Chilton County — Ricky Porter

CHILTON COUNTY

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

STORY BY JOYANNA LOVE PRINCIPAL ENJOYS BEING LIFELONG CHILTON COUNTY RESIDENT Sometimes when one grows up in a small town, they look for a way to leave as soon as they graduate high school. But for Isabella High School Principal Ricky Porter, Chilton County has always been a home he has loved. “I’ve never lived anywhere else,” Porter said. “… I have always been happy living in Chilton County, and I don’t really have a desire to go anywhere else.” Porter grew up in the Providence community. He attended Jemison schools and graduated from Jemison High School. “It was a great experience. I had great teachers,” Porter said. He went on to complete his bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Montevallo. “Then, I came back and started teaching in Chilton County,” Porter said. “So, basically all my life I’ve just went to school.” His extended family is here, and he is involved in his church, The Church at Robinson Springs. “I enjoy doing what I do,” Porter said. “I have a wonderful family and life and don’t have a desire to go anywhere else or look for anything else.” Although, he has had the opportunity to go somewhere else. “I value the peace and satisfaction (here) more

than the few extra dollars that might be earned (elsewhere),” Porter said.

Porter and his family moved to Collins Chapel about 11 years ago. This makes for a short commute to Isabella High School, where he has served as principal for the past 15 years.

“It takes me 12 to 15 minutes typically to get here, so I don’t live right on top of the school which, in my opinion, is probably a blessing but at same time I can be here in 10 to 15 minutes,” Porter said.

Prior to becoming the IHS principal, he had worked for a year as the assistant principal at Thorsby High School.

“I had been a drivers ed teacher and P.E teacher … traveling to Thorsby, Isabella and Maplesville for about … five years, so when the position opened up at Isabella I was very familiar with the school and a lot of people at the school,” Porter said.

He said Isabella was similar to Thorsby, so he decided to apply.

Both IHS and THS had kindergarten to 12th grade, and preschool classes have since been added.

“It is quite challenging being the principal at … a pre-K-12 school,” Porter said. “I get to see a wide variety of all of it.”

Each level has different curriculum and assessments.

“It is very rewarding being the principal at a K-12 school or a pre-K-12 school because we get to see them from the beginning as kindergarten students all the way through until they graduate from high school,” Porter said.

The high school graduating class of 2021 had also received their kindergarten diplomas and sixth grade diplomas from Porter.

“(I was able) to watch them all the way through and just to have that experience with a lot of the students and a lot of the families is very rewarding,” Porter said. “It goes right along with our mission statement at Isabella, which is ‘ Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today.’”

This focus begins in preschool by teaching soft skills and emphasizing good character traits.

“We try to approach it (education) holistically from pre-k and kindergarten all the way through to the 12th grade,” Porter said. “There are not a lot of K-12 schools, but it is very rewarding to work at one.”

Porter said his leadership team keeps things going smoothly.

“I rely greatly on them because it is impossible to be an expert in all of the different areas from K-12,” Porter said. “I have an instructional reading coach and an elementary counselor that does a tremendous job with the details of the elementary. I have a high school counselor, an assistant principal that is focused primarily on the high school side of the building.”

“Delegating different areas of responsibility” helps each school day be a success.

Porter said he still tries to know what is going on with all aspects of the school, “but I don’t feel like I have to personally oversee every little thing that goes on, that would be impossible.”

A desire to coach is what initially piqued Porter’s interest in working in education. His coaching career includes Jemison High School and later Thorsby High School.

“I have coached every sport: football, basketball, baseball and softball,” Porter said.

At THS in 2004, he was the athletic director and head football coach before taking the THS assistant principal position.

“My goal always was to be able to make a difference in the lives of my players and my students, help them be the best that they could be, not only as athletes or students but also as adults once they leave high school,” Porter said.

While he was coaching, Porter taught physical education classes, drivers education classes and health classes.

He is in his 29th year as a Chilton County educator. While many may start to look to retirement at that point, Porter said he is still enjoying his career.

Porter and his wife Julie have three children. All of them attend Isabella, and they will be starting fourth, ninth and 10th grade in the 2021-2022 school year.

“I enjoy coming to school every day with them,” Porter said.

Of Julie, Porter said, “I married the love of my life.”

The couple met through her family members that coached with Porter.

“I got to know her and her family really well, and it just kind of grew from there,” Porter said.

They initially met while Julie was still in high school, but started a relationship after she graduated.

When not at IHS, Porter enjoys spending time with his family and serving at The Church at Robinson Springs.

COUNTY COURTHOUSE

500 Second Ave N Clanton, AL 35046

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 1948 Clanton, AL 35046

PHONE NUMBER

(205) 755-1551

CHILTON COUNTY FAST FACTS

WEBSITE

chiltoncounty.org

POPULATION

44,428 (2019 estimate)

LAND AREA

693.98 square miles

COMMISSION CHAIRMAN

Joseph Parnell 205-688-6991

COUNTY COMMISSION

Joe Headley 205-287-1689

Jimmie Hardee 205-389-2181 Allen Williams 205-368-3338

Randell Kelly 205-688-0985

Darrell Bone 205-294-5540

Matthew Mims 205-389-6161

Peach Festival

Perhaps Chilton County’s best known annual event is the Peach Festival, which occurs during harvest time in June. For two weeks, many events occur throughout the county, including a 5K run, pageants, parade, auction and the Peach Jam.

PEACH RUN

The annual Peach Run is sponsored by Cornerstone Fitness & Wellness in Clanton. There are both a 5K and a 10K run through downtown Clanton. One of the best places to watch the race is along Alabama Highway 145 between Cornerstone and downtown.

There are cash prizes and winners named in several age divisions in both male and female categories. For more information, call fitness director Lesia Childress at 205-280-6450.

MISS PEACH PAGEANTS

There are four categories in the Miss Peach Pageants: Little Miss (ages 5-7), Young Miss (8-11), Junior Miss (12-14) and Miss (15-18). The pageants are always on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night during the Peach Festival. Winners earn scholarships and other prizes.

PEACH JAM JUBILEE

The annual Peach Jam Jubilee, sponsored by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce, is held the last Saturday in June.

Local entertainment also performs. There are food vendors and arts and crafts vendors, as well as kids’ rides, games and more.

Call the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce at 205-7552400 for more information.

PEACH PARADE

The annual Peach Parade is held the last Saturday in June. It starts at the Park Plaza shopping center near Clanton City Park and circles through downtown Clanton. For more information, contact the Clanton Lions Club on Facebook.

PEACH AUCTION

The Peach Auction is held at Senior Connection, and always directly follows the Peach Parade. The 2021 event raised $24,200.

The fundraiser benefits Clanton Lions Club and its charitable work, which includes providing glasses and eye care to children through Alabama Sight as well as supporting a number of local organizations.

Relay FoR liFe aRt Festival

Chilton County’s Relay for Life event, held every April, raises money for the American Cancer Society. The event includes entertainment and fun activities. Cancer survivors and their supporters walk around downtown to celebrate the continued fight against the disease. For more information, contact Amy Jolley 205-294-980.

The Chilton County Arts Council sponsors an annual art festival featuring a variety of works from regional artists. More than 40 artists participated. The event is held at the Clanton Performing Arts Center. For more information, contact the Arts Council at chiltoncountyartscouncil@hotmail.com.

chRistmas in chilton

Every year, the towns of Clanton, Thorsby, Jemison and Maplesville get into the holiday spirit by hosting Christmas activities.

Clanton, Thorsby and Jemison host parades.

Each parade features marching bands, pageant queens, rescue vehicles, politicians, children, flashy vehicles and lots of candy.

Clanton’s Christmas Parade is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chilton County and is held the first Friday in December at 6 p.m. It involves a route that weaves through downtown and showcases Peach Queens and the Pride of Chilton County High School Band.

Jemison hosts a Christmas tree lighting event the last week of November. The Jemison Christmas parade is traditionally held the first Saturday in December and prominently features Jemison High School’s Blue Regiment Marching Band.

Thorsby’s parade is traditionally held the first weekend in December and features the Swedish Queens and the Thorsby High School band.

Maplesville hosts Olde Fashioned Christmas on the first Sunday afternoon in December. The event traditionally features food, vendors, music, reading of the Biblical account and a visit from Santa.

indePendence day celebRations

Each year, Chilton County hosts several events to celebrate the United States of America’s birthday. Clanton’s annual fireworks show is held on July 4 at 9 p.m. in Clanton City Park. For more information, contact City Hall at 205-755-1105.

Maplesville hosts fireworks at the community park on July 4 with festivities starting at around 7 p.m. For more information, call town hall at 334-366-4212.

The town of Thorsby traditionally holds an annual celebration the last Wednesday in June. Each year, the event is held at Richard Wood Memorial Park and is filled with music and fireworks. For more information, contact Thorsby Town Hall at 205-646-3575.

A couple of celebrations are also held on Lake Mitchell, including the Cargile Creek Fourth of July fireworks show and boat parades. For more information, contact Jim McCormick with Lake Mitchell HOBO at jmac51@bellsouth.net.

veteRans memoRial

The Chilton County Veterans Memorial stands in front of the county courthouse on Second Avenue North in Clanton as a reminder of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

The memorial bears the names of Chilton County residents who died in combat in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon and Iraq.

Veteran Morris Price is credited for coming up with the idea while he worked as a property tax appraiser in the courthouse. Price, once a prisoner of war in Korea, also lost a brother in combat.

A drive was started to raise funds for a monument in 1985, and the dream became reality on Memorial Day 1986. The committee that oversees the memorial is made up of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans Associations.

Every Memorial Day, each name is read aloud as a crowd of citizens gathers to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.

lake mitchell

Lake Mitchell is a component of the Coosa River that lies 10 miles east of Clanton.

The 5,850-acre lake averages 29 feet in depth and includes 147 miles of shoreline. Alabama Power constructed Lay Dam in 1923 to provide flood control and hydroelectricity to central Alabama. Since then, Lake Mitchell has become a source of recreation with attractions such as boating, swimming, and fishing.

The lake supports high densities of sport fish, such as largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, walleye, striped bass, hybrid, and white bass.

The Lay Dam tailwater area at the upper end of the lake is a popular recreational area for fishermen.

The Higgins Ferry boat launch is open to the public, and can be accessed by taking the Lake Mitchell exit off I-65, and taking County Road 28 until it dead-ends at Higgins Ferry Park.

conFedeRate memoRial PaRk

The Alabama Historical Commission’s Confederate Memorial Park near Verbena is a museum, research facility, authentic historical structures, ruins and two cemeteries with more than 300 Confederate soldiers.

The 102-acre park hosts both local guests and tourists, and has the only museum in Alabama that is strictly devoted to the Civil War.

New additions to the park include a pavilion for visitor use, signs built along Interstate 65 North and South attracting tourists, a replica of Civil War barracks and a nature trail.

The park hosts an annual battle in April to offer an up-close and personal view of the Civil War. Confederate Memorial Park is located at 437 County Road 63 near Verbena. For more information about the park, call 205-755-1990.