Photo courtesy Homewood City Schools
28 • Thursday, September 19, 2019
SCHOOLS
Chillin’ and Gellin’
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Ashlyn Kay Moran
Edgewood Student Earns Shannon Burgess Civics Award
Edgewood Elementary student Ashlyn Kay Moran was awarded the Shannon Burgess Civics award this summer by former state Rep. Paul DeMarco. Moran is the third student to earn the award since it was created in 2016. Edgewood fourth grade teacher Jenna Gantt said there was not a student more deserving for this award than Moran. DeMarco started this award in memory of the late Shannon Burgess, longtime Edgewood Elementary teacher, for her dedication to students. Civics education was clearly important to her, DeMarco said, and she was enthusiastic about her students’ understanding the governmental process and how government in Alabama works.
The Hoover Belles gathered Aug. 11 for a back-to-school ice cream social. Belles were treated to sorbets and ices from Doodles Italian Ice and a program featuring guest speaker Susanna Bagwell Solar, a Hoover Belle alumna who facilitated conversations on character development. Serving as hostesses for the city of Hoover, Hoover Belles are juniors and seniors in high school and represent Hoover, Spain Park, John Carroll, Briarwood Christian, Indian Springs, Shades Mountain Christian and Westminister high schools.
Photo courtesy Hoover Belles
Hoover Belles Host Ice Cream Social and Character Development Workshop
Gabrielle Essix, Bella Doll, Sophie Mayhew and Rianna Looney.
Abby Batchelor, Samantha Gagliano, Abby Fortner, Amber Dubble and Elizabeth Tedder.
Alexandria Erickson, Erin Lutomski, Abby Batchelor, Evie Barakat and Bella Pretnar.
Olivia Heywood, Maria Timberlake, Sydney Close, Mya Washington, Ramey Medders and Ansley Grayber.
Kaleigh Rice, Lydia Coltrane, Lauren Halcomb, Eleanor Jo Harwell, Laurel Burkhardt and Amelia Auchmuty.
Tate Record, son of Robert and Leland Record and a senior at Mountain Brook High School, earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. According to a release, approximately two-tenths of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2018, only 3,741 out of more than 1.9 million graduates who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36. In a letter to the student, ACT CEO Marten Roorda stated, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. Your exceptional scores will provide any college or university with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.”
Liberty Park Elementary Students Raise More Than $14,000 for St. Jude
Students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park raised $14,900 during August to support a children’s research
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hospital. According to a release, the “Put Childhood Cancer in Chains” fundraiser encouraged students to donate money or participate in the St. Jude Walk/Run of Birmingham, which will take place Sept. 21. The fundraiser was organized by VHELP music teacher Melissa McIntyre, whose son was a former patient at St. Jude. McIntyre said she set the school’s fundraising goal at $5,000, but students quickly surpassed it. “We had students donating their piggy bank money, donating allowance they had been saving for toys,” McIntyre said. “It’s powerful that these kids know the ‘why’ of what we’re doing.” McIntyre noted that, in addition to raising funds, more than 130 students and family members also signed up to
participate in the walk/run event.
Vestavia Girl Scouts Increase Focus on STEM
More than 60 Girl Scouts in kindergarten through fifth grade attended a STEM-focused event earlier this month, making mini-cars powered by balloons, Leap Bots and roller coasters. Girls in sixth through eighth grade helped the younger girls with their engineering projects. It was the first Group Troop Thursday hosted by the Vestavia Service Unit of Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, and scouts from all Vestavia troops were invited. Participants earned mechanical engineering badges. “The girls worked individually at first, then together,” said troop leader Diane Worthington. “When they teamed up, they came up with more solutions and
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learned from each other. It was amazing to (see) how they solved problems, and they really had a lot of fun.” The Girl Scouts organization nationally is focusing more on the areas of science, technology, engineering and math and released 30 new STEMrelated badges this The Girl Scouts organization nationally is focusing more on summer, including the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. robotics, coding for good and cybersecurity. Scouts now kinetic energy, force and gravity by can complete the Computer Science, designing Leap Bots made with springs Engineering and Outdoor STEM Jourand measuring how design changes neys. affected performance. Vestavia scouts in their recent meetJunior scouts, in fourth and fifth ing learned about the engineering grade, designed and built mini cars design process: defining a need, brainpowered by balloons and learned about storming, designing, building, testing, jet propulsion, thrust and making protoredesigning and sharing results, accordtypes. ing to a statement from the Scouts. “At Girl Scouts, girls learn how they Daisy scouts, in kindergarten and first can use STEM to help their commugrade, built roller coasters using tubular nity, improve their world, and build the pipe insulation and were challenged to future,” said Karen Peterlin, CEO of Girl adjust the design to affect speed and Scouts of North-Central Alabama. “And direction. they do all this through hands-on learning in a girl-focused, girl-led environ Brownie scouts, in second and third ment.” grade, learned about potential energy,
Photo courtesy Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama
MBHS Student Tate Record Achieves Top ACT Score