Student Spotlights July 21

Students in Brittany Wallace’s class at Bay Minette Elementary are getting an up-close lesson on life cycles. Jake Byrd donated some of his eggs and incubator from his hatchery for the class to use for the study. After nearly three weeks of watching over their eggs, baby chicks are now hatching to the delight of the students. Once all the chickens hatch, they will be sold and the money will be donated back to the classroom. What an egg-cellent lesson!

SEEDS 2020-2021 Grant Winner Ginny Clayton at Daphne Elementary School delivered 50 Kit & Kaboodles of Reading & Math resources & manipulative for summer practice. Thank you, friend of SEEDS members, for making this possible for our DES students!

Gulf Shores Middle School student Claire Colvin was named the Red Ribbon Leader for the 2020-2021 school year. As the leader, she designed a community project to benefit others. Her project is “Page Flippers.” She has recruited student athletes to read short stories aloud for younger students. This program has been a great hit and success in impacting elementary students’ excitement about reading and literacy!

A groundbreaking was held at the site of the new ninth grade academy at Daphne High School. The school will have a 38,241 total sq ft and includes: 22 classrooms, 2 Science rooms, Art room, Conference room, Administration area, 2 Teacher Work Rooms.
Local community leaders, AL Senator Chris Elliott BCBE, Board Members Andrea Lindsey and Cecil Christenberry, as well as Principal Fletcher Comer and BCBE Senior Staff, attended the groundbreaking.

So proud of our seniors signing with their colleges for Music and Theatre programs recently! Sydney Comeaux will be attending Coastal Alabama for Singing, Chloe Rensink and Caden Blackwell will be attending Troy University for Theatre, Olivia Lee will be attending the University of Alabama for Musical Theatre, and Erin Pempel will be attending Jacksonville State for Theatre. You all are so amazing!

The Baldwin County Public Schools’ Human Resources Department would like to thank Concept Construction and Renaissance for providing scholarships to aspiring educators through our Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship program. Baldwin County Public Schools’ CSFO John Wilson also donated a scholarship he received when he was selected for the Robert L. Morton award. This award is given to one CSFO in Alabama each year for their dedication to their communities, profession and school district. Thank you all for making this new venture a success! Because of your contributions, four students received scholarships this year!
The Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship was created to recognize selected Baldwin County graduating seniors interested in entering the field of education. Through this scholarship program, we hope to encourage aspiring teachers to return to Baldwin County after obtaining their degree and join us in making a difference in the lives of Baldwin County students and our communities.
This is the first year for the program and we look forward to watching it continue to grow. If you would like to be a part of this scholarship program, please send an email to news@bcbe.org. Congratulations to: Abby Beech, Spanish Fort High School; Lily Glassford, Robertsdale High School Bear Nation; Wyndal Mosley, Elberta High School Warriors; Michaela Sharp, Fairhope High School.

“Sharks” were spotted at Robertsdale High School Bear Nation! Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Puel’s English 11 students applied design thinking skills and satirical business proposals inspired by Shark Tank. Members of the RHS faculty served as the “sharks.” The presentations were fantastic!

The Baldwin County High School Lady Tigers held their annual softball camp Tuesday, June 1, at their home field. Young campers were trained in fielding, batting, pitching and base-running, as well as other tips for the game! The camp was led by Coach Anthony Cox and his coaching staff, as well as current and former Lady Tigers. What a great turnout!

Congratulations to the SFEEF Spanish Fort Education Enrichment Foundation Teacher Battle House Gift Card winners! SFES Laura Mayo, SFMS Angela Dailey, SFHS Brian Graveman, and to Rockwell’s Pam Turner Manders! Thanks for joining SFEEF!

On May 27, St. James Episcopal School held their second kindergarten graduation. We are so excited and proud of these 9 graduates and look forward to their continued success. Congratulations to all of the graduates.

Some of the Bayshore Christian School students volunteered at Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church’s VBS and had a great time!

The summer camp program offered at Bay Minette Elementary School had some special guests recently. Bay Minette Police Department officers stopped by to talk with the campers about their jobs and the work they do in the community. The campers were also able to view the gear used and tour the police vehicles.

Look out for yellow shirts at Belforest Elementary that identify great kids!
These are the 3rd and 4th Quarter Crown of Character recipients. The Eastern Shore Junior Auxiliary identifies 5th Graders who are selected by their teachers and peers for having exceptional character. Congratulations!

Mrs. Glaser’s class and all the second graders enjoyed putting the concept of solar energy into practice using this amazing solar balloon provided by The NEED Project!

At Foley Elementary School Mrs. Henderson’s 1st graders had a fun-filled beach day! We started off our morning discussing the importance of our beaches and oceans. After reading “Flotsam” and learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, we filled up pretend “oceans” with trash from our snack area and worked together to remove it. The kiddos learned the valuable lesson that it’s nearly impossible to remove all trash from the ocean, which is why prevention by eliminating waste is so important!
The beach day fun continued when we rolled out our beach towels for DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time and rotated through fun math centers. Towards the end of the day, when I told the class it was almost time to go, one kiddo remarked “Already?!” Time flies when you make learning fun!

Bayshore Christian School welcomes our new staff member, Mr. Clay Smith, to the BCS family! We are so excited to have him with us.

Congratulations to Khol Kicklighter. Khol is the recipient of the National Technical Honor Society Jon H. Poteat Scholarship.
This scholarship honors the achievements of Career Technical Education students in order to encourage the pursuit of high education. Cole was student in SBCT’s Health Care Sciences program. SBCT is proud of you and your accomplishments.

The future is bright at Fairhope East Elementary! In STEAM lab we are ending the school year with GLOW GAMES. Our students are using mathematics, engineering, art, technology, and robotics. Thank you again for everyone that funded our black lights.

A groundbreaking was held at the site of the new Stonebridge Elementary school off Highway 31. The school has a total Square Footage 132,235 S.F. and includes a tornado shelter incorporated in classroom wing, 56 Classrooms, 2-Pre-K Classrooms, 2-STEM Classrooms, 6 Special Needs Classrooms, 2-Pathway Classrooms, Cafetorium with seating for 480 with Stage, Gymnasium with seating for 450, Chorus Room, Band Room, Media Center with collaborative seating, Security Cameras for the entire campus and Covered Car Rider and Bus Drop off areas.
Local community leaders, AL State Representative Harry Shiver, as well as the Mayor of Loxley, Mayor of Spanish Fort, Loxley Police Chief, Sheriff Hoss Mack, BCBE Board Members Andrea Lindsey and Mike Johnson, BCBE Senior Staff members and representatives from the building and architectural firm who are designing the school attended the groundbreaking.

Bayside Academy’s Hannah Wieland ‘21 was awarded one of two Chelsea Garvin Spirit Scholarships presented by the Original Oyster House. Hannah will study architecture at Auburn University in the fall. The Chelsea Garvin Spirit Scholarship was founded in 2006 in loving memory of Chelsea Garvin, a dedicated employee of the Original Oyster House and volunteer rescue diver with the Fish River Fire Department. Tragically, Chelsea lost her life at the age of 19 in a boating accident while volunteering with the fire department. According to the Original Oyster House, “It’s called a spirit scholarship to encourage awarding a recipient who reflects the spirit of Chelsea…. Wieland’s leadership as art guild president and Azimuth Circle designer as well as her role as yearbook editor confirmed she doesn’t hold back on her time or talent.” Hannah’s winning artwork will be on display at the Original Oyster House.
Pictured, The 2021 Chelsea Garvin Spirit Scholarship awardees: Carolina Triboni (Spanish Fort High School) and Hannah Wieland (Bayside Academy).

Daphne High School Trojans students interested in the FBI got to meet with representatives from the Mobile FBI field office. Students learned about careers in the FBI and the preparation it takes to get involved with the agency.

Congratulations to 4 Spanish Fort High School students being named National Merit winners! Pictured here are Richard Fang, Carolina Triboni, Katherine Clemmons, and Bennett Booth.

Bayshore Christian School would like to introduce our new Director of Admissions, Mrs. Ann-Marie Cook! We are so grateful that God has placed Ann-Marie in this role. Please join us in welcoming her to this new position!

Each quarter a 5th grader from each class is selected to be a recipient of the Crown of Character Award from the Junior Auxiliary. Today they were greeted with a donut party!

Mrs. Nolte and Mrs. Amerson’s classes at Florence B Mathis Elementary took advantage of a gorgeous day and went out to tie-dye some t-shirts! Peace out 4th grade!

Noah McDaniel, Robertsdale Elementary School 6th grade NEHS President, came up with a plan to raise money to purchase subway trays for the Robertsdale Police Dept. and to make a monetary donation to The Ronald McDonald House. He was able to raise $524.10 to donate. We are so proud of Noah and our school for supporting these two service projects.

Daphne High School student Ella Kate Hewes was selected to the AHSAA North/South All Star Golf team. She will represent the South team in Montgomery in July.

Jay Van Devender of Cub Scout Pack 177 of Spanish Fort completed his Webelo I rank. He also earned the Down and Dirty Cub Scout Nova award (blue star patch) for investigating earth science.

Sydney Elizabeth Cookies had a wonderful year of Cookie Club at Belforest Elementary with the 3rd grade! Thank you Belforest for allowing us to give back!

This sweet girl was voted “Future Principal” by her classmates at J. Larry Newton Elementary School! Ms. Wolfe and Mrs. Smith are anxious to get her started!

Over 1500 students at our local elementary schools received a copy of Linda B. Schmitz Spangrud’s new book Miss Sandra and the Turtle People.
Miss Sandra portrays the story of a young turtle volunteer who assists the Gulf Coast with environmental awareness. It informs children and families of the appropriate etiquette and rules for turtle protection and proper care of the beach environment. It relays to children and families turtle environmental protection guidelines in a playful story line with colorful turtle illustrations emphasizing the “Leave Only Footprints” initiative. It teaches young readers about the health of the beaches and turtles themselves.
Spangrud is thrilled that so many students will be able to hear the story and learn how to help save the turtles and protect our beach environment. She is speechless on all the funders who donated to the cause and wishes to thank them publicly. The City of Orange Beach under leadership of Mayor Tony Kennon, Ken Grimes, Jerry Johnson, Marc Anderson, for funding the books for Orange Beach Elementary School, Mayor Ralph Helmrich for funding the books for Foley Elementary School and Florence Mathias Elementary School, James Lipscomb & Sons under leadership of Doug Lipscombe for Magnolia Elementary School, Centennial Bank under leadership of Rick Conway for Gulf Shores Elementary School.
A big thank you to Meyer Vacation Rentals, under leadership of Michelle Hodges, who placed over 1000 copies of the book in their rental properties. This will educate our beach visitors on sea turtle safety and beach protection. Spangrud also states she would like to thank the many businesses and individual donors who contributed to raise over $10,000 for this book condo project. She says to all “You are the best! And Turtle love to all!” Alabama Coastal Foundation, Share the Beach, and the Tourist Center have also supported this project from the beginning.

Graduating from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS) is not the only thing senior Gregory Li is celebrating this week. U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona announced the selection of Gregory Li of Spanish Fort, AL as a 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholar. Li is one of just two recipients in the entire state of Alabama.
Li is also one of just 161 outstanding American high school seniors selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholars for demonstration of outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, technical expertise, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community.
When asked what this recognition means to him, Li described, “This honor reminds me of the importance of not only learning and appreciating our vast base of knowledge but also of the inherent responsibility of students, like us, to understand that we can help make progress and give back to our communities. I remain wholeheartedly grateful to the teachers and mentors who have helped shape my experience at ASMS and supported their students compassionately.”
During his time at ASMS, Li was chosen as 1 of just 84 students from 16 countries who convened for a prestigious summer academic research program — the Center for Excellence in Education’s Research Science Institute (RSI), jointly sponsored with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Li has presented his mentored research on quantum logic and graph theory at national conferences such as the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) and the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Li has also qualified for the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO) and the United States Physics Olympiad (USAPhO) as well as being named a National Merit $2500 Scholarship winner through his performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program also offers recognition for the most influential teachers. These Distinguished Teachers are honored with a personal letter from the Secretary of Education. Long-time mathematics instructor at ASMS Natalya Prokhorova was named one of the 2021 Distinguished Teachers.
Li will attend Harvard College, the undergraduate college of Harvard University, starting in fall of 2021. The Presidential Scholars Class of 2021 will be recognized for their outstanding achievement this summer.

All County Cheer recognizes the Foley High Seniors! One last award before these girls entered the stadium in their cap and gowns!

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office School Resource / Community Programs spent this week training with the US Marshall’s Service at the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Training Center in Birmingham. They trained on strategies and responses to help keep our schools and community safe when dealing with exigent and active shooter situations.

Mrs. Carpenter’s kindergartners at Florence B. Mathis Elementary decided they are too cool for school! They want to wish everyone a safe and happy summer. See you next year!

A Rockwell Elementary student and her family visited the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, MS to see in person the things learned during the second semester arts unit. EK was able to share a lot of information with the guides! She is pictured here in the Little Room.

Bayside Academy is proud to have had two students, rising seniors Angus Ladd and Ben VanDerHeyden, selected to attend Alabama Boys State, one of the highest honors granted to Alabama students. Students from across the state are chosen based on their demonstration of leadership, hard work, strong morals, and motivation in school and community activities. Boys State will be held July 11–17 at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Two Bayside Academy students were selected to attend the FBI Youth Leadership Academy sponsored by the Mobile Field Office of the FBI. According to the FBI, “This program invites top junior and senior high school students to their local Field Office to give them a peek into the inner workings of the FBI. Students gain a better understanding of the FBI and what it takes to keep America safe, highlighting the various positions and career paths that work together to help us in our mission to uphold the U.S. Constitution.” Rising juniors Wilson Engeriser and Trey McKean were chosen to attend this program.

Students from Project Jubilee at Florence B Mathis Elementary School created art using only recycled materials in order to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Students from each grade level got to visit the art museum and could buy tickets to vote on their favorite projects. Together our school raised $323.75. There were two divisions of winners.
3rd and 4th grade winners: 1st- Walker Reissiger’s Air Boat; 2nd- Amelia Landry’s giraffe; 3rd- Brody Martin’s katana. 5th and 6th grade winners: 1st- Jason Lek’s full functioning Delivery Bot; 2nd- Nevaeh Evans’ dragon; 3rd- Delaiah Kelly’s Hero Academy replica.

We are super proud of Charlotte! It is a shining example of people in our Belforest community using their Summer to help others. She raised money through her lemonade stand recently and is donating the proceeds to TAPS to help the families of fallen soldiers.

Congratulations Elberta High School on an amazing week at Cheer Camp. They earned Overall Camp Leadership “Traditions Award”, The Camp Banana “Spirit Award”, Game Day Award, All Blue ribbons, 2 Pin-it-Forwards and 5 All Americans. Congratulations to Alexis Walker & Matalyne Kroll (bottom left photo) for being the Pin it Forward Recipients at cheer camp. Elberta High School Cheerleaders are proud of the 5 cheerleaders who made All American at cheer camp. All American recipients are Mary Reese Larson, Ava Brewer, Morgan Kroll, Kynzie Bonner, Bella Welden (top left photo).

Congratulations to Bayside Academy’s Isabelle Rutland ’24 and Elizabeth Ernest ’24 who were awarded First Place in the 2021 Alabama Independent School Association’s state art competition. Isabelle was awarded First Place in the 7th–9th grade division for both Painting and Drawing (Color). Elizabeth was awarded First Place in the 7th–9th grade division for Water-Based Painting. Additionally, Lilly Duffy ’21 was awarded Second Place in the 10th–12th grade division for Collage/Mixed Media.

Congratulations to the newly inducted Foley High National Spanish Honor Society Members: Shayla Nguyen, Esther Jimenez, Paul Maurin, Jordan Drake, and Nicole Fisher.

The Robertsdale High School Bear Nation Track Banquet was held recently! Congrats to our team captains and All-county performers! Team Captains: Lily Glassford, Khalia Inglemon, Addison Phillips, Danny Lewandowski, Caleb Thrash, Logan Wilson. All-County: Lily Glassford, Brianna Green, Khalia Inglemon, David Latimer, Demontre Prim, Dristen Wiley, Logan Wilson. Thank you to all our athletes for your hard work!

As if field day wasn’t cool enough, J. Larry Newton School 6th graders were visited by a few Auburn University students who answered questions about future goals while having a little fun.