students that’s the game changer. Her door’s always open to both students and teachers, and she’s constantly building relationships with those people and they feel comfortable talking to her.”

The difference makers

Courtney isn’t afraid to embarrass herself or go to extreme lengths to benefit the school and her staff.

“One of my most fond memories is the time that we dressed as Rex and Hamm from Toy Story and we got up on the roof of the school to celebrate that we had just hit our fundraiser goal,” Jane says. “Mrs. Madison was an excellent Hamm as she danced on top of the roof to welcome car riders and bus riders.”

It is those small steps of going above and beyond to engage with the students that led to Elvin Hill Math Coach Misty Howard describing Courtney as having a heart of gold, while she also highlighted the incredible job of navigating the waters of COVID-19.

During the pandemic, the staff shifted into an adjustment period of at-home learning during what normally is teacher appreciation week. To bolster spirits and raise morale, Courtney and the office staff sought out a way to show the teachers just how much they mean to the school.

“We wanted to tell them thank you and that we had not forgotten them while they were learning at home,”

Courtney says. “We literally drove to every house and saw every teacher—for two days we did that.”

At each stop, Courtney and those traveling alongside her brought cookies and T-shirts and placed a sign in each yard that read “A difference maker lives here.”

“I don’t think any of them were surprised that we were doing something like that,” Courtney says.

This example of support isn’t a one-off occurrence either, as Courtney finds time each year to give the teachers a break during Christmas time while also creating a fun activity for her students.

“She also likes to make sure that the teachers feel honored and valued, so during Christmas time, she will do Jingle Jam for each grade level,” Misty says. “Even though her schedule is hectic and crazy—she still

makes that extra time for them be able to just be able to wrap up from this first semester and also provide a little extra fun for the kids.”

Valuing people

Each year, at the end of the football season at Shelby County High School, the players are given the opportunity to recognize someone who has had an impact on their educational or athletic journey. In 2022, a familiar face put together a special surprise for Courtney.

The senior football player told a familiar, yet distinctly unique and impactful, story of the moments back in fourth grade when Courtney made a lifetime’s worth of difference by being there in the moment as a teacher.

“Those are the moments that remind you

(that) what you do really matters,” Courtney says. “What you do makes a difference, even if it’s the small things.”

Those are the moments she cherishes the most, and it all culminates when the former young students of hers at Elvin Hill, whether in her classroom or in the school with her as an administrator, come back for the senior walk at Elvin Hill ahead of graduation.

It serves as an opportunity to see her past students walk by one last time as they approach adulthood and realize that she was a part of their journey.

“In the next two years I will see the students who were my students as principal my first year,” Courtney says. “Those moments just make me smile because you see them and you know how they got their start. And now you’re able to see them go off into the world.”

‘CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH CAREERS’

JEFFERSON STATE’S LEAH BIGBEE RESOLUTE IN MISSION TO FUEL THE LOCAL WORKFORCE

CBY STEPHEN DAWKINS | PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAWKINS

Charity Ivie was getting her life back on track. She completed the program at the Lovelady Center, a faith-based organization that helps women who have been through the criminal justice system to transition back into productive lives. But then what? She still needed a job to properly care for her family.

Ivie enrolled in the Heavy Equipment Operator program at Jefferson State Community College—even being chosen as the Go Build Alabama Student of the Month in fall of 2022. She eventually secured a job with Dunn Construction.

Leah Bigbee, dean of workforce education at JSCC, said she frequently thinks about Ivie as an example of the source of motivation in her position, addressing workforce needs and connecting people with careers.

“We have many stories like hers, people having the courage to go through challenging times and then making the most out of their

situation by completing one of our programs and going on and getting a job,” Bigbee says.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018 announced a goal for the state to add half a million skilled employees to its workforce by 2025, and the COVID pandemic emphasized the need for workforce development through supply chain issues and more.

Bigbee, along with her department at Jefferson State and others in similar positions across the state, will be critical to meeting Ivey’s goal and boosting Alabama’s economy. “A lot of our programs at the college, someone may have never gone to college or maybe they just got their GED a couple of years ago and now they can go through one of our programs,” Bigbee says.

“There’s a lot of pride in the fact that they’ve been able to do a fast-track program and successfully complete a skills training program since these programs require skills. When the students finish the program and

their kids are at their graduation, creating that culture of, ‘Hey, I can change my life with this training,’ that’s a really special thing to be a part of.”

A foundation in workforce training

Bigbee, a native of Fairhope, earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from UAB and then worked at the university for five years in corporate engagement, connecting companies that were hiring with students. “Everyone thought I was crazy for leaving UAB because it was a great job, but there was something really appealing about getting into workforce development and serving the community in that capacity,” she says.

After UAB, Bigbee worked for Generation USA, a workforce development nonprofit in Washington, D.C. The organization partnered on a Department of Labor grant

with Jefferson State. Bigbee also served through AmeriCorps with Positive Maturity, a nonprofit in Birmingham. Her duties included job coaching and resume building for older adults looking for work.

“I absolutely got the bug for serving others and connecting people with careers, and it kind of all started there and led me ultimately to Jeff State,” Bigbee says. “By working for [Generation USA], I kind of fell into the community college system and working for Jeff State, and I’ve absolutely loved it ever since.”

Bigbee was hired as director of workforce education at Jefferson State in 2019. “It was just an incredible opportunity to come into,” she says. “I had so much to learn about the community college system. Community

colleges are so different than any other educational institution. I came into a great team and just tried to meet with my colleagues and listen and soak up everything and ask questions, and connect with companies and nonprofits and community members.”

Colleges have historically had noncredit departments but were not known for focusing on industry needs or being responsive to local workforce pools. Bigbee said she thinks a deficit in skilled workers has propelled community colleges forward as engines for economic change. “We can be adaptable; we can be responsive. We have the flexibility to create programs and to answer those needs. Over the last several years, especially since the pandemic, we’re hungry for those roles and we’re placing

more value on the truck drivers, the HVAC technicians, the phlebotomists, the medical assistants of the world. The tide is really turning, and we’re saying that we’ve got to invest in these types of trainings and we’ve got to make sure that our adults that aren’t active in the workforce know about the trainings and that they provide great careers and that our students graduating from high school know that this is a great option—that a traditional four-year educational career path is not the only option.”

In Bigbee’s four years in her position, JSCC has added 15 new programs and doubled enrollment in fast-track programs. Examples include a lineworker program in partnership with Alabama Power and a heavy equipment operator program in

“AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYBODY WANTS TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILY, AND WORKFORCE EDUCATION IS A WAY FOR THEM TO DO THAT. I JUST THINK IT’S LIFE-CHANGING, WHAT WE’RE ABLE TO DO.”

-LEAH BIGBEE

conjunction with Dunn Construction. Then there are collaborations such as one with Ascension St. Vincent’s, The Women’s Foundation of Alabama, and Childcare Resources. The organizations’ work together produced the opening of a new workforce training facility in downtown Birmingham. There, women receive training focused on entry-level roles at St. Vincent’s and other healthcare partners while childcare is provided onsite.

“The community is hungry for what we’re doing, and the Workforce Education Department—we have unique value because we can be very flexible to companies’ needs,” she says. “No matter who you are or where you came from or what zip code you’re in, and the fact that we can contribute to that and to give people access to that is important and it’s powerful.”

Partnerships with local business and industry

Jefferson State’s approach to

curriculum and adding new programs under its fast-track umbrella is centered on industry needs and labor market data, Bigbee said. Recent additions have seen overwhelming interest. For example, the CDL program has had thousands of people express interest in about one year.

“Our president, Keith Brown, is very innovative and responsive to business and industry,” she says. “Under his leadership, we’ve created programs that are employer-led and that lead to high demand careers and provide livable wages. We rely on companies for so many things, from advisory boards to sending us their retired workers to teach our classes, to coming to speak to our classes, to providing work-based learning opportunities, to co-creating our curriculum with other companies. Of course, interviewing our students and hiring our students is paramount. But we couldn’t do what we do without the support of our industry partners across sectors. And, you know, they’re really our North star in a lot of ways

with what we do with skills training at the college. We’re never going to do a program that doesn’t have a company partner and that doesn’t lead to a valuable, highdemand, livable-wage career.”

Bigbee and JSCC representatives also rely on chambers of commerce, workforce councils and workforce associations, like the Alabama Trucking Association.

Demand from local employers was the driving factor behind the opening of the Welding Center on Jefferson State’s ShelbyHoover Campus in 2020. Instructor Brody Scott has guided the center from its initial class of six students to its current constant buzz of activity. There are more than 60

students in welding classes at the ShelbyHoover Campus and an overwhelming majority will find good-paying jobs after graduation. In fact, a new apprenticeship program has allowed students to begin working at about five different local companies even while they are still in school.

“For me, it’s about watching people grow and develop skills that are going to provide for them and their families,” Scott says.

Britney McClung, coordinator of career programs in the JSCC Center for Workforce Education, said the department employs about 60 part-time instructors to teach about 30 career programs. Health care

related programs make up about a third of the total number of offerings. The instructors are held to Jefferson State’s high academic standards. “Not only do they have to be subject matter experts and know the curriculum and the certification and the career, but they really have to be passionate about training others,” McClung said.

A challenge for the department is that because the courses are “non-credit,” federal funding in the form of Pell Grants is not available. So other grants and funding from industry partners are critical, especially for new programs. “It’s easier to get a program off the ground when you can recruit students and they don’t have to worry about finances,”

Supporting students on their educational journey

If industry is half of the equation, students represent the other half. Jefferson State offers one-on-one career coaching and a variety of other wraparound support services. Also critical to Bigbee’s department is the new Regions Student Success Center. There, students in need can access mental health services, a food pantry, and apply for emergency grants.

“The stories that really stick with you are the students that come us with their head in their hands, needing some support,” Bigbee says. “We’re able to wrap our arms around them and give them some resources. Then they were able to continue and complete the program and go get a great job. Jeff State is unique because we know that the student is not just a student; we know that a student has a life. We serve a lot of students that are parents, maybe they’re caring for their children and they’re caring for their aging parents and working a job, too. We know that we have to have the mindset when someone comes through our doors, to make sure students know we see them as a whole person and we know that there are other needs that they have beside just making it to class on time and completing their homework.”

The average age of students in Jefferson State’s fast-track courses is 32, compared to an average student age of 23 in other areas. So, Bigbee’s courses target adults who want to up-skill, change careers, or even people that need to hit the reset button on their direction in life.

“You can always consider a new career or turn over a new leaf, and Jeff State can be that place for someone,” Bigbee says. “At the end of the day, everybody wants to provide for their family, and workforce education is a way for them to do that. I just think it’s life-changing, what we’re able to do.”

McClung said. As an example, the lineworker program started in 2021 benefited from a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission that provided scholarships for all participants.

DR. LEWIS BROOKS

SUPERINTENDENT OF SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOLS

With more than 30 years in education, Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks is one of the most experienced educators in the county. He currently is in his sixth year as the SCS superintendent, leading the seventh largest school district in Alabama. With that, he handles the success of more than 21,000 students and nearly 3,000 employees who are a part of the 31 schools in the school system. A graduate of the University of Montevallo where he also played college basketball, Brooks is a member of the university’s athletics Hall of Fame. He has also been named the county’s Public Servant of the Year and was named the 2023 District 5 Superintendent of the Year.

DR. WAYNE VICKERS

SUPERINTENDENT OF ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS

Introduced as the first superintendent of Alabaster City Schools in July 2013, Dr. Wayne Vickers has held the same role since. With more than 30 years in education as a teacher and administrator, he has served as principal at every level, leading elementary, middle and high schools. He has now helped lead a team for 10 years that has turned Alabaster City Schools into one of the top school districts in the state, increasing graduation rates and helping create some of the top extracurricular programs in both athletics and arts. Vickers also helped drive the construction of the new Thompson High School, while Creek View Elementary School recently became the system’s first Blue Ribbon School this past year, adding to an extensive list of accomplishments for the district.

DR. CHUCK LEDBETTER

SUPERINTENDENT OF PELHAM CITY SCHOOLS

Recently replacing Dr. Scott Coefield, Pelham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ledbetter has been in education for more than 30 years and came to PCS in June 2022. Before that, he led Pike Road as the superintendent for five years as part of 13 years as a superintendent before taking over at Pelham. ““We’re preparing kids for a world where the jobs they’re going into may not exist today,” Ledbetter said when he took over. “We need to prepare kids to become critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and effective communicators. Those skill sets go along with the content we teach.” Ledbetter’s vision is for Pelham City Schools to be the best by giving students the resources they need to get an engaging education.

DR. KEVIN MADDOX

SUPERINTENDENT OF HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS

This past August, Dr. Kevin Maddox was approved as the next superintendent for Hoover City Schools. With 29 years in education and 20 as an administrator, Maddox was most recently the assistant superintendent at Homewood City Schools, a position he held since 2012. He took over for Dee Fowler, who announced his retirement last year and served in the role for more than two years. A graduate of Samford University, Maddox is focused on student success and leadership skills as the leader of Hoover City Schools.

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER

THE LEADERS OF EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL IN SHELBY COUNTY

DR. AMANDA ESSLINGER SPAIN PARK HIGH SCHOOL

With 18 years in education, Dr. Amanda Esslinger currently serves as the Spain Park High School principal. She took over for Larry Giangrosso and now leads one of the top public high schools in the state.

ANDREW GUNN

OAK MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Andrew Gunn came to Oak Mountain High School from Helena Middle School to serve as the school’s newest principal in 2021. He has 20 years of experience in education.

ASHLEY BAHR

HELENA HIGH SCHOOL

The principal at Helena High School, Ashley Bahr has nearly 20 years of experience in education, taking over as the HHS principal in 2021.

BRANDON TURNER

CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL

Brandon Turner took over as Chelsea High School’s principal in 2019. Before taking over the role, he was an assistant principal at Montevallo High School and served as a teacher, administrator or coach at six other schools before.

BROOKE DUNHAM INVERNESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Brooke Dunham got her start as a second grade teacher at Inverness Elementary School. She taught at Chelsea Park for 16 years and served as Helena Elementary’s assistant principal before returning to serve as principal at Inverness.

CHARISSA COLE

CREEK VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The leader of the newest Blue Ribbon School in Shelby County, Charissa Cole has been in education for nearly 30 years, spending more than a decade at her current spot—Creek View.

CHASE HOLDEN

PELHAM OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Previously an assistant principal at Pelham Oaks Elementary School, Chase Holden took over the principal role in 2019. He has been in education since 2007.

CHRISTOPHER MYLES

CALERA HIGH SCHOOL

With more than 10 years of experience, Christopher Myles has served in many different roles as a teacher, coach and administrator, and is now the principal at Calera High School.

COURTNEY MADISON

ELVIN HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A former teacher at Elvin Hill Elementary and instructional coach for Shelby County Schools, Courtney Madison is now the principal at EHES in her hometown of Columbiana.

CYNTHIA CRUCE

CHELSEA MIDDLE SCHOOL

One of the most experienced principals in the Shelby County School district, Cynthia Cruce has been in education for more than 30 years and serves as the Chelsea Middle School principal.

DANIEL RICHARDS CAREER

TECHNICAL EDUCATION CENTER

With nearly 20 years in education, Daniel Richards is the current principal and leader at the important Career Technical Education Center, better known as CTEC.

DAVID BUTTS

NEW DIRECTION

With more than 25 years in education, David Butts has a special role in Shelby County Schools, serving as the principal at New Direction.

DESAREE JACKSON

CALERA MIDDLE SCHOOL

Desaree Jackson has served in multiple administrative roles across the state. Serving as the Calera Middle School principal, she was named 2022-2023 District 5 Middle School Principal of the Year.

DUSTIN SMITH

COLUMBIANA MIDDLE SCHOOL

The principal at Columbiana Middle School, Dustin Smith has worked in education for nearly 15 years. He is married to current Elvin Hill assistant principal Jane Smith.

GENET HOLCOMB

HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With nearly 30 years in education, Genet Holcomb is an experienced leader for Shelby County Schools who currently serves as the Helena Elementary School principal.

KIM KIEL

PELHAM HIGH SCHOOL

HALEY FRANKS

CALERA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Originally from Fort Payne, Haley Franks has more than 16 years in education and serves as the Calera Intermediate School principal.

JAMELIA HAYES

THOMPSON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

In her third year as the principal at Thompson Intermediate School, Jamelia Hayes has more than 20 years of experience in education.

JAN CURTIS

OAK MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The principal at Oak Mountain Elementary School since the spring semester of 2021, Jan Curtis began her teaching career nearly 30 years ago in 1995.

JENISE HAMPTON

MONTEVALLO MIDDLE SCHOOL

With 25 years in education, Jenise Hampton brings a wealth of experience to her role as the principal at Montevallo Middle School.

KEVIN FINCH

PELHAM PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL

In 2020, Kevin Finch was named principal at Pelham Park Middle School. He has 26 years of educational experience and has been with Pelham City Schools since its inception.

The current Pelham High School principal and former district wide athletic director for Pelham City Schools, Kim Kiel became principal in 2020 and earned District 5 Principal of the Year in 2022.

KYLE DUDLEY

SHELBY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

With 15 years in education, Kyle Dudley is the current principal of Shelby County High School in Columbiana, coming from Oak Mountain High School where he served as an assistant principal.

DR. LAURA JUNKIN

OAK MOUNTAIN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Laura Junkin began her career in education in Texas in 2002 and has held the role of principal at Oak Mountain Intermediate School since 2020.

LAUREN YANCEY

VINCENT MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL

A former program area specialist in secondary education for Shelby County Schools, Lauren Yancey is the current principal at Vincent Middle High School in her hometown.

LISA BAXTER

PELHAM RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With nearly 25 years in education as both a teacher and administrator, Lisa Baxter is the current principal at Pelham Ridge Elementary School.

MARY ANDERSON

CHELSEA PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A resident of Chelsea, Mary Anderson serves as the principal of Chelsea Park Elementary School with several years of experience as an education leader.

MATHEW EPPS

HELENA MIDDLE SCHOOL

Now the principal at Helena Middle School, Mathew Epps has close to 20 years of experience as an educator with 10 of those being in administration.

MELISSA HADDER

BERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL

The current principal at Berry Middle School, Melissa Hadder has an extensive background as a leader in education and has Berry ranked as the ninth best public middle school in the state of Alabama.

MELODY BYRNE

WILSONVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With more than 25 years in education, Melody Byrne serves as the principal of Wilsonville Elementary School.

MICHAEL LEE

THOMPSON HIGH SCHOOL

The newest principal at Thompson High School, Michael Lee is in his first year leading THS after taking over for Dr. Wesley Hester, serving nearly 2,500 students.

MICHELLE BRAKEFIELD

MEADOW VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The current Meadow View Elementary School principal, Michelle Brakefield began her education career in 1996 as a first grade teacher.

DR. NEELY WOODLEY

THOMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

Dr. Neely Woodley currently serves as the principal at Thompson Middle School and has an extensive background in education across Shelby County.

SANDY EVERS

OAK MOUNTAIN MIDDLE SCHOOL

In her first role as principal, Sandy Evers currently serves as the Oak Mountain Middle School principal after serving Oak Mountain High School as an assistant principal for four years.

SASHA BAKER

HELENA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Sasha Baker has been in education for nearly 20 years and currently serves as the principal at Helena Intermediate School.

SHANNON MONTGOMERY

CALERA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With more than 16 years in elementary education, Shannon Montgomery taught at Calera Elementary School for 11 years and now serves as the school’s principal.

STACY ADERHOLT

SHELBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The principal at Shelby Elementary School since 2010, Stacy Aderholt has more than 25 years in education.

DR. STACEY STOCKS

GREYSTONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A lifelong resident of the city of Hoover, Dr. Stacey Stocks currently resides as the principal of one of the state’s best elementary schools—Greystone Elementary.

STEVE BROMLEY

MONTEVALLO HIGH SCHOOL

With 21 years of experience, Montevallo High School Principal Steve Bromley has experience as an educator and coach.

STEVI SIMS

FOREST OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The principal at Forest Oaks Elementary School in Chelsea since 2019, Stevi Sims has more than 25 years of experience in education.

TINA NEIGHBORS

MT LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The principal at Mt Laurel Elementary School, Tina Neighbors is a longtime member of the community. She started her teaching career at the school, now serving as the school’s principal.

TODD CRENSHAW

LINDA NOLEN LEARNING CENTER

An important member of the Shelby County Schools staff, Todd Crenshaw serves as the principal at the Linda Nolen Learning Center.

TONYA BORDEN-HUDSON

VINCENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Tonya Borden-Hudson started her educational career as a first grade teacher 25 years ago and now serves as the principal at Vincent Elementary School.

WENDY CESPEDES

MONTEVALLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Wendy Cespedes has taught at several local schools and was an assistant principal at Vincent Elementary School before taking over as the newest Montevallo Elementary School principal.

EDUCATING TOMORROW’S EDUCATORS

WITH MANY LOCAL EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS GRADUATING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO, JI JI DAVIS IS AN IMPORTANT FIGURE

BY SCOTT MIMS | PHOTOS BY JASON HOMAN

DDr. Jennifer “Ji Ji” Davis at the University of Montevallo has wanted to be an educator for as long as she can remember—so much so that her brother used to get concerned when Davis spoke aloud to imaginary students.

“I was that kid that always would ask my teacher for the extra copies, and then I would go home and play school with them every single day,” Davis recalls from her childhood. “I played school my entire life, and I would say that is still what drives me today is, of course, my love for children; but more than anything it is the creativity and the challenge of meeting the needs of all students in the classroom.”

Hearing Davis speak about education, it

doesn’t take long to figure out how much she loves her job. She says it is also her hobby, and it doesn’t even seem like a “job” at all.

Davis is in her 15th year of teaching at UM, where she also serves as the Program Coordinator of Elementary, Elementary/Collaborative, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing—a role she has held for four years as of fall 2023. She is also the facilitator of Montevallo Connection, a program that brings together teachers, administrators and students in Montevallo’s elementary, middle and high schools as well as UM. Davis also coordinates the placement of student-teachers in surrounding areas.

“I teach elementary methods courses.

That’s my favorite part,” Davis says. “I focus on classroom management in the elementary grades and social studies, so both of those are a passion of mine.”

If education runs through Davis’ veins, then so does Shelby County. A Calera High School alumna, Davis went on to graduate from UM in 1999 and returned to earn her graduate degree in administration. She taught elementary in Shelby County schools and then moved into an administrative role, later returning again to UM to prepare pre-service teachers. Now her four children attend schools in Shelby County.

“For me, it’s like a full circle moment because I’m able to now help prepare these

“THAT’S SUCH A SPECIAL PART ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY, IS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.”

- DR. JENNIFER “JI JI” DAVIS

pre-service teachers to go back into Shelby County and surrounding communities,” Davis says.

Preparing future educators

When students first come to Montevallo, they spend the first few years getting their general education requirements. Then, they roll into block courses. During the first block, Foundations Block, students take classes but also observe for 50 hours in a classroom setting to make sure teaching is truly what they want to do.

Every now and then, Davis says, a student will come up to her at the end and say, “It’s not for me” and Davis appreciates their candor.

“I’m thankful that they understand that early on and can find and pursue a career that they’re passionate about,” she says.

Second is Methods Block, where students learn literacy strategies, classroom management strategies and technology strategies to utilize in the classroom. Third is Pre-Internship Block, where they learn strategies for teaching social studies, math, literacy and science.

The final step is the internship, which is

like a regular job from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day of the school week.

At the end of each semester, a professional disposition conference is conducted with each student in a series of special meetings. Davis explains how the disposition conferences work.

“We can say, ‘Here are the things that we think you excel in, or maybe you tell us some areas you would like to focus on going into the next block,’ so it’s almost a conversation definitely I would have with my own kids, but I had much rather them have these conversations with me than a future employer;

a future principal,” she says. “The cool thing about our program in all the blocks is that you come to class for eight weeks and we teach you all the content, and for the second eight weeks you’re actually placed in a public school so that you’re able to practice this, and then we go in the schools to check on them and assist when needed.”

With the ongoing teacher shortage, Davis says elementary teachers are getting hired prior to graduation. Once they have submitted final portfolios, they receive sub pay until the end of the semester prior to graduation, and then they are able to roll into a permanent job.

Getting teachers to the classroom

Davis estimates that between 25-30 students go through her program each semester at UM. This, of course, has a tremendous impact upon Shelby County and surrounding communities through student-teacher placements. In addition, much thought goes into where each student-teacher is placed, based on the needs of both the student and the school.

“When we ask the county and surrounding counties to place our students, sometimes it’s this student needs to be here because they’re an athlete and they have to get back to practice to keep their scholarship, or this student works downtown and so they’ve got to be at this school to get there,” Davis says. “This student is a parent and so they need to be at this school to be able to pick their kids up on time. This student

may not have transportation and so they’ve got to be at this school to ride with this friend. It’s just so cool within our class—all the different diverse hobbies and needs these students have as well.”

When asked what sets the elementary education program at UM apart from other programs, Davis says she thinks it is because the majority of their professors taught in public schools for quite a while. She also cites the partnerships with local communities in Shelby County that allow students into the schools to practice hands-on what they have learned at UM.

“Even during the (COVID-19) pandemic, our students were allowed to go into the schools in Shelby County, and I was so blown away by that, and even when the schools eventually had to shut down, our

students rolled online with them. So it was the best experience in a terrible situation,” she says.

Projects also introduce real-world experience to the students. During the fall 2023 semester, when Davis was teaching social studies, her class did a lesson on community helpers with the assistance of Davis’ husband, Montevallo Fire Chief Brad Davis.

“Because we’re so close to the fire department, at the end of our lesson we walked right over to the fire department, and they were waiting on us to ask questions,” she recalls. “That’s a cool thing too about being in a community like this, is that we share resources across the board.”

Montevallo Connection is another way she helps to connect people in the commu-

nity, specifically at Montevallo. Four times a year, principals and teachers from Montevallo Elementary, Middle and High schools join UM faculty members to explain projects they have going on and ways they can assist each other. For example, UM’s Foreign Language Department might provide interpreters to the elementary school, or UM athletes might read to kids to help inspire them.

Davis recalls a particularly heartwarming example when some girls at Montevallo High School did not have prom dresses to wear:

“They reached out to our Family Consumer Sciences Department, and they rounded up the dresses and not only found them but they hemmed them and they altered them, and it was just so good,” she remembers.

“That’s such a special part about this com-

munity, is that we take care of each other. Everybody just takes care of everybody, so it’s a cool place to be.”

Davis has four daughters. Avery is a senior at UM, while Carter is a senior at Montevallo High School; Bradli is a senior at Thompson High School; and Graci is married and lives with her husband, Jake, and their daughter, Clara, on Westpoint military base in Westpoint, NY. In addition, Davis lives on a farm where upon returning home each day, she feeds pigs and cows. She also delivers Meals on Wheels to people in the community for two Fridays of each month.

“I love those people. They are my friends, and one lady was my P.E. teacher in middle school, and she’s bedridden now and I love those people. They have become family to me,” she says.

Perhaps Davis’ love for education might

best be observed on a typical drive home.

“Because we know that (students) don’t all learn the same, and we know that they all need to be exposed to different ways of instruction, and so for me it is always driving home going, ‘How am I going to do this differently for this student?’ And that has been from elementary students to students in this college classroom for me to figure out what’s the best way for them to learn the content, and that’s exciting to me,” she says.

After serving as an educator for 24 years, Davis once thought that at this point she would be thinking of different options for her life, but in reality, she says there is nowhere else she’d rather be.

“I love it, I really do,” Davis says. “And now that I’m at the point where I can stop, I don’t want to stop.”

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WWW.AMERICANVILLAGE.ORG

SERVING HER

PURPOSE

CRICKET THE DOG CREATES SPECIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR PELHAM CITY SCHOOLS

BY BARTON PERKINS | PHOTOS BY DAWN HARRISON

TThere’s an air of calm in Lori Goodman’s fifth-grade classroom. Kids are sitting on the floor or at their desks reading quietly to themselves, flipping through everything from the latest Dav Pilkey to The Phantom Tollbooth. Then, the classroom door swings open, a snout edges through the door and all eyes turn to Cricket’s entrance.

“She’s like our school dog,” Pelham High School senior James Nguyen says. “I feel like she just boosts the morale of the school just being around us.”

A yellow lab with an almost cream-white appearance, Cricket is the Pelham City Schools facility dog and always seems to perfectly match the energy of the environment she’s in, whether it’s the calm tranquility of a

fifth-grade classroom at reading time, the nervous excitement of a group of first graders at their desk or the hectic halls of Pelham High School.

“Cricket’s just an amazing, calming tool for the children,” PCS Mental Health Coordinator and Cricket’s handler Anna Nicholson says. “Any crisis that might be happening or happening, or if a kid is having a meltdown, we can walk in, and she can do something that humans just can’t do. Cricket immediately walks in and just calms them down, and it’s amazing.”

Despite her unassuming appearance, Cricket serves an essential role in Pelham’s school system. This facility dog is a vital part of the efforts being taken by Pelham City

Schools to improve the mental health of its students.

The path to Pelham

A simple nylon strip is tucked snuggly around Cricket’s mouth. It’s there not to prevent her from biting, but as a way to remind Cricket that she’s at work. That piece of plastic, and the service jacket Cricket wears, is a testament to all the training and hard work that has gone into making Cricket an amazing facility dog.

Cricket comes from the Service Dogs of Alabama, a nonprofit organization that trains labs and labradoodles for roles as facility dogs, PTSD intervention dogs and a variety

“IT’S KIND OF LIKE GETTING A BOOST OF CAFFEINE IN YOUR DAY, ONLY IT’S BETTER.”

- ANNA NICHOLSON

of other jobs.

Four years ago, PCS applied for the necessary funding to pay for a facility dog like Cricket but the COVID-19 pandemic put the entire process on hold. It was not until the end of last school year that Cricket was finally brought into the Pelham School system, and she has proven to be a valuable asset ever since.

“The really cool thing about facility dogs is they’re trained to pick up on cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone,” Nicholson says. “So she can actually pinpoint students who just need a little bit of extra love in the classroom, and she will go lay down there by them or just go in check with those children.”

Service Dogs of Alabama begins getting its dogs ready for different jobs before they are even born. Each dog is specially bred to discourage predispositions for certain disorders, like hip dysplasia, and is trained to be confident, gentle and able to scent out stress. They are trained for roughly two years and are assigned a specific job based on each dog’s unique personality.

“Cricket is highly trained to be able to take on all these emotions,” says Pelham High School Assistant Principal Sabrina Tutch-

tone. “She’ll come straight to you and just make you feel so good. It’s kind of like getting a boost of caffeine in your day, only it’s better.”

Despite her pedigree and intense training, Cricket is still a dog. Both her handler and the faculty of PCS try to stay conscious of that fact whenever Cricket is brought into different classrooms. In the classes with younger students, before Cricket arrives, the students quickly start cleaning the room and putting away anything that might excite her too much or get her into trouble.

“My students know how to get ready for her, and they just love it,” says Laura Schmidt, a first-grade teacher at Pelham Oaks Elementary. “One time, though, she found a snack in one of their cubbies because we hadn’t eaten a snack yet. Cricket turned around and had this Honey Bun hanging from her mouth.”

Since then, Schmidt’s class makes sure to try and eat their snack before Cricket visits, but the ‘Honey Bun incident’ has not diminished their excitement in seeing the yellow lab at all.

“This year, I do have one little boy in particular that is in fact very concerned about dogs,” Schmidt says. “But he loves Cricket. I

have a picture of him petting Cricket, and his mama thought she was gonna cry when she saw that.”

It’s not just the students who benefit from Cricket’s presence throughout PCS, the faculty and staff get just as much joy seeing the dog make its rounds through the facilities.

Making a difference

Whenever Cricket enters a school, she is immediately and enthusiastically greeted by the office staff manning the school’s entrance. She patiently accepts their pets, wagging her tail patiently, and she occasionally is let off her leash to visit administrators in their offices. Cricket isn’t just there for the students after all; she’s there for the entire school, faculty and staff included.

“You know, to be honest, I’m old school. I’ve been in education for 30 years,” Tutchtone says. “So when they first mentioned, ‘We’re going to get a facility dog.’ I’m like, ‘Really? Because we need more chaos in school.’”

Tutchtone was one of several faculty members who were initially skeptical about bringing a facility dog into the schools and worried that it might be an unnecessary

waste of time and money for the school district.

However, that quickly changed.

“I’m the most cynical person, probably in the entire school district, because I’m probably also one of the oldest,” Tutchtone says. “It’s hard to break down my walls and my opinions, but Cricket has that ability.”

Several of the faculty, including Tutchtone, noted that since Cricket joined PCS that they feel less stressed and are often just as excited as the students to see her.

“I’m not going to say that she fixes all the problems, “ Tutchtone says. “But as far as the staff goes, I know for me personally, when Cricket walks in the door, I could be doing a million things and have a million things going through my head. But when Cricket walks in, things go away. She’ll come into my office, and she comes straight to me, probably because she detects the stress. But she’ll come straight to you and just make

you feel so good.”

Cricket’s ability to detect stress and her gentle nature allow her to build positive relationships with the people around her and also make her an ideal tool in mental health interventions.

Cricket’s purpose

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health and wellness of students has been a high priority for schools throughout the United States, as youth struggle with increasingly high rates of anxiety, and Pelham is no exception, making Cricket’s presence an important part of the school.

“Anxiety, especially since COVID, has had a huge influx on our students,” Nicholson says. “I coordinate mental health services, but I’m also called into situations where a student might be struggling. And prior to Cricket, I would come in, and I’d be able to

talk them down and use coping skills and all of that. But with Cricket, I can walk in, and it’s almost an immediate change. She’s just an amazing, calming tool for the children.”

Once a month, Nicholson sends a Google sign-up sheet out to the faculty of PCS to see which classes would like a visit from Cricket that week. The sheet is said to fill up rather quickly.

“I remember when Cricket was introduced and everybody was just so excited to have her on campus,” recalls Matthew Chaux, a senior at Pelham High School. “She’s an amazing emotional support dog. Maybe you’re just stressed or having a bad day, but the minute you see that dog, you just start feeling better.”

According to a 2019 study put out by the National Institute of Health, the presence of a dog in a classroom promotes a positive mood and has a noticeable anti-stress effect on students. This is especially pertinent as

rates of stress and suicide are on the rise across the nation.

“We’ve seen a really big increase in suicidal ideations since COVID,” Nicholson says. “The anxiety of COVID, ‘if I’m going to get it, if I’m going to spread,’ it really translated from parents to children, and we’re still seeing the effects of that.”

The National Center for Health Statistics finds that the suicide rate among young people ages 10-24 increased 62 percent from 2007 through 2021, from 6.8 deaths to 11 per 100,000. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. for the entire

population, and for those ages 10-34, it is the second leading cause of death. In 2021, Alabama reported a total of 821 total suicides.

When a student at PCS is identified as having suicidal ideation, severe depression, anxiety or any other mental health struggles PCS has an intervention system in place that follows state-mandated protocols. Cricket occasionally joins in on interventions depending on the child and their needs.

Future

Between classroom visits and mental

health interventions, Cricket has an incredibly packed schedule. Not to mention, Cricket is used by the entirety of PCS. That’s four schools, and several thousand students in total. While Cricket’s love is endless, that’s a lot for one dog, and the school system has considered investing in another.

“Initially, when we got her, we wanted to see how it worked, how she did in the schools,” Nicholson says. “We have had multiple conversations, getting more, you know, social-emotional learning grants to cover facility dogs. So we’re working on those grants to try to get more dogs like Cricket so that hopefully one day maybe each school could have one.”

Even if the district can’t find funding, Cricket will continue to work for PCS until she’s at the age to retire in six or seven years. After that, Cricket will officially become a normal house dog and move in with Nicholson. In the meantime, Cricket continues to positively impact the lives of the students she works with.

“I think one of the awesome things about Cricket is that the human ability to bond with animals is one that is not limited to any gender, wealth class or all these things that divide up high schools,” Miranda Pierce, a senior at Pelham High School says. “I feel like we’re kind of all united through our bond with Cricket.”

KEEPING YOU

INFORMED

SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATION OFFICIALS SERVE STUDENTS, STAFF, PUBLIC AND EACH OTHER

BY ALEC ETHEREDGE | PHOTOS BY ALEC ETHEREDGE AND CONTRIBUTED

aAt her mother-in-law’s house shortly after the loss of her husband in late March 2023, emotions raced through Nicole Knights’ veins as she tried to cope with a devastating moment.

Then, in an important time of need, two visitors arrived at the door—Ainsley Allison and Kim Kiel.

Ainsley, the city of Pelham communications manager, and Kim, the Pelham High School principal, had worked closely with Nicole for years in her role as the Pelham City Schools communications manager.

Those two were the first to be alongside Nicole during a difficult time, but it didn’t take long for others to follow suit, flooding Nicole and the Knight family with love and support.

“Being part of this community is really what has lifted us up my whole family and given us the strength and wherewithal to

push through,” Nicole says. “I’ve said it from the very beginning, it was evident from day one, literally day one. I was out of town when this happened. We went straight to Mike’s mom’s house and Ainsley Allison and Kim Kiel were the first two people besides my family that I was with. From there, it was just a continuous ripple effect of people who have always been friends and colleagues, but they provided such a level of love and support for us, that it has really been what has carried us through.”

When she talks about the community of support, it extends beyond the city of Pelham and beyond the Pelham City School system to include people from across the state, but one group in particular continually sticks out—the tight-knit group of public relations officials.

While Ainsley is one of those key supporters in the same city, Nicole has formed

strong relationships across each school system in Shelby County over the past eight years, building a group friendship with the likes of Shelby County Schools’ Cindy Warner, Alabaster City Schools’ Jason Gaston and Hoover City Schools’ Sherea Harris.

It’s a group that, despite working for different school systems, is intertwined with respect for one another, so much so that Nicole’s son Griffin works for Jason at Alabaster City Schools in his first communications position.

“We are all really close friends and highly admire and respect one another,” Warner says, adding that they try to be there for one another as a support system during their most difficult times.

For each, though, the priority remains tackling one of the most important jobs a school system can have by keeping students, parents, faculty and the public informed,

and they aren’t afraid to work together to do the job properly, playing an integral role in making Shelby County one of the top in the state for education.

Making the transition

Considering herself the grandma of the group, Cindy is the most experienced of the four local public relations specialist representing the school districts in Shelby County, and the other three often solicit her for advice, a role she loves, but like the other three, this job wasn’t the original dream.

From a small town outside Tupelo, Mississippi, she hoped to make it big in broadcasting as a communications major at Mississippi State University.

“Originally, I wanted to be a broadcast journalist, but my thick Mississippi accent

had other plans for me,” Cindy says with a chuckle. “I had a college professor that was actually my speech and debate coach as well, but she was from the Midwest and had that perfect Midwest accent. One day, she sat me down and said, ‘Cindy, I’m not sure you’re ever going to get rid of that thick southern accent, but you’re an excellent writer, so why don’t you choose something in communications that will play up your writing strengths.’”

She had no plans of doing print journalism, so she went the route of public relations, but right after graduating college, sure enough, she landed in print journalism. She got her start at the Itawamba County Times, her hometown newspaper, for two years before she and her husband moved to Alabama where she took on a job at the News-Aegis for two years before joining the

Daily Home not too far down the road in St. Clair County.

Cindy covered all of St. Clair County basically by herself in her 20s and was struggling with the balance of always working and being away from her husband and home life.

With that, she made the decision to transition into a public relations role, taking on her first PR position with The Literacy Council of Central Alabama in Birmingham.

After five years there, the dream she didn’t realize she had came knocking.

In February 2002, Cindy was hired to take on the public relations manager role at Shelby County Schools as well as the community education programming leader, handling all after school programs.

Now, she is APR certified and in year 22 with one of the top county school districts in

Layers the of education PR

build trust

good

engagement

with the community know your STAKEHOLDERS: THE staff, students and parents expect the unexpected be clear in your messaging

the state.

“My mom and sister are both in the medical profession, and when I first thought about PR, I envisioned myself doing healthcare PR and marketing, but that never played out,” she says. “When I landed this job with Shelby County Schools, I had a lot to learn in all facets of the job, but I was fortunate enough to have great mentors.”

Now, she is the mentor for others, and Nicole, Jason and Sherea each have followed almost identical paths of diving into the unknown.

Jason and Sherea both have TV broadcast journalism backgrounds, while Nicole spent 16 years as a marketing manager at Brookwood Medical Center before taking the scary leap into a completely new role at Pelham City Schools.

Each, however, was drawn in the same direction for one reason—the love they found in education.

For Jason and Sherea, the two spent years covering local schools and school systems for ABC 33/40 and Fox 6, respectively, gaining a love for telling their stories and highlighting what was happening in the school

walls, while Nicole jumped on the Pelham job when it was open due to being a 24-year resident of Pelham and her kids going through a school system that the family fell in love with.

Now, Jason has served as the public relations specialist at Hoover City Schools and Trussville City Schools before taking over as the first coordinator of public relations at Alabaster City Schools where he is in his second full year. As for Sherea, she is in her first PR job, serving Hoover City Schools, while Nicole enters year nine with Pelham City Schools.

For each, there is a lot that happens within the job that many don’t realize are part of their daily responsibilities, but they all come back to one aspect as being their favorite— highlighting the students and schools

Telling the stories

Sitting on the edge of her chair behind her desk, Sherea’s eyes peak up and to the left as she talks about her favorite part of the job. Quickly, she erupts into a cheerful clap and says, “Look, this is what I was talking about.

Yay! This makes me so happy.”

She couldn’t help but be distracted as Gwin Elementary School’s Veterans Day program made it on the news, bringing a positive light to the students and the school.

“There is always something positive going on and I want to promote it,” she says.

“Honestly, I feel like I’ve won when I get our schools on television or in the news. Anytime I can get them that recognition, it’s a huge win.”

A similar situation unfolds at the Alabaster City Schools Board of Education building as Jason bounces back and forth from setting up pictures and interviews to get pictures of students engaging with Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers and his Student Advisory Committee.

The goal of the committee is for the superintendent to get feedback from each school in the district, and on this day, they’re visiting with Vickers to share their feedback.

Jason’s goal? To highlight the words they share and the images of the engaging and interactive atmosphere happening within Alabaster City Schools.

“I like telling the untold stories,” Jason

says. “I believe there are things in a school system setting that naturally are going to garner attention, and there are a lot of positive things that, by their very nature, just fly under the radar. Perhaps what I enjoy the most is making sure that those stories that largely go untold find a place. It’s my job to help them find that place.”

That part of the job is something Cindy says is key in building relationships and trust with the community, but she also admits that it takes more and that communicating thoroughly in every situation is what makes their job one of the most important in their districts.

“Communications as a whole is so important for building trust and positive culture,” Cindy says. “When you build that culture and have good engagement with your teachers, your students, your parents, your com-

munity members, all of that is ultimately going to lead to student achievement.”

She also says it’s important to make sure to allow the stakeholders in to help with the process but to at least be informed, highlighting similar advisory councils to Alabaster that Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks has also implemented.

“The importance, I feel like, of our jobs, and it’s obviously important to tell the good stuff, because we do want people to have an inside glimpse of what happens every day, but at the same time, also offering people the opportunity to come in and be part of the process,” she says. “Dr. Brooks for example, having his voice advisory councils where he now is bringing in teachers and parents and students to be able to have those face-to-face conversations and allowing people to be part of the process is helpful

for building that culture.”

She also made sure to note that it’s not always positive, but you can’t hide from the hard stuff, mentioning the recent tragic death of an Oak Mountain staffer in a car accident, the death of a Calera student athlete early in the school year, a recent bus accident that ended with a driver of another vehicle passing away.

“A lot of those examples all had within a few weeks, and unfortunately, things like that occur,” Cindy says. “That’s the not fun part of the job, having to communicate through those crises, but it’s necessary to be transparent and keep trust.”

For Nicole, her main goal in taking the job at Pelham was to highlight the good of what was happening in Pelham and at a new school system.

“I have so much pride in my job,” she

“I CAN’T THINK OF A BIGGER ROLE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY THAN EDUCATING AND TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN.”

- JASON GASTON

says. “I’ve been 100 percent invested since day one to go above and beyond because I have such pride in this community and the relationships we have within the school system and the residents of the city. I love my job because I get to do so many things and see what is happening in our schools. It is very inspiring.”

With that sense of pride, she loves that each day brings a new challenge and playing a role in making Pelham City Schools one of the best systems in the state, but it’s a job that extends beyond what you see daily on social media.

Behind the scenes

When you think about public relations within a school system, telling the stories of what is happening in the schools and staying informed about your school are two of

the big aspects you imagine, and most of that can be found through email and social media platforms.

That, however, barely scratches the surface of what each handles on a daily basis, almost offensive to assume it’s nothing more. In actuality, it is what happens behind the scenes that makes the biggest difference in making each school system in Shelby County one of the best.

“A lot of people to this day still don’t understand the scope of this role in terms of, ‘What do you do all day?’” Jason says. “My response when I get that question is, ‘What do I not do.’ It is a catch-all job of sorts. If I had to boil it down, it’s management of all internal and external communication process. That’s everything from websites to rapid-notification software, event management, social media, liaising with city, state and county entities. This job is very multi-

faceted, it has a lot of tentacles to it, and no two days are alike.”

That last part, “No two days are alike,” is what sticks out, as each of the four public relation specialists said word-for-word the exact same thing.

For each, they may come into the day with an idea of what their tasks may be, but then, a media request may come in, a school may go on lockdown, a bus gets delayed, a website crashes, the weather cancels events, a last-minute event is added.

Those are a few of many examples of last-minute issues that can arise in addition to other job duties such as handling communications among the district, putting together strategic planning with the superintendents, etc.

“The list of things I do on a daily basis is everchanging,” Nicole says. “In some ways it’s the most challenging part of my job, but

in other ways, it’s also the best part of my job. When you go in one direction and start working on something, there is a lot of times where the end is not always as easy as, ‘Let me finish this and move on to the next thing.’ There is always juggling going on. It requires a mindset that allows us to be nimble and pivot and not get frustrated with having to change direction on a dime.”

For each, that adrenaline and rush of no dull moments is part of what they love about the job.

“You’re always juggling,” Sherea says. “You may have a plan for the day, but then you have a fire to put out or something comes up. You have to organize and prioritize and that strategic side of the job is a lot of fun.”

Several of the school systems have been working on new websites and each has worked with their superintendents on strategy, and for Cindy, it’s that side of the job at this stage of her career that has been refreshing as she looks for the most effective way to not only communicate but help the schools in the district.

“I don’t think I could have ever been content to just sit behind a desk all day and do the same thing day in and day out,” Cindy

says. “That’s what I loved as a journalist and what I love to this day. What drives me more now in the latter half of my career is the strategic planning. I’m a little bit of a geek now when it comes to research, implementation, planning, evaluation and seeing whether or not this particular thing has the impact you were hoping it would.”

For each, however, it can be a lonely job. As the only person who handles it in their school system, they don’t have as many people in their buildings that understand what they are going through on a daily basis.

That’s where their friendship comes into play and ultimately leads to them working together to create the best for their schools.

Working as a team

One of the best coping skills to be able to handle stress or one of the best ways to find new ideas is to bounce it off someone who may have a similar train of thought.

For the school public relations specialists across Shelby County, they have friends in the building and co-workers that help, but it’s a group text thread between the four of them that ultimately helps the most, or, as Cindy puts it—admire and acquire.

“We love sharing ideas, or admire and acquire as Cindy loves to say,” Nicole says with a laugh. “We don’t feel this sense of, ‘Oh, you can’t do what I’m doing’ kind of thing. It’s a willingness, not a competitiveness, to share and help each other in our roles. I am immensely grateful for that.”

It’s that mindset of admire and acquire that helps the schools feed off of each other to continue growing and remain atop the mountain of school systems in the state.

“Being able to have them there to bounce ideas off of and pull resources from is important for each of us,” Cindy says. “If somebody else has already done a big campaign, don’t start from scratch building yours, go ask your friend if you can borrow their template and tweak it with your own research to make it work for your district. The main thing is to work together to help get ideas and help our school systems thrive.”

Jason says it’s an integral part of a school system and one that is a unique club.

“Not every school system has the luxury of this position, but I guarantee every school system wants it,” he says. “The few of us that there are, it is a tight-knit group and we bounce ideas off of each other. We can all learn from each other. Some are technologi-

cally advanced, others are better at crisis communications, so we all lean on each other for camaraderie, advice and sometimes therapy.”

And that all ties back to the support that was there for Nicole during a difficult time and the support that has been there for her since the day she started the job, just as the support was there when Cindy started hers, Jason started his and Sherea started hers.

“In this position, it is the most collegial and supportive group of professionals that I have ever had the opportunity to work with,” Nicole says. “My relationships with them honestly started the week I started my job. Jason and Cindy both reached out right away and introduced themselves. It is truly a network of people who are experienced, super smart and are willing to be a support network of colleagues and friends that I can turn to anytime. We support each other and provide assistance and feedback.”

It’s an extension of what each of them sees as one of many important roles in a school system to help make them run smoothly for the success of future generations.

“I can’t think of a bigger role in American society than educating and taking care of children,” Jason says. “I don’t think people really understand the gravity of the role. We literally have peoples’ kids for eight hours of the day, and of course, we have to educate them, but we have to ensure their safety, there’s feeding, there’s gym time and sometimes there are medical needs. It’s a big job for everyone in k-12 with a lot of moving parts. School systems are the bedrock of our society.”

WATCH

ME

MORGAN LAMBERT RETURNS TO HER STOMPING GROUNDS AS BOTH A TEACHER AND COACH, LEADING HER ATHLETES TO BACK-TO-BACK WINS.

BY ANNA GRACE MOORE | PHOTOS BY DAWN HARRISON

BBellowing out, “Go Big Blue,” are the Jaguars’ biggest fans, decked head to toe in Carolina blue and black. Jaguar Stadium roars with thunderous applause as the Spain Park football team storms the field, hyping up the crowd for another evening of Friday night lights.

Morgan Lambert, a Spain Park High School alumna herself, grins from ear to ear, watching her cheerleaders start the wave that transcends each row of students and fans alike. The old, faithful Jag Rag is playing in the distance, which is one tune sharp enough to elicit a tear from a diehard fan’s eye.

Morgan is not able to jump and cheer like she once was, but her cheerleaders hit every note, stunting girls 10 feet into the air, com-

manding the crowd’s attention and praise.

Although bittersweet, Morgan stands to the side, proudly watching. “We did it, dad,” she thinks to herself.

Hail Mary

After graduating from Spain Park High School, Morgan attended Mississippi State University—her father’s alma mater—and the school, she says, that would change her life’s trajectory. She initially went into the school of communication to become a sports journalist.

However, after only four semesters, Morgan says the internships she completed never made her as happy as her summer job with Universal Cheerleaders Association,

which teaches summer cheerleading camps to middle school and high school students.

“That job really showed me that I have a passion for this age group,” Morgan recalls.

For as long as she could remember, family members, friends, even some in the workforce told her not to go into education because of the field’s pay and working conditions. Deep down, however, she always knew she wanted to become a teacher.

It wasn’t until Morgan confided in her biggest cheerleader–her father, Gary Lambert–that she mustered up the courage to change her major. Gary told her never to let anyone’s negativity stop her from pursuing her dream, and to the haters, just say, “Watch me.”

“If you cut him open, he would bleed baby

blue,” Morgan says of her father. “He really loved [Spain Park]. You would have thought he was an alum.”

Gary never missed out on Friday night lights at Jaguar Stadium. In fact, when his eldest child, Cary Lambert Tidmus, enrolled at Spain Park in 2006, Gary began tailgating with his RV in the school’s parking lot every Friday afternoon.

When Morgan became a freshman in 2013, Gary carried on the tailgating tradition, never missing a game. He loved watching his daughter cheer.

“Her dad would be so proud of what she accomplished,” Ashelie Halla, Spain Park English teacher and Morgan’s former cheerleading coach says. “He loved to watch her cheer. I’m sure he is smiling down on her.”

One week after Morgan threw her own Hail Mary and switched to majoring in edu-

cation, Gary passed away on Aug. 31, 2019. Morgan had just begun her junior year of college, her new classes as an education major and what she later considered as one of the hardest years of her life.

Navigating life without her father felt as though she was the only fan left cheering— the crowd had given up, gone home.

Not long after Gary’s passing, Morgan jumped right back into school, juggling classes, cheer and the crippling weight of the world collapsing on her shoulders. She questioned whether she made the right decision, switching her major so late in the game.

But, like her father, Morgan has an unbreakable spirit–as any good cheerleader should have. She expected challenges in the months to come, but she was not going down without a fight.

Blitz

Several months into her junior year, Morgan had a major disc slip in her spinal column, causing her to collapse and lose feeling in her legs for several hours. Once she regained her strength, she toughened it out and continued the rest of her work day.

Amazingly, Morgan also continued cheering throughout her college career, neglecting getting back surgery for three years until the inevitable caught up with her in September 2022. She says at the time of her injury, she was not aware of how much nerve damage she had acquired from cheering competitively for 20 years.

Morgan received an epidural pain block before the COVID-19 outbreak, saying she trained for 20 years to be a college cheerleader and was not going to let some “back

pain” prevent her from living out both her and her father’s dream. Cheering made Morgan feel closer to her dad, and as the months passed, her memories with him began to fade.

So, Morgan continued to cheer, to talk about her father and to “live like Gary,” radiating positivity everywhere she went.

During this time, she faced adversity head-on in her educational journey. When choosing what she would teach, Morgan said while she was interested in history, her advisor warned her how hard it is for a woman in the South to become a social studies teacher.

Watch me, she said.

Morgan got her first taste on the other side of the classroom as an educator, student-teaching at East Webster High School. She taught seventh grade social studies and immediately felt invigorated–as though she would no longer have to fake it until she made it.

“It was a blessing of a place,” she recalls of East Webster.

Shortly after finishing student-teaching, Morgan graduated from Mississippi State and began the infamous job hunt. Around this time, a job opportunity for a social studies teacher opened up at her stomping grounds–Spain Park.

“When she told me that she switched her major, I got very excited,” Ashelie recalls. “I

was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you came back and coached with me?’”

Sure enough, Ashelie spoke to Spain Park’s administration, helping Morgan get one foot in the door. Morgan interviewed for the job in July 2021, and two weeks later, she was hired.

Kickoff

During Morgan’s first year teaching, she taught ninth grade world history and 12th grade government and economics, and she also helped coach Spain Park’s cheerleading squads. Now in her third year at Spain Park, Morgan teaches both government and economics and is the head coach of the entire cheerleading program.

Morgan is only 24 years old and is one of the youngest educators at Spain Park–which was recently rated in the top 10 best high schools in the state of Alabama by the U.S. News and World Report.

“I couldn’t imagine teaching anything else,” she says. “Especially in the world we live in, being able to teach how our government works and how our economy works is such pertinent information for kids to go out into the real world. I’m very glad I get to teach that and be a part of their lives.”

While teaching post-pandemic as a firsttime teacher was intimidating, Morgan says

“HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN’T WORK HARD.”

- MORGAN LAMBERT

Spain Park was the most welcoming community. The only weird part about her job was learning to call her former teachers by their first names.

Several of Morgan’s former teachers are also now her colleagues–and she still looks to them for guidance.

Talking about one of her own government and economics teachers, Todd Parker, Morgan says, “To this day, he is one of the most fantastic teachers I’ve ever had in my life. I know how much of an impact he made on me, so a lot of what I try to emulate is that impact for my students.”

Walking down the social studies hall at Spain Park, she says it is just one personality after another. Every educator is unique, bringing powerful teaching tactics to the classroom and igniting a yearning to learn in every student.

AP U.S. History teacher Rick Stamper was

not one of Morgan’s teachers, but even she knew his name as a student at Spain Park. Morgan says Rick is not only one of the most well-respected, inspirational teachers, but he is also one students seem to gravitate toward.

His ability to connect with his students, making them eager to come to class and learn, is one facet of his personality she tries to model.

Another teacher Morgan loves and even credits a lot of her success to is none other than the 2022 Spain Park High School Teacher of the Year, Jill Wallace. Jill was Morgan’s mentor teacher when Morgan began teaching at Spain Park.

“A mentor teacher to a new teacher relationship has turned into the greatest friendship,” Morgan says. “I’ve grown so much more confident in my ability to teach and my reason for being here, [thanks to her].”

Their classrooms are next door to each other, so they will often catch up before school starts and enjoy each other’s company on breaks. Morgan even posted a picture with her on the first day of school this year, captioning the photo, “Season Three: Episode One.”

“I was super excited when she got the job at Spain Park,” Jill says. “She is fabulous in the classroom. Her responsibilities have grown so much and are huge for her age. She’s brought a new dynamic to the history department, and it’s awesome.”

Touchdown

Finding one’s niche can sometimes take years, but Morgan found hers not long after learning to walk. She began cheering competitively at age 3 with ACE in Homewood, where she continued cheering until

2013 Morgan becomes a freshman cheerleader at Spain Park.

2016 Spain Park makes it to the final round at nationals for the first time with Morgan helping lead the team.

2019

2019

2023

she was 15.

Morgan’s father, Gary Lambert, passes away.

Morgan gets hired as a history teacher and assistant cheerleading coach at Spain Park.

Morgan becomes the head cheerleading coach at Spain Park.

She also cheered as a student at Berry Middle School, Spain Park High School and of course, Mississippi State. Spain Park High School was founded in 2001, and by 2015, Morgan’s sophomore year, Spain Park began competing in the National High School Cheerleading Championship.

In 2016, she spearheaded the varsity team’s mission and helped take the team to nationals, where Spain Park made it to the final round for the first time in only the school’s second year of competing.

Morgan says there were schools, which were built before the ‘80s, competing, so for Spain Park to make it that far was phenomenal.

Unfortunately, Spain Park went through a drought and did not make it to the final round at nationals until 2022. In spring 2023, Morgan took over the cheerleading program as head coach.

“One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,’” Morgan says. “We were not as talented as every other team there, but we worked hard. We did our job and came up in the rankings.”

Spain Park’s 2023-24 competition cheer season kicked off at the Space Center Regionals on Oct. 21. Spain Park’s varsity team won first place for both its traditional and game day routines, and Spain Park’s junior varsity team won second place for its traditional routine and first place for its game day routine.

“One of her strongest attributes is she

wants to see other people being successful, and she wants to pass on her love and passion,” Ashelie says. “Whatever it may be, she is going to make those students the best that they can possibly be.”

While Morgan’s back surgery has limited her athleticism, it has not dampened her spirit. Every practice, every game day and every competition, spectators can find her cheering on her athletes, pushing them to their limits and helping them become better versions of themselves–both inside and out.

“As much as we like to win, it’s all about the process,” she says. “Overall, I want them to know how much I love them and how much of an impact they make on my life every day just by being themselves.”

Coming back to teach and cheer at Spain Park was a no-brainer, Morgan says. When she realized she got the job, she says she felt like she finally scored— her underdog story had finally come full circle.

Every day she walks into Spain Park, Morgan is reminded of her father’s smile when she told him she was going to do it–she was going to become a teacher. What a funny coincidence that she is not only teaching and coaching at her grassroots, but also at the place her father loved so much.

“It feels like a total God thing that I landed here, getting to do what I’m doing and coach as well,” Morgan says. “Being a teacher and a coach is exactly what I was put on this Earth to do, and getting to do it here is just awesome.”

EDUCATION THROUGH

LEADERSHIP

CHARISSA COLE CREATES LASTING IMPACT FOR ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS WITH BLUE RIBBON HONOR

BY NOAH WORTHAM | PHOTOS BY JASON GASTON

a

As Principal Charissa Cole helps direct students in the car rider line at Creek View Elementary School, she notices one child is having a difficult time carrying several bags of snacks for her class.

With a smile on her face, Charissa greets the student with a pleasant, “Good morning.” She then takes a load off the student’s hands and escorts them personally into the school building.

As she continues to assist the car rider line, Charissa smiles and greets incoming students by name, something she makes a priority to show her love for each child that enters the doors of CVES.

“I try to learn the name of every kid that comes in here,” Charissa says. “That’s so special to them.”

After the bell rings, it is 7:45 and time for the morning news. Charissa rushes across the school to make the morning announce-

ments.

“Good morning boys and girls and happy Wednesday,” she says, looking at the screen as if each and every student is in front of her. “Just a couple of announcements for today.”

After delivering the announcements, Charissa is off to the first meeting of many for the day to help personally oversee the development of teachers at Creek View.

It is those small details throughout the day from the school’s leader that recently led to Creek View Elementary School becoming one of the few in Shelby County to claim a National Blue Ribbon award, something Charissa is proud to bring to her second family.

Educational Journey

Whenever Charissa travels home, she tries her best to not talk about work, but education is something that has been engrained in

her since she was little and is a family tradition that makes up a big part of her life.

“My dad was a math teacher and a principal—he’s one of my greatest mentors, he’s amazing,” Charissa says. “My mom was in education, she worked in the library then went to the central office as a bookkeeper. So, our entire family was in education. One of my sisters is a counselor and my older sister is a fourth-grade teacher.”

After growing up surrounded by educators and working in the field of education for 26 years, it’s safe to say that it has become a core part of who Charissa is.

“I think once you’re a teacher, you’re always a teacher,” she says.

However, she did not always aim to follow in the footsteps of her parents.

“First, I wanted to be a nurse—I guess I just love people,” Charissa says. “I love caring for people and helping. But then I grew

“ONCE YOU ARE A TEACHER, YOU ARE ALWAYS A TEACHER.”

- CHARISSA COLE

this love for music and education.”

Fittingly enough, Charissa’s journey first began thanks to the efforts of one influential teacher who helped her find her passion in life and is still her favorite educator to this day.

“I fell in love with music in the fifth grade,” Charissa says.

Charissa grew up in Florence where she attended Wheaton Elementary school. Her teacher, Ms. McAfee, had a piano in her classroom and would play for the students. After finding her passion for music, she told the choir director and band director and she eagerly joined both in sixth grade.

“That’s where it started,” Charissa says. “She just developed us and loved us so much and that’s when I fell in love with music.”

After her continuing to develop her love for music, participating in choir and band in high school and serving as the dance team captain, Charissa headed off to college where she furthered her talents at the University of North Alabama and secured her bachelor’s degree of music in music education.

A new home

After spending a short period of time working at a daycare, Charissa landed split music teaching positions at Thompson Elementary School, Meadow View Elementary School and Valley Elementary School.

“I think teaching is one of the best jobs ever,” Charissa says. “You make an impact daily and weekly—you don’t only impact the students but their families and the world around us.”

After two years of moving between schools, Charissa was brought on board as the music teacher for Meadow View Elementary School where she taught for eight years.

“Getting to see the students that I started with in pre-k (and then) getting to see them perform as third graders was just amazing and incredible,” Charissa says. “Getting to see their love for music and their passion for music was so exciting to me.”

Charissa originally found teaching to be a challenging job but also one that was very rewarding.

“Teachers—it’s in them to do great

things,” she says. “We want to strive to do better, we want to improve our strategies, we want to improve everything we do and we want to improve our students and also give resources out to our parents and help our parents help our kids. It takes a village, that’s for sure.”

After spending time as a teacher, Charissa had the opportunity to obtain her master’s degree and follow in the steps of her father and pursue the world of administration.

“My dad was a leader and I just thought, ‘Maybe one day I want to use this degree to be an assistant principal or principal,’” Charissa recalls.

Fortuitously, the door was opened for Charissa when she was invited to step in as the assistant principal as Meadow View Elementary School where she was mentored by Dr. Jody Brewer.

“I truly believe in mentors,” Charissa says. “I think that all administrators should have a mentor, no matter how many years you’ve been in administration.”

During her time as assistant principal, Charissa learned the tools that she still uses

1998

Begins teaching music at Thompson Elementary, Creek View and Valley Elementary schools.

1998

Obtains bachelor degree of music in music education from the University of North Alabama.

2003

Completes masters degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of Montevallo.

2000

Begins teaching music full time at Meadow View Elementary School for eight years.

each and every day at Creek View Elementary School.

“She gave me lots of great opportunities and let me help with discipline, let me help with buses and let me lead faculty meetings,” Charissa says. “It was on-the-job learning.”

As she continued to serve, Meadow View grew and she was offered a full-time position as assistant principal at the school where she continued to help better the lives of her students and teachers until she was rewarded with an offer she couldn’t turn down.

“I did not want to take the first principalship that came open because I wanted more experience and (also) just making sure that

2014

Became principal of Creek View Elementary School.

2006

Becomes assistant principal at Meadow View Elementary School.

everything was okay in my life to be a principal,” Charissa says. “And so, Creek View came open and it’s a mile from my house. I had been in Alabaster for 16 years, I felt like I knew all the families, the community and I felt like it was the right opportunity. I applied, I interviewed and I’ve been here ever since.”

Leading by example

When one considers the foundation at the forefront of every school, typically the image that comes to mind are the teachers; however, behind each and every teacher is the

2023

Creek View Elementary School is named a National Blue Ribbon School.

guiding hand of administration.

“In my daily role, I observe classrooms, teachers and provide feedback,” Charissa says. “I think the most important thing is to be visible and have informal walkthroughs in our classrooms. If you’re not in the classrooms, if you stay in the office, you don’t know what’s going on.”

In order to perform her role to the utmost, Charissa is never in one place for long.

“I just tell my office staff, if you need me, you know how to find me,” Charissa says. “I’m typically not in my office unless I have a scheduled meeting. For example, my bookkeeper will text me and say, ‘Where are you?

DURING HER TIME SERVING AS PRINCIPAL, CHARISSA COLE HELPED CREEK VIEW EARN NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON STATUS THIS PAST YEAR.

You’ve got to sign something.”

Each morning, Charissa begins her day by checking her email to make sure she is aware of what is happening in the school. She then checks the substitute listing and makes sure that all of the classes are covered for that day before heading back outside to greet the students as they come in.

After the students have arrived safely in the school, she makes the morning announcements on the school news before beginning the list of scheduled meetings and teacher observations.

“After an observation, we have a meeting and typically I just ask them how do you feel your lesson went and how can I help you,” Charissa says.

After discussing and identifying an issue or area of improvement, Charissa then sug-

gests next steps as well as resources for the teachers to help grow their success in the classroom.

“What I love about working with Charissa Cole is that she truly, truly believes that every child can learn and that every teacher can have great success,” says ACS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers, who has worked with Charissa since she first began teaching in Alabaster. “She epitomizes that in how she runs her school, how she works with parents and how she gets so many great things done.”

Charissa not only assists others in any way she can, but she continues to spur others toward greatness through leading by example.

“I’m the one that gets to see her heart for her community, her heart for her students, her heart for faculty and staff—I get to see

that behind the scenes more than anybody else every day,” her husband and Alabaster City Councilmember Jamie says. “I can tell you from years of experience that it’s not only genuine, but it’s genuinely inspiring. You can’t live with her and be around her without wanting to serve and that’s what a leader does—besides serve others—is inspire others to serve.”

Road to improvement

Today, Creek View Elementary Schools is recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School that excels academically, but this was not always the case and happened, in large part, due to the efforts of Charissa.

“It has definitely been a journey,” Charissa says. “When I first arrived, we were

around 40 percent proficiency.”

After joining the staff as principal, Charissa began to think on how she and her staff could improve.

“We worked hard on looking at particular professional development that would help us with improving our reading and scores,” Charissa says.

The teachers at Creek View were on board for improvement and participated in development courses, AMSTI training as well as analyzing data and learning targets.

Utilizing reading and math coaches has also been a major aid to the faculty and staff at Creek View in improving the school’s academic proficiency.

“We meet with every teacher individually with our reading and math coaches and look at every aspect of (our students),” Charissa says. “I think that’s what really has transformed our school because now our teachers know how beneficial it is as well.”

Over time, academics improved at Creek View Elementary School as teachers and administration worked together until the reading and math percentile increased drastically to 90 percent.

“I was so proud and so excited and grateful for our teachers’ hard work,” Charissa says. “Getting that recognition was so powerful and meaningful for our teachers be-

cause they work so hard every day.”

Creek View was named an Exemplary High performing School through the National Blue Ribbon School Program for being among the top 15 percent in the state.

“I’ve had some wonderful times working with her but the most exciting time was the day that it was announced,” Vickers says. “We were both so excited because when you work with someone that long, see that success come out and someone else recognize it, not only for the principal but the school as a whole— it is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.”

With all the recognition that Creek View Elementary has received, Charissa doesn’t let it get to her head and continues to put the mission of humbly serving the students and her staff ahead of anything else.

“The mission here is building champions of our future,” she says. “I believe in positive leadership, I believe in making sure that our students know that this is a safe place, that we love them. Academics really is second to me. We want them to want to come to school, to love school and that this is a safe place for them.”

Charissa says when they asked several students what they want to be when they grow up, the students tell staff that they want to be a teacher.

“They see such great role models here,” Charissa says. “Every person in our building wants to make an impact and to inspire others and that’s definitely what we strive for.”

Charissa’s journey from daycare to a musical teacher to principal helped shape and mold her into the person she is and helps her in accomplishing great things at Creek View Elementary.

“This is something that she’d never say but somebody like me can say about her,” Jamie says. “She could have had a long and fruitful career there (in Florence) because everybody knew her. She moved here to be with me and really started a career from scratch and then built on something that was definitely in her blood. She’s built a career here, that is very much hers and put her stamp on it in a way that if we had not lived here and been starting over, she could have started from a different place.”

After spending 26 years in Alabaster and 10 years with Creek View Elementary School, Charissa says motivation continues to come from the students and faculty she serves on a daily basis—something that will never change.

“Creek View is my second family,” Charissa says with tears in her eyes. “You can count on them for everything.”

Save energy for what matters most.

It’s the season to slow down and reset And with our easy, at-home tips, we can help you save energy for what matters most Whether it’s swapping your stovetop for oven-based recipes or throwing an extra rug down in a drafty room, there are little things you can do around the house to save energy for what matters most this season – like gathering ’round the table with family

IN THE HALLWAYS

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE MANY ROCKSTARS IN LOCAL EDUCATION

DAVID BOBO

JEFFERSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

David Bobo has a big reach in local education, serving as the Jefferson State Community College Director of Communications and Marketing as well as a member of the Shelby County Board of Education. He has been with Jeff State for 30 years, while he has served on the BOE since 2017. He also serves on many other boards locally to help Shelby County prosper.

ALEX ARCEO

PELHAM HIGH SCHOOL CULINARY TEACHER

Alex Arceo, a Pelham High School alum, has returned to teach culinary courses at his alma mater. He studied under Chef Doug Allen, and his involvement in those classes inspired him to pursue a career in culinary education and now inspire the next group of culinary chefs in Pelham.

DORANN TANNER

CHIEF STUDENT SERVICES OFFICER FOR ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS

An accomplished member of the Alabaster City School system, Dorann Tanner has been with ACS for more than 10 years, starting in July 2013, while she has 20 years in education. She began her time in education as a counselor with the DAY Program in 2004 before moving to Shelby County Schools in 2008. She then transitioned to Alabaster City Schools as the Student Services Coordinator in 2008, where she has helped increase the graduation rate to 99 percent. “I love helping students be successful at school and graduate,” she said. “Sometimes, students and families struggle with school for various reasons. I love working with them to help their student reach their full potential and earn their diploma. I also love ensuring students and families know about resources and support services, especially mental health resources.”

MAXINE BURNS

ASSISTANT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS

The assistant to the superintendent, Maxine Burns is a key figure at the central office for Alabaster City Schools. A longstanding employee of ACS, she helps keeps days organized for Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers. Well respected in the building and across the school system, she was named the Alabaster City Schools Central Office Support Person of the Year last spring.

KRISTI PLEMONS WHITNEY PRUITT &

PELHAM OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

During the summer of 2023, Kristi Plemons and Whitney Pruitt were in Europe, but it was more than a European vacation, it was an educational trip to help translate lessons into the classroom for the upcoming school year. The two went to Scotland and Wales as part of the Fund For Teachers organization to help learn about the history of coal mining and how those coal miners eventually immigrated to the U.S., including Alabama. This spring, students will get the opportunity to learn about the lives of those miners and the process to a better life. “Through the whole process students will be given an identity of a miner or related individual that they will journal what they are learning from their identities’ perspective,” Plemons said. “We plan to have a culminating event on March 6 with a traditional ‘Bobby Burns Celebration’ celebrating the culture of the countries they immigrated from. The miners in Alabama in the late 1800s held Bobby Burns Day celebrations celebrating their home lands. We are also planning for Sloss to come that day to speak to students.”

MARISOL LILLY

TEACHER AT SHELBY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

A reading and collaborative teacher at Shelby County High School, Marisol Lilly has been instrumental in the development of students at SCHS. She has helped with special Olympics in the past and was instrumental in the school’s Hope Garden coming to life.

MICHAEL WILBANKS

TEACHER AND COACH AT THOMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

At Thompson Middle School, Michael Wilbanks does a little bit of everything. An eighth grade gifted specialist/ ELA teacher, he not only teaches ELA in a meaningful way, he also sponsors the TMS chapter of the National Junior Honor Society and coaches middle school bowling and the JV soccer team. He has 27 years of experience and enjoys setting students up for success.

SARAH COOLEY

KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT CHELSEA PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A kindergarten teacher at Chelsea Park Elementary School, Sarah Cooley was named Shelby County Schools’ top elementary teacher in 2022. Described as a kind teacher, CPES Principal Mary Anderson said she goes above and beyond in the classroom. She was also instrumental in spearheading the school’s innovation lab.

TAYLOR KORSON

OAK MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER

A special education teacher at Oak Mountain High School, Taylor Korson was named the OMHS Teacher of the Year for 2023 thanks to her efforts both in and out of the classroom. She helped start the Peer Assisted Learning Systems program, known as PALS, while she goes the extra mile to be engaging with her students and create opportunities for their learning and success.

SOPHIA MELTON

CALERA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARAPROFESSIONAL

The 2023 winner of the Shelby County Schools Educational Support Person of the Year, Sophia Melton has left her mark on the halls of Calera Elementary School. An employee for Shelby County Schools for 18 years, Melton serves first grade students at CES. She also works for community education as a teacher for the after-school care and summer camp programs at Calera Elementary School. After winning the award a year ago, she said she loves what she does for a living because of the impact it has.

SHANA WEBB

THOMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER

The Thompson Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2022, Shana Webb has been honored on multiple occasions for her efforts in the classroom, also earning The Shelby County Chamber’s Middle School nomination the same year. She has her students recite a creed on a daily basis that helps establish a positive learning culture with one of her main goals being to have a positive impact on her students and create a positive atmosphere for learning. She is nationally board certified and has her master’s degree from Jacksonville State University, while she has been in education for more than 20 years and at TMS for nearly 10 years.

LISA ALLEN

BUS DRIVER FOR ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS

Lisa Allen has been with Alabaster City Schools for 10 years, driving students to and from school each day as a bus driver for the school system. She enjoys working with the families, building relationships with them along the way, while she said Alabaster City Schools is like one big family no matter the position you hold.

KRISTI WILLIAMS

HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Serving as the executive director of human resources for Hoover City Schools, Kristi Williams has helped continue the trend of making HCS one of the top school systems in the state to work for. The district continues to draw new teachers with the HR department focused on priding itself in strong hires and retention.

MINDY JEFFCOAT

KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT MEADOW VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Mindy Jeffcoat has been teaching for 13 years with 10 of those being at Alabaster City Schools. A kindergarten teacher at Meadow View Elementary School, she went to Pelham High School and graduated from the University of Montevallo. “Being an elementary school teacher is so rewarding,” she said. “Kindergarten is full of fun, hands-on, learning and the children are enthusiastic and kind. Being there to watch our youngest students build their foundational knowledge and see how capable they are never gets old.”

MAURICE WHITING

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT CALERA HIGH SCHOOL

As a teacher, coach, administrator and assistant principal, Maurice Whiting has a unique perspective on education in Shelby County after serving in five of the seven school zones in the Shelby County School system. Currently the assistant principal at Calera High School, Whiting is also a graduate of Shelby County High School and has been in education for more than 10 years. “He is a kind person who wants the best for the students he works with.”

BRANDON ADAMS

TEACHER AND COACH AT MONTEVALLO MIDDLE SCHOOL

A science teacher of Project Lead the Way Medical Detectives and App Creators, Brandon Adams is a caring and important part of Montevallo Middle School. He also coaches multiple sports at the middle and high school level in Montevallo.

MELODY & SCOTT BYRNE

PRINCIPAL AT WILSONVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND TEACHER AT ELVIN HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With 47 combined years between them, Melody and Scott Byrne are a powerful husband-wife duo in local education. Melody has been in education for 27 years and currently serves as the principal at Wilsonville Elementary School, while Scott has 20 years of experience in education and is a fifth grade teacher at Elvin Hill in Columbiana.

DR. LYNN CARROLL

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTION AT SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOLS

Shelby County Schools Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Dr. Lynn Carroll is a big part of the success for the school system. She helps lead the system’s curriculum with a goal of creating engaging lessons, while making sure students have all of the resources necessary to be successful.

DEREK HENDERSON

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION

The vice president of the Alabaster City Schools Board of Education, Derek Henderson has received many accolades in his time with ACS, which dates back to 2013. Henderson is a retired insurance professional, but has dedicated the past 10 years to ACS.

BETH HOUSE

MONTEVALLO HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER

An English and digital media teacher at Montevallo High School, Beth House was named the Shelby County Schools High School Teacher of the Year in 2023.

BARBARA SNYDER

FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE COORDINATOR FOR SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOLS

The former principal at Shelby County High School, Barbara Snyder is now the Facilities and Maintenance Coordinator for Shelby County Schools. Snyder always tries to point to her co-workers for any success, but continues working to make a difference in local schools while being respected by her peers.

Ashlyn Kuyrkendall is the current fine arts teacher and choir director at Shelby County High School. Not only has she led the SCHS choir to statewide success, but she is instrumental in writing grants to help the school with resources.

ANNA MCENTIRE

CALERA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

An influence in the halls of Calera High School, Anna McEntire always carries a positive attitude and loves her students. She currently teaches science at Calera High School and previously served at Helena Middle School where she was named the 2020 Shelby County Schools Middle School Teacher of the Year. She followed that up by earning this year’s High School Teacher of the Year for the district.

FINE ARTS TEACHER AND CHOIR DIRECTOR AT SHELBY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

JESSI ADAMS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT CHELSEA PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A current assistant principal at Chelsea Park Elementary School, Jessi Adams was a counselor and teacher before stepping into an administration role. She was named the school system’s elementary school Counselor of the Year in 2019 for her efforts at CPES.

KRISTEN BLANTON

With more than 25 years in education, Kristen Blanton helps students achieve their goals and prepares them for life after high school. She has worked at several local schools and currently serves as the Helena High School counselor.

HELENA HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR

DR. LATOFIA PARKER

DIRECTOR OF THE GRAINGER COMMUNITY COUNSELING + WELLNESS CLINIC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

Dr. Latofia Parker serves as the Director of the Grainger Community Counseling and Wellness Clinic, which offers free mental health counseling to residents of Montevallo and several surrounding communities, and an associate professor of counseling at the University of Montevallo. She was recently selected by The Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling as the twoyear delegate representing Alabama on the Counseling Compact Commission. “I’m a first-generation college student who never saw anyone in my family go to college,” Parker said. “When I became aware that a person could achieve academically, I wanted that. In fourth grade, I had a teacher who used to put on a Black History Month program. She had me recite Langston Hughes’s ‘I, Too, Am America.’ There was something about those words; they stuck with me. I didn’t have to be invisible.”

SAVANNAH FISHER

PELHAM RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER

Now in her sixth year as a teacher, Savannah Fisher is a teacher at Pelham Ridge Elementary School who goes the extra mile to be engaging with her students. From dressing up to dancing, she hopes to be an effective teacher that shows her passion for learning and an understanding for her students and their cultures. One of her biggest goals is to create meaningful experiences for her students. A former student at the old Valley Elementary School, she attended Pelham schools growing up before going to the University of Alabama, where she graduated with a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She also served as a member of The Million Dollar Band Color Guard while at Alabama.

DAWN HOWARD

A history teacher at Vincent Middle High School, Dawn Howard was named the Shelby County Schools Teacher of the Year at the high school level back in 2017. She continually pours her heart and soul into her students. She has also been honored by Jacksonville State University by being inducted into the school’s Teacher Hall of Fame.

HISTORY TEACHER AT VINCENT MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL

JEFF MURPHY

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER AT HELENA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

The school resource officer at Helena Intermediate School, Jeff Murphy has helped keep the halls of HIS safe for the past four years. He has lived in Helena for 19 years and loves the sense of community in the area. His goal each day remains to keep the students under his watch safe, while also gaining their trust by engaging with the students, whether it be by bringing Chick-fil-a or dressing up in a goofy costume.

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