The Current - May 2023

"Living the Mission"

I don't watch much television, but when I do, I like it to be meaningful and applicable. Cathy and I have enjoyed the first two seasons of The Chosen and have begun the third. In this series, the primary character, Jesus, relentlessly pursues the mission. Obstacles, or opportunities for growth, are constantly hurled in His path. In all, He remains steadfast and truthful to the cause. He is kind, compassionate, and caring for all. He displays meekness, strength under control in all that He does. His walk is consistent and constant. He lives His purpose, and He lives the mission.

Over a week ago, ninth-grade students were allowed to perform community service. The Class of 2026 will be the first of whom 50 hours of community service is required to graduate. Together, students, Central Office personnel, and City officials picked litter from our beaches, cleaned the dog park, washed city vehicles, raked yards, weeded flower beds, and planted flowers for those community persons in need. After a picnic on the greens of the Coastal Arts Center, students engaged in many team-building activities. As tasks were completed, students were given clues to the system’s mission (see this issue’s cover photo).

The mission of Orange Beach City Schools is to provide a K-12 results-based experience that focuses on the whole student, one that incorporates challenging academics and skills acquisition, strong character development, and solid citizenship, which will build our next generation.

Though the community service day was not filled with academics and skill acquisition as most, character and citizenship were discussed, exemplified, and cultivated. “Walking the talk” must become routinea daily effort. The system’s four pillars of student achievement, skill acquisition, citizenship, and character development must remain our primary focus. As educators, parents, and community persons, our responsibility is to create conditions and an environment optimal for living the mission.

As we close out our inaugural school year, I encourage you to be vigilant in that resolve and remain steadfast in our pursuit of excellence.

Randy Wilkes, Superintendent

Legacy Starts with Us!

9th Graders Come Together as a Class

Our freshmen were able to spend some time together after the service day was complete. Learning more about our mission statement and how to build a legacy together, they participated in several engaging team-building exercises. A fun day of competitive activities led to new friendships and quite a few laughs!

Our goal for the event was to bring the class together in a new way, focused on something bigger than themselves. With guest speakers from our school board and city council, students were encouraged to be different, take care of each other, and create an atmosphere where each member of the class is welcomed and appreciated. There is no doubt that the Class of 2026 is going to make a positive impact!

[The field trip]"...allowed me to get to know my fellow classmates better, and I even made a few new friends along the way." - JC Underwood

On April 20th, 2023, our ninth graders participated in the first Orange Beach City Schools Service Day. Paired with OB City leaders, our students spent the day giving back to our community. Service ranged from beach clean-up to assisting elderly residents with yardwork and general outdoor sprucing. A very special thank-you to our OBCS Board of Education, our Superintendent, and the Orange Beach City Council Members who took the time to speak to our students throughout the day about the importance of service and its role in productive citizenship. This pillar of our mission is vital to our success as a city school system, and we are excited for our students to learn this lesson outside the classroom. We are so grateful to Mrs. Nicole Woerner, Ms. Vicki Pishna, and all

of the dedicated city staff who organized, led, and worked alongside our students. We are building a legacy at OBCS, and this is just the beginning!

"I thought yesterday was very helpful to our community and allowed us students to come and work together to make sure we got it done correctly to keep our environment clean and help the elders. My favorite part of yesterday was the first stop we had. We stopped at an elder's home and we watered her plants and pulled weeds. Once we finished you could see on the look of her face how pleased she was, that was my favorite part..." - JW

McAlpine

"Helping others is a great thing and it was fun doing it too!" - Walt Hickman

"I feel that we got a lot done and helped a lot with cleaning the beach and the sand dunes. I had to be extra careful with where I was walking while cleaning the dunes because of the Perdido Key Beach Mice, so that kept me on my toes. My favorite part was seeing all the trash we picked up before we left. I'm really proud of how much trash we got and the work we did, even as a small group." - Lakin

Smith

"I believe that it opened my eyes and many of my classmates' eyes to some of the needs in our community. It showed me that many elderly or disabled people in Orange Beach need younger people's help to do hard labor. It also showed me that when you help out people in need they will show great gratitude and it will make you feel much better about yourself. The people we helped were very nice and were also very thankful that we came to help."

- JC Underwood

"...knowing that you made the community and the world a better place is a good feeling..." - Logan Kruse

What a show! As always, our theater department, under the direction of Mrs. Grace Stanton, did an incredible job! Disney Newsies Jr. was certainly one for the books, and newspapers! Performing this show about the downtrodden banning together to fight injustice, our students learned both on and off stage about the importance of working together. Hats off to the entire cast and crew for another remarkable performance. Bravo!

OBMHS Theater Seized the Day!!

Thank you for being our

village!

We are so grateful for all of our incredible support These photos don't even come close to thanking all of the community leaders who put in time and effort to assist our schools. For all those who have helped, please know that we are thankful for all you do to support our students and initiatives. It's GREAT to be a Mako because of this remarkable community!

Dad Squad

What started as an idea in 2021 to allow dads to volunteer on campus, has now become an important part of each week at Orange Beach Elementary School. Tyler Vittetoe, the group organizer, explains more about how this valuable group began:

Dad Squad jumped at the opportunity to help at the school. We are a group of fathers and father-figures in Orange Beach, AL who volunteer to help provide a male presence on campus. Our goal is to be positive role models while connecting with students and promoting kindness, safety, and the importance of education. We enjoy the opportunity to assist school faculty and staff in creating a supportive atmosphere for students Dad Squad provides local men with an opportunity to serve alongside our PTO, teachers, and faculty We do our part to make our schools a better place for our children to learn and thrive We believe that better volunteers make better schools, and better schools create brighter students!

Thank you Dad Squad for all you do to support Orange Beach City Schools!

Text Feature Operation

Our 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were "surgeons" as they figured out the “text feature transplants" their patients needed. Nonfiction texts have different types of text features that our students learn about in class and use as a fun way to help review for ACAP testing. Some examples of text features are a table of contents, glossary, index, headings, captions, illustrations, diagrams, and labels With each class, we reviewed the different text features With their surgical team, they read through

different patients' issues An example is Sally Ride, age 36, fell and hit her head She is having trouble remembering the meaning of the bolded words in the book What text feature transplant would she need? She would need a glossary transplant! After the diagnosis, the students then "scrubbed in" and played Operation. Thank you to Jim and Ashley Peters for providing the gowns, masks, and gloves.

Some people want to be a leader, Tracy Gully was born to be one! She is an educator at heart who loves teaching! That is reflected in her interactions with faculty as well as with our students Tracy has been a rock of consistency in a time of change for OBMHS

- Dr Robbie Smith

MRS. TRACY GULLY

While her official title is Instructional Coach, there is very little at OBMHS that Mrs. Gully does not positively impact. One minute she may be a focused test coordinator, the next our Middle School Cheer Coach. No matter what she is doing, she does it with a beaming smile and team-focused attitude. She has a servant's heart and a genuine dedication to ensuring the success of our students.

Tracy Gully is the Instructional Coach at Orange Beach Middle High School. She is serving her second year in this role, previously serving as the middle school counselor in 2020-2021. She holds a degree in English Education for grades 712 and a master's in school counseling K12, both from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she grew up. Tracy previously spent 9 years as a high school counselor in Florida after teaching various grade levels of English for years in both New York and Florida.

...results based experience that focuses on the whole student...

MR. LYLE COOPER

Mr. Cooper is the BEST! Loved by our elementary school students, he is innovative, caring, and dedicated to the well-being of our students. Implementing new ideas like the VIP Red Carpet Event, he understands what it takes to make our students feel valued and important He oversees the Peer Helpers, organizes the Back Pack Program, and supports the Dad Squad, just to name a few of his initiatives Most importantly, he LOVES our kids We are so thankful that he is a Mako!

Mr. Cooper is a University of West Florida and Capella University graduate. Prior to serving as a school counselor, Mr. Cooper was a crisis counselor in mental health in Baldwin, Escambia, and Okaloosa counties.

Mr. Cooper holds a K-12 School Counseling certificate in Alabama, is a National Certified Counselor, an Associate Licensed Counselor, and member of the Alabama Counseling Association

Lyle Cooper is such an asset to our school. He is invested in our school and in this community. His even-keeled personality brings joy and comfort to all he comes in contact with. He’s been a rockstar with ACAP testing and kept students and teachers motivated for the whole month of testing. He’s already leaving a lasting legacy with the initiatives that he implemented this year!

As the school year comes to a close, it is a time of reflection. It is a time to squeeze in those last lessons, plan the final events, and look back over all of the accomplishments and challenges faced over the past year. As I reflect, there have certainly been areas to celebrate and opportunities to grow. If we remain steadfast in moving toward our mission, there is no doubt that we will be successful. We have laid that foundation and must continue to move toward those goals that guide us. We set out to be different, to be excellent, and we must not waver. We will Create a Lasting Legacy, together.

-Mary Courtney, Director of Student Affairs

Visitourwebsites

District-WideSite: OrangeBeachBOE.org

OBMHS: OBCitySchools.org

OBES: OBSchools.org