Student Spotlights – September 2026

Reagan Busby was selected to represent Bayshore Christian School at Alabama Girls State this summer, one of the nation’s most respected experiential learning programs for young women. During the program, Reagan gained firsthand experience in city, county, and state government through legislative sessions, elections, and guest speakers. The experience challenged her to step outside her comfort zone, grow as a leader, and build new friendships along the way.

This summer, Nature Connect students got wild while learning all about the creatures that call our local environment home! Students practiced animal tracking, learned to identify native snakes, and explored what to do (and what not to do) if they ever encounter a venomous snake bite. They met Corny the corn snake, built fish traps, made friends with salamanders, continued working on survival shelters, and even made an exciting discovery: an alligator track! It was an incredible summer of hands-on learning, outdoor exploration, and plenty of wild discoveries.

The start of a new school year always brings a special kind of energy to Bayshore. As students returned to campus for the 2026–2027 school year, classrooms and hallways once again filled with familiar faces, new friendships, eager learners and the joyful rhythm of a school community reunited.
We are grateful for the Lord’s continued faithfulness to Bayshore and for the opportunity to partner with our families in educating and discipling the next generation. As another year begins, we look forward with great anticipation to all that God has in store for our students, faculty and families.

FEEF and the City of Fairhope were awarded grant money for the FHS students to work with local mural artists to design and create art with a message to protect Mobile Bay on storm water drains.

Bayshore Christian School alumnus William Rainer recently graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business, where he was named the 2026 Barefield Entrepreneurship Program Outstanding Student. While completing his degree, Rainer launched Aim Ventures LLC, a Birmingham-based marketing firm focused on product launches, startups and brand recognition. A Fairhope native, Rainer credits his faith, family and the mentorship he received through UAB’s entrepreneurship program with helping shape his path as a young business owner.

Christ the King Middle School students gathered on the very first day of school for an epic battle, bringing the best energy. The 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students participated in the largest rock-paper-scissors game! The 6th-grade students were victorious! It’s moments like these that make the first week such an unforgettable time!

The entire CTK campus joined together for the Eucharistic Process to begin the school year. Led by Father Regis and our eighth-grade students, our school community is walking with Jesus into a new school year. Christ is at the center of all our students do.

FEEF recently completed a summer of fun with lots of students on campus at camp. The camps included:
● Feather’s Flights and Feeders taught by Laura Ruth Hunter
● Junior Marine Biologists – SHARKS taught by Briana Davey
● Wonders By The Bay taught by Kacie Harman and Gini Coody
● Drift and Drive (How Plankton Currents Shape Mobile Bay) taught by Jennifer Jaynes
● Bay Artist and Nature Explorers taught by Shannon Noble
Thank you to the amazing teachers and campers who made this a great summer!

The first day of school was full of smiles, excitement, and happy reunions as our students returned to campus and kicked off a new school year.

We kicked off our first school chapel of the year with a wonderful time of worship, reflection, and community. Chapel will be a special part of our school week, with students and teachers gathering together each week to grow in faith.

Day ONE is officially in the books, and we are so excited for all the learning, laughter, friendships, and memories this school year will bring. It’s going to be a great year to be a Panther!

There were smiles for miles at Loxley Elementary School for the very first day of the new school. On hand to start the school year was Loxley Mayor Richard Teal, BCBE Superintendent McRae, and Assistant Superintendent Joe Sharp.
Principal Gina McClure along with Assistant Principals Alicia McKenzie & Tomika Wiggins greeted students and families to start the school year. as students filled the halls of the new K-6 school, which opened this summer.

Our Silverhill Elementary School 6th grade students jumped right into learning with **Quiz-Quiz-Trade**! Students were up, moving, working with different classmates, and reviewing their learning together. We love seeing our students engaged, communicating, and building connections from the very first day!
What a great way to kick off a new school year! We can’t wait to see all the learning and growth ahead for our Bulldogs!

Some of our Elberta high School senior class met together at the pass to begin senior year traditions. We are excited to see the Class of 2027 excel this school year! Go Warriors!

We wrapped up an incredible 8 weeks of summer camp at Camp St. James with a field trip to the bay!

Building a strong classroom community at Christ the King Catholic School starts on day one! Second-grade students participated in a “Getting to Know You” activity, roaming the room to discover shared interests with their peers. By the end of the exercise, each student could share a fun new fact about every classmate in the room.

Our first day back at Foley High School was amazing! The 26-27 school is going to be a hit!

Teacher Institute 2026! We were blessed to gather with the rest of the county to kick off this school year and welcome Marty McRae as our new superintendent. We shared many laughs with Gerry Brooks while focusing on our part in promoting positive climate and culture. Foley Middle School congratulates and wishes good luck to Elizabeth Eubanks Von Hofe, AL Elementary Teacher of the Year, as she begins her journey throughout the state. Her message was inspiring and we are ready to start this new year – Better Together!

So much FUN at our first Bay Minette Elementary School Fun Friday Celebration!! Faculty verses students in a game of Knockout!

We are incredibly proud to recognize Stapleton School 3rd grader Gunner S for an outstanding academic achievement: Gunner earned a PERFECT SCORE on the ELA portion of last spring’s ACAP assessment!
Our Reading Coach, Christy McAllister, presented Gunner with a special certificate recognizing this tremendous accomplishment. Earning a perfect score on ACAP is something truly worth celebrating, and Gunner’s achievement is a wonderful example of what hard work and determination can accomplish!
And because an achievement this SWEET deserves a sweet reward… Gunner will receive FREE KONA ICE for the entire school year!
Congratulations, Gunner! Your Stapleton School family is extremely proud of you!

Baldwin County High School is incredibly proud to recognize Senior Madelyn Duncan for her outstanding accomplishments in the Distinguished Young Women of Baldwin County – Junior Miss Program!
Madelyn was named 3rd Runner-Up and earned an incredible $71,600 in total scholarship awards!
$2,100 – Overall 3rd Runner-Up Scholarship
$500 – Talent Winner Scholarship
$500 – Fitness Winner Scholarship + 1-year membership to North Baldwin Infirmary Health Fitness Center
$500 – Ticket Sales Winner Scholarship
$68,000 – Presidential Merit Scholarship to the University of Mobile
What an amazing accomplishment and testament to Madelyn’s talent, hard work, and character! We are so proud to call her a BCHS Tiger!
Please join us in congratulating Madelyn on this tremendous achievement and wishing her continued success as she prepares for her bright future!

What better way to begin the senior year than together at Lyle Underwood Stadium!
Our BCHS Class of 2027 gathered for Senior Sunrise, a special opportunity to celebrate friendships, make memories, and officially kick off their final year as Tigers.
From the first light of the morning to the laughter shared with friends, these are the moments that make senior year so special. We can’t wait to see all that the Class of 2027 will accomplish!
Here’s to making memories, embracing every moment, and finishing strong!
Class of 2027… your time is now!

The Class of 2027! Baldwin Preparatory Academy captured our second graduating class—and our very first class to begin their BPA journey as 10th graders and grow with us all the way to graduation.
From their first days as Trailblazers to their senior year, we’re so excited to watch this group make their mark on Baldwin Preparatory Academy. The countdown to graduation is officially on!

Bayside Academy’s newest middle school students got the lay of the land at 5 th Grade Orientation on Tuesday, August 11. The middle school Peer Helpers guided and supported them throughout the morning. Fifth grade at Bayside brings lots of firsts – a new building, a new schedule, changing classrooms, lockers, new teachers, and significantly more independence. Here’s to a great year in Middle School!
Pictured: Bayside Peer Helpers meet with 5th grade students during Orientation on August 11th .

It’s a new year at St. Patrick Catholic School and students were all smiles to meet their new teachers and friends! They are ready to ‘Be God’s Light in the World!’

Bayside Academy students welcomed the first day of school on August 12 th with the traditional ice cream social. Early School children enjoyed their ice cream with classmates while all other students gathered on the bluff for the cold treat. Thanks to past parents Kim and Steve Seward P’26 every student, teacher, and staff member enjoyed ice cream at the end of the school day.
Pictured: Bayside Lower School students Henley Collins, Mary Owens Grider, Maren Lindsholm and Sarah Alnoah

Bayside Academy has named Dr. Ryan Pemberton its Associate Head of Upper School. Dr. Pemberton joins Bayside after serving as Director of the McCain-Ravenel Center at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to his time at Episcopal, he served as the Director of the Wilson Center for Leadership at Hampden-Sydney College. Dr. Pemberton earned his Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University, his Master of Public Administration from Cornell University, and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampden-Sydney College. We are so excited to welcome Dr. Pemberton to Bayside!
Pictured: Dr. Ryan Pemberton

Our PE team at St. Patrick Catholic School was on hand to welcome our students back-to-school and get them excited to get moving this week with class games and exercises!

Our Fairhope East Elementary School Special Ed team is truly something special! These incredible educators show up every day with patience, compassion, creativity, and so much love for our students. They are more than ready for an amazing year!!

On Saturday, August 22, our matchup against Battle Ground Academy (Franklin, TN) will be nationally televised on ESPN live from St. Michael. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. CST
This is a massive opportunity to showcase the St. Michael community on a national stage! All eyes will be on an epic quarterback showdown between our own star, Gunner Rivers, and BGA’s Bo Bryan—son of country music star Luke Bryan.

This has been the best first day of school ever! We are so fortunate to have a community of supportive parents and WONDERFUL children.
GO BELFOREST!

This past spring, sophomore Emily Friedel qualified for New Balance Nationals Outdoor in the 2 mile. In June, she ran in the freshman 2 mile at the University of Pennsylvania against some of the best competition in the country with a blistering time of 11:46.86.

A look at our first morning back at Spanish Fort Middle School! We kicked off the year with homeroom and our first pep rally, complete with teacher and staff introductions. The first day looks good on you, Toros!

Two of our Daphne Elementary School students participated in Governor Ivey’s Summer Reading Challenge and were proud to receive these certificates from Governor Ivey upon completion! Great job girls!

Spanish Fort High School, student Megan Kent won the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Baldwin County and won a preliminary award in fitness. We are so proud of you! Congrats Megan!

Anthony’s School for Incredibly Exceptional People had a productive beginning to the school year filled with community engagement, administrative updates, and successful transitions into new school routines.
“Meet the Teacher” events were held with a great turnout from families, staff, and external partners. Attendees included Shannon Norris from Rise Therapy Services, Laney Davidson from Talking Tides Therapy, and Dave Bossler.
Students successfully returned to campus and faculty noted smooth adjustments as they settled into their new classroom routines. The Buddy Program was also launched where older students mentor younger peers on school rules and procedures

Spanish Fort High School seniors celebrated the new year with the annual senior sunrise tradition. Here’s a great year!

So many smiles, new beginnings, and memories already being made! We are ready for an incredible year of learning, growing, and being better together!

Mr. Williams’ Fairhope Middle School homeroom kicked off the morning outside with a fun and interactive “Spider Web” icebreaker using yarn. Students tossed the yarn across the group while sharing their favorite hobbies, foods, sports, and interests, creating a web that showed how everyone was connected. The activity gave students a chance to get to know their classmates, discover shared interests, and build new friendships in a fun and welcoming environment.

Bayside Academy seniors kicked off the new school year with an Admiral Walk on Wednesday, August 12. We can’t wait to see what the year holds for this group of students!
Pictured: Bayside seniors parade through campus and high-five younger students on the first day of school.

Our Spanish Fort Elementary School Meet the Teacher evening was full of smiles, hugs, high fives, and school supplies! Meet the Teacher was a huge success and we could not be more excited to welcome all of our little learners back on Wednesday! We know it’s going to be a great year!!

Wow! Day 2 of the new school year is in the books! This year, DMS is reaching for the stars, and learning looks good on these Trojans! This year is going to be stellar!

We had a GREAT first day at Jubilee Elementary!

Our J. Larry Newton School students are literally jumping for JOY to be back at school! All is right in our school world now that our halls and classrooms are busy again! What a wonderful first day!!

Thank you to everyone for making Freshman Orientation a huge success! Freshmen picked up their schedules, got a tour of the school, and an opportunity to check out some of the clubs/organizations offered on campus. An extra thank you to the DHS Peer Helpers for putting so much time and effort into planning the day for the rising freshmen.

St. Michael Catholic High School is happy to welcome Nick Ellis as their new boys basketball coach. Coach Ellis brings extensive experience to the court, both as a player and coach for the University of Mobile. Most recently, he helped lead the Rams’ resurgence by coaching 10 SSAC All-Conference players, 2 All-Americans, and an SSAC Player of the Year while building one of the nation’s top defensive programs. We know he will make a big impact on our players and program.

We did it! Fairhope West Elementary School made it through the first day of school with smooth sailing! What a #WestWin! It truly felt like Christmas morning having all of our students back on campus! We are thankful for the parents who helped us stay on course with carline (it will get even better) and grateful for teachers and staff who helped students find their way to a great day!

The Distinguished Young Women of Baldwin County Junior Miss Program recently held its 2026 competition. A big congratulations goes out to Karidyn McKenzie, First runner-up, $2,500 cash tuition scholarship; and Margaret Conyers, Second runner-up, $2,300 cash tuition scholarship!
Congrats to the 2 amazing Fairhope students!

Renaissance School of the Eastern Shore had a fantastic first week back filled with smiles, laughter, learning, and fun! Students and staff are excited for all the opportunities ahead in the 2026–2027 school year. It was so bright, we definitely needed our shades!

Hands-on learning brings science to life at Renaissance! Our students are encouraged to look closer, ask questions, investigate, and make discoveries—turning curiosity into meaningful learning.

At Renaissance, learning doesn’t always look like a traditional lesson. Students practiced math skills through a hands-on card game—building confidence, strengthening problem-solving skills, and having fun along the way!

Renaissance students took advantage of our outdoor learning spaces during the first week of school. Fresh air, engaged students, and a good book make for a pretty great classroom!