Student Spotlights June ’22

Evilllyn Aguilar, a 7th grader at Daphne Middle School, placed first in the middle school division in the art contest sponsored by the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance.  This competition took place during the recent Zydeco Crawfish Festival in Gulf Shores.  Evillyn received a ribbon and $75 for her accomplishments!  Mrs. Sherry Bittinger is the art teacher at Daphne Middle School.

Congratulations to Spanish Fort’s Zachariah Hixon, the Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship winner. This is a four-year renewable scholarship as long as he stays on an education track. Even more exciting is that Zachariah wants to be a MUCH NEEDED high school MATH teacher!!

Congratulations to Baldwin County Virtual Secondary School Principal Holly Resmondo who was awarded the Troy University Access Administrator of the Year. Mrs. Resmondo received the regional award today from representatives from Troy University. Also on hand for the presentation were Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler, Assistant Superintendent Marty McRae, Secondary Supervisor Tiffany C. Goldschmidt, Ed. S., and BCVS Assistant Principal Stacey “Rocky” Moore.

Congratulations to our Amazing Shake Final Four and to our winner, Maddie Miller! These young ladies presented speeches and answered interview questions today for our audience. They all did an outstanding job! This competition has been so much fun, and our students have learned so many essential life skills and social skills. A special thank you to our wonderful judges for taking time from their busy schedules to invest in our Fairhope West students. We are so proud of all of our AMAZING kids!

Baldwin County High School’s FFA students learned about shearing sheep and the wool they produce with a hands-on lesson. The school has one “Gulf Coast” hair sheep on campus as part of its Agriscience Program. Teacher David Garrett said the students like seeing Shaun the Sheep’s wool grow throughout the year and how it must be sheared once a year. “We teach our students that we wait until the weather warms up, so she does not get too cold at night,” he said. “The students learn how to shear the sheep using mechanical shears and that the wool is cut in close to the skin so it will produce wool with long fibers, so the wool comes out in one single coat of wool.” Garrett said as part of the lesson, the students learn about products that come from wool production such as lanolin, and the history behind the breed and the important roll these sheep had in the early days of settlement in Alabama. “We let the students feel the wool and understand how hot she is under the wool and how much better she feels after the wool is removed. The wool then is donated to anyone who wants to use it.” The Agriscience Program at BCHS is under the direction of David Garrett and Andy Jones. In addition to livestock, the program also plants crops, completes woodworking projects and learns the business side of farming as well. The FFA members also take part in educational excursions to working farms, tour colleges and take part in competitions and conventions.

Spanish Fort High School student Jovana Brown was awarded Baldwin County Outstanding CoOp Student 2022. No surprise here, Jovana works hard, is efficient, and takes responsibility in everything she does. She’s also a favorite among our customers and her teammates. We are proud of this one and can’t wait to see her continued success at Auburn University School of Nursing. Shout outs to North Baldwin Center for Technology, Ace Hardware, Spanish Fort High, City of Spanish Fort.

Congratulations to the two Gulf Shores Middle School art students that placed in the Zydeco Youth Art Competition. Alyssa Goff, 8th grade, placed 2nd and Isis Eberly, 7thgrade, received the Honorable Mention award.

Mrs. O’Donnell’s class and Mrs. Workman from Fairhope West Elementary School teamed up with Mrs. Flammini from 4-H to create our own ecosystems for our classroom! We can’t wait to partner with 4-H on future outdoor classroom experiences.

Girl Scout Troop 8345 recently enjoyed a special tea party at Rex Courtyard in downtown Bay Minette. Sarah Butterworth gave the girls a presentation on dinner party etiquette and manners. She is the 4-H Foundation Regional Extension Agent for Baldwin County and is affiliated with Auburn University. Troop members were working on the following badges: Daisies – Zinnia Petal (learning the Girl Scout law “Considerate and Caring”); Brownies – Making Friends; and Juniors –  Social Butterfly. Photo courtesy Girl Scout Troop 8345.

Mrs. Luckie’s class at Fairhope East Elementary had caterpillars that they watched turn into butterflies! Mrs. Turner’s class is studying insects, so they went to the butterfly garden to release them and find bumblebees, ladybugs, and aphids! Teamwork makes the STEAM work!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Foley Middle School boys and girls track teams who competed in the middle school championship meet at Gulf Shores. The girls came away as the 3A County Champions. The boys came away as the 3A runner-ups! We are very proud of both teams. Zi’Morah Foster was named the 3A girls MVP for the 2nd year in a row with a perfect score of 24 points finishing 1st in the 100m, 200m, and long jump. Clay Gray was named the 3A boys MVP with 18 points finishing 3rd in the 100m, 2nd in the 200, and 1st in long jump. Other participants with great finishes included Jayda Kinsey with 2nd place finishes in the 100m, 200m, and long jump; Darron Overton with a 4th place finish in the 200m and 3rd place in the 400m; Nevaeh Johnson-Sanders had a 2nd place finish in the 400m; Nevaeh Rogers had a 2nd place finish in the 800m, Charlicia Odom won the discus and 2nd in shot put; Olivia Lanier finished 3rd in discus, Brooklyn Tolbert won the shot put; Adan Tamayo won the triple jump; Amiyah Carvin won the triple jump; and Jamya Bronson finished 2nd in the triple jump. The boys 4 x 400 which included Zahaven Lymon, Rashaud Robertson, Darron Overton and Rylan Pedalino finished 2nd and the girls 4 x 100 team which included Mikayla Sanders, Amiyah Carvin, Jamaya Bronson and Ashanti Bell finished in 1st place.

A GREAT DAY! Bradley Kelso, a Spanish Fort High junior participated recently at The University of Alabama A-Day game and played with the Million Dollar Band. Kelso plays the baritone. #baldwinproud

Spanish Fort High School extremely excited to announce our new principal, Dr. Shannon Smith! Dr. Smith has been a Toro for several years now, serving our students and community as an assistant principal. She has a heart for academics, extra-curriculars, and most importantly, students! Congratulations, Dr. Smith! We are looking forward to the future!

Fairhope East Elementary students are teaming up with the Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Pelican’s Nest Science Lab, and Baldwin County Public Schools for the Alabama Species Initiative.

During this project the students will have the opportunity to study a local Alabama species, discover why we need to be aware/protect their habitat and learn from a guest scientist that studies the species! After completing research, the students will create a poster to help bring awareness to their species. We can’t wait to see all the amazing awareness posters our students create.

Grade Level Species:
Kindergarten- Sea Turtles
First Grade- Sharks
Second Grade- West Indian Manatees
Third Grade- Brown Pelicans
Fourth Grade- Horseshoe Crabs
Fifth Grade- Bottlenose Dolphins
Sixth Grade- Oysters

“50 seventh graders were inducted into the Foley Middle School chapter of the National Junior Honor Society.” “The following students were chosen by their peers to serve as club officers: Elias Samayoa (Secretary), Khloe Doffee (Vice President), Adrina Johnson (Treasurer), and Alexis Ables (President).”

Academy Senior Recognition Senior Recognition Ceremony was held at Coastal Alabama Community College Centennial Hall Tuesday night April, 26th. The seniors were awarded Career Technical Completer Certificates from the state as well as Short-Term Certificates and cords in the Welding, Electrical & Instrumentation, and Aviation Technology programs. One of our seniors received a Welding scholarship to return to Coastal and 3 seniors were recognized for their honorable decision to join the United States Armed Forces.

We ARE and ALWAYS Will Be Career Tech Proud of you. Seniors Congratulations to all of you and we wish you all Success.

CTE Completer – Welding
Angelo Nino Hernandez
Cameron Whitten
Carson Smith

CTE Completer, Short-Term Certificate & Cord – Welding
James “Russ” Breedove
Caleb Kilgore
Forrest Nelson
Jo Blayn Northan
Christian Notarangelo
Landen Phipps
John Pizzotti
Mason Simpson
Michael Walworth
Dustin Weinberg

CTE Completer, Short-Term Certificate & Cord – Electrical & Instrumentation
William Calkins
Ian Hanberg

CTE Completer, Short-Term Certificate & Cord – Automotive Technology
Cameron Whitten

CTE Completer & Cord – Aviation
Aiden Breakfied
Brandyn Buck
Christian Fisk
Samuel Gambino
Josiah Gardner
Olivia Johnson
Tony LiCalzi
Jack Vernon
Graham Wade

CTE Welding Scholarship –
Forrest Nelson

Joining the Military –
Olivia Johnson – United States Army
Graham Wade – United States Marines
Josiah Gardner – United States Army Reserves

The 6th grade students in Ms. Grant’s Creative Writing classes at Spanish Fort Middle School are working on a story using Stop Motion.

The 4th grade Project Jubilee at Spanish Fort Elementary School had a special guest speaker, Dr. Don Yee from the The University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Yee taught the students about entomology. Students also played a game to learn how any colonies work.

Congratulations to Rebecca Johnson, a school counselor at Daphne Elementary School, has been named the Alabama School Counselor of the Year. She previously represented BCBE as the Elementary School Counselor of the Year.

The Daphne East Choir performed for the residents at Baldwin House Assisted Living recently. A great performance for wonderful people.

Citlaly Mendez and Emma Weeks from Foley High School’s Education and Training Academy with Mrs. Martha Smith recently achieved credentialing status with successful completion of the Praxis Core exam.

This exam is usually administered to graduating college students who are about to go into the teaching field. Congratulations to these ladies and their instructors. Great things happen at Foley High School Career Tech department! Go Lions!

Belforest First grade celebrated their youngest authors and illustrators at the first annual “Book Release Party”. Way to go!! So proud of our students, teachers, parent volunteers and our Belforest community!

The fun continues at Belforest Elementary School with Field Day games! Thank you to our coaches for putting this together for our students. The smiles on their faces say it all.

Bayside Academy’s 2nd grade students performed the annual Shakespeare play on Tuesday, May 10. The students wowed the audience with their knowledge of all things Shakespeare.

Shakespearean Players: Piper Bindon, Knox Bixler, Brooks Blackmer, Anne Frances Bobo, Cameran Cancienne, Roan Dastis, Eli Denton, Jaxon Duncan, Annabelle Dunlap, Nate Dunlap, Mac Everett, Bastien Fiton, Finn Flannigan, Nicholas Goleash, Chris Gray, Alexander Green, Robert Gross, Lawson Hackney, Owen Halbert, Jackson Houser, Griffin Jacobs, Harrison Johnson, Kara Jordan, Audrey Faith Kane, Sarah Kell, George Koenemann, Henry Lieb, Markham Lieb, Skylar Limbaugh, Caroline Montgomery, Charlie Murphy, Mary Allen Napper, Janie Peters, Aidan Pitt, Maxwell Pouncey, Andrew Prewett, Aubrey Cates Rider, Amelia Roberts, Sebastian Robinson, Camille Shamburger, Eva Solomon, Alyssa Stamatovich, Harper Watts, Edwin Webb, Isabelle Weller, Leo Westbrook, Louis Westbrook, Addie Williams, Grant Wilsdorf

Pictured: Bayside Academy 2nd grade students in the Shakespeare play.

Congratulations to BCS student Michael Heaton for his win in the 1A/2A individual golf State Championship in Huntsville, AL! Well done Michael!

Congratulations to Thane Alkema for winning the Alabama History Day essay contest. There were multiple contestants from schools around the state. He was awarded $2,700 in scholarships. He now advances to the national level to represent the state of Alabama in June! We are proud of you Thane!

Congratulations to Tyler Ann Aikin for earning a spot in the The University of Alabama Million Dollar Band Colorguard! Go Trojans

SFMS Fun Day 22 did not disappoint. Thank you to all organizers, student volunteer, parent volunteers & PTA who helped make this day possible. The kids had a blast.

Bayside Academy is proud to announce its winners in the 2022 AISA State Art Competition. The competition, which includes all independent schools in Alabama, was held at Faulkner University’s multiplex on May 10, 2022. Bayside art students had an impressive showing, bringing home five First Place ribbons, two Second Place ribbons, and a Best of Show.

Best of Show- Mike Heiser ‘31

AISA State Winners

Level K5–1
1st Place 3D: Haya Idriss ‘34
1st Place Photography: Fels Rider ‘34

Level 2–3
1st Place Painting (and Best of Show): Mike Heiser ‘31
2nd Place Printmaking: Mary Helen Swift ‘31

Level 4–6
1st Place Printmaking: Brickell Ann Neil ‘30

Level 7–9
2nd Place 3D/Ceramics: Harrison Foster ‘25

Level 10–12
1st Place Painting: Isabelle Rutland ‘24

Pictured: Front Row: Fels Rider, Haya Idriss, and Mike Heiser. Back Row: Mary Helen Swift, Isabelle Rutland, and Brickell Ann Neil. Not Pictured: Harrison Foster.

Special Trojan thank you to Chef Thorpe and his amazing Culinary teams for catering and serving several special events this week. from Mrs. Paisant and Hopper’s intimate Senior Banquet to the Annual IB Seniors Breakfast, Chef Thorpe and his hard working team lay out a lovely spread, every, single, time! Extra thank you to SEEDS our local educational foundation for our new culinary uniforms!!!

Congratulations to our French 2 class for coming in First Place in the nation with their video on Madagascar! Help us congratulate Alexandra Brousseau, Carter Frego, McKenna Durnin, SarahBeth Williams, Katherine McKammon, Violet Miner, and Caroline Wilber on a job well done!

Southern View Media announced their Southern View Media Scholarship Program in March 2022 to be awarded to a current high school senior at a Mobile or Baldwin County high school. A $1,000 scholarship was to be awarded to a selected participant of the most original, creative, expressive and artistic portrayal of our Gulf Coast area. This included Mobile or Baldwin County areas, The Eastern Shore, Mobile Bay and downtown areas. The Southern View Media Scholarship Program was created in loving memory of Edna Fern Brill. Edna appreciated and adored the craft of art and writing, and especially appreciated the local wildlife revealed through her paintings. She unfortunately passed away due to complications from dementia in 2018. The most original and expressive portrayal of our local community was chosen. Ricky Parker, a senior at Daphne High School, submitted his portrayal of the Gulf Coast and was chosen as the winner. His art depicted the most use of creativity and expression out of our participants.

Congratulations to BCS student Boaz Dernlan for being selected to participate in the 5th annual North-South All-Star Cross Country Meet this summer. Only 10 rising seniors were selected to represent all of Southern Alabama.

Mrs. Nolfe’s 3rd and 4th grade Project Jubilee students at Daphne East Elementary visited ‘Watershed Acres’ at Daphne High School. This visit allowed our students to tour the farm facility with high school student leaders who shared what they have learned about the various agricultural and environmental-related concepts displayed at the farm. The high school students did an excellent job explaining what each eco-rooms’ purpose is and how it helps our environment. Our younger students were inquisitive and highly engaged with the high schoolers showing a high level of interest in the topics, and even took home their own plant! This is a great program that allows a continuum of education from the elementary level all the way through high school. SEEDS has been an integral part of ‘Watershed Acres’ development and will continue to be highly supportive and involved.

Congratulations to St. Michael senior Andrew Corbett for winning the Courtney Upton scholarship through the Drug Council of Mobile. Andrew led a very successful red ribbon project that raised money for Ukraine! There were 150+ students competing for the scholarships and nine were selected. We are proud of Andrew and all our students who helped raise money for Ukraine!

Congratulations to the Daphne Men’s Soccer team for winning the 2022 7A State Championship! 

St. Michael junior Tia Acker was a triple gold winner at the AHSAA state track and field championship, held May 5th in Gulf Shores. In the 4A division, Tia won the 100m, the 200m (she also set a new meet record) and the 400m (running the fastest time in all divisions!). Congratulations Tia!

Rev. Gabe Mills, CTK Parochial Vicar, spent a recent morning in church, training our new altar servers. Altar servers are trained as ministers at the altar who assist the priests, the Archbishop, and deacons in the celebration of the Eucharist and other liturgical and devotional services. Be looking for them at Mass soon!

STEAM learning results from Mr. Cody Coleman’s Engineering class Fairhope High School. Thank you to all Fairhope Teachers for your commitment to Education. Also a special thank you to Fairhope Police Department for keeping everyone safe today.

Ben Shaw has received the Character and Leadership ALL – AMERICAN Award from the NWCA and the USMC. Only 26 wrestlers in the state received this award. Congratulations Ben!

CTKCS junior high students have been working hard this year to write, illustrate, and “publish” various stories in a hardback book. They celebrated their hard work by having an Author’s Celebration in the Assumption Hall. The students set up their books on the tables and had a quick celebratory snack. Then different classes stopped by throughout the day to see their work and listen to stories

St. Michael students enjoyed a great day of competition at the annual “Battle of the Houses” on April 30th. The afternoon was full of various indoor and outdoor games, water balloons, trivia, tug of war, and more! House spirit was high and the ultimate winner was the House of Quinlan! Thanks to our student government leaders and advisory captains for organizing such a great event! Pictured from left to right: Britton Cooper, Max Wilson, Regan Bushaw, Recely Jones, Bailey Crane, Matthew Hand.

In art class at J. Larry Newton School, fifth graders learned about architecture from the Renaissance art period. Student used radial symmetry to create a rose window out of old cd’s and then used their best mathematical skills to create a cathedral similar to those seen in old Europe!

Art teacher at J Larry Newton: Davina Gwin

Father Victor Ingalls, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Mobile, celebrated our Mass on Wednesday, May 4. CTKCS was happy to present Fr. Victor with a check for $2679 after Mass, the proceeds from our annual Seminarian Run t-shirt sale, that benefits our Archdiocesan seminarians.

The 6th graders from J. Larry Newton School had a blast exploring the Naval Air Station and watching the Blue Angels!

BCHS is so proud of their Junior teams!! They had 5 teams to go fish the Alabama Bass National Junior State Championship on Lake Eufaula. It was a grind but they made it happen! 2nd place in AOY and 3rd place out of all the teams. Great job!  

Over 1,500 gymnasts from across Region 8, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, filled the Foley Event Center over the three-day affair. Our very own 3rd grader, Rosie Roberds got regional champion on floor and bronze medalist on beam.

At Bay Minette Elementary Mrs. Katie Boyett Clewell’s class watched and waited for the perfect time to set their butterflies free.

Daphne Middle School honored their 8th grade class in a special assembly. “Congratulations to our 8th grade class! We were excited to honor all of you…”

BCHS FTA(Future Teachers of Alabama) came to job shadow in grades K-2nd. These ladies were able to see what the world of teaching looks like in the elementary school setting. A few of these ladies are familiar faces as they are former BMES students. We are excited to watch them as they continue their journey as a “FUTURE TEACHER”.

Third grade life lately is full of daily celebrations for meeting goals, student led conferences with special guests, virtual field trips and more!

At Rosinton Elementary Garden Club Leaders are excited to show off their hard work of harvesting.

Elsanor Elementary School had an amazing Field Day! Thank you, Coach Moore, for a fun day of competition, sweat, good times, and laughter! 

At the beginning of the school year, while studying life cycles, 3rd grade hatched 9 chickens in their classrooms. Today they got a special visit from one of those very chickens! 

Congratulations to the staff and students of Florence B Mathis Elementary School who are now STEAM/ STEM certified. The official announcement to the entire school was made this afternoon. The school has been working towards this goal for over three years. Principal Dr. Shannon McCurdy said the certification could not have been accomplished without partnerships from our community, higher educational institutions (i.e., Auburn University and The University of South Alabama), the BCBE School Board and our county leaders, Assistant Superintendent Ms. Zeanah and Superintendent Mr. Eddie Tyler.

Mrs. Janee Dawson, BCBE Board President was on hand for the announcement at the school. Congratulations on being the third STEAM/STEM certified school in Baldwin County.

Foley High has a state champion! Emily Wolf is your new state champion in the discus throw! The best part, she will get to compete for the Lions for one more year, as she is only a junior!

The 6th graders at Foley Elementary School love Leadership Friday! Throughout the day students enjoyed using the materials we received through our BBQ and Blues Grant. Thank you South Baldwin Chamber Foundation for supporting our school in making learning hands-on and fun!

Foley Elementary School first grade learned a lot about how a plant grows, all the stages of the Plant Life Cycle, and planted a seed to watch their plant grow!

Bayside Academy PK and kindergarten students hosted their parents for a Discovery Day on Friday, April 8. The students gave their parents a tour of the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and explained everything they have been learning this year. Bayside’s ECC follows the Reggio Emilia learning philosophy which allows for student-driven discovery and learning.

Picture 1: PK3 student Leighton Smith poses with her parents, Natalie and Michael, at the entrance to Monet’s garden displayed in the ECC.

Picture 2: ECC students’ artwork created the water lilies and fish in Monet’s garden.

NHS members sold Split the Pot Trivia Challenge tickets during the month of April to raise awareness of Autism and raise money for the RHS Project Reach classroom. Andrew Kinard proposed the fundraiser and represents NHS presenting to Coach Padalino a check for $515. Earl Fitkin represents his family who won the challenge but donated their $515 winnings back to the Project Reach Classroom.

Mrs. Markulj’s 8th grade from Bay Minette Middle School’s We Build It Better classes traveled to Mobile on a field trip. Students went on an Airbus tour of the A320 Final Assembly Line and visited the Flight Works Education Center.

We’re so proud that Andrew was able to represent Renaissance School of the Eastern Shore as our first ever Red Ribbon Leader! Out of 150 projects Andrew’s project  was selected as one of 8 prize winners!

Bayside Academy is proud to announce that seniors David Klimjack and Ty Hartman have been named to the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) All-State Academic Team. Only 25 students from throughout the state were chosen for this distinguished honor. Students from AISA-member schools are selected for the All-State Academic Team as a result of their academic profile and performance, as well as their leadership and extracurricular activities.

Pictured: David Klimjack and Ty Hartman

Mrs. Merchant’s class at Robertsdale Elementary had a fun filled day and will follow it up with a nice long nap!

Renaissance School of the Eastern Shore students Luke and Zoey apply their math skills and bake beautiful bundt cakes to honor their teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week!

Nature Connect Outdoor School had a very special visitor recently! Oliver from Clean Horizons and his family came to speak about why it is important to keep plastic pollution away from our watersheds and natural areas! Clean Horizon’s mission is to inspire younger generations and their families to get involved in environmental actions and find ways to reduce their own plastic consumption, while promoting quality family time spent outdoors. Get involved in their great work at www.cleanhorizons.org!

Renaissance School of the Eastern Shore students Nick and Bryce earn 3rd Place in the Destin Open Martial Arts Championship!

Renaissance School of the Eastern Shore holds their 5th Annual Science Fair! Pictured below is Audrey with her outstanding presentation of “Re-Think Your Drink!”.

St. James Episcopal School Kindergarteners created beautiful pieces of art for our inaugural Night of the Arts!

So proud of these 7 amazing students that earned $7,500 each from the Tim Cook Scholarship! Thank you Tim Cook for investing in the lives of our Robertsdale High School students!

These kindergarteners at Robertsdale Elementary School have worked hard keeping up with their Leader in Me binders all year and are so excited to get to take them home to share with their families now.

Mrs. Jessica Stanford’s senior CNA students at North Baldwin Center for Technology students are graduating from high school prepared for the workforce. The NBTech Health Science program is the best place in Baldwin County for high school students to earn their certified nursing assistant certification! We are better together in Baldwin County!