May 2021 Student Spotlights

Every month we compile a list of students and schools doing great things across the Greater Mobile.  We have so many talented students in our area.  Mobile Bay Parents joins with these families and schools to celebrate their achievements!

Dr. John Cleary, pictured at left, and Dr. Delwar Hossain (right) of the University of South Alabama Faculty Senate recently presented Mobile County Public Schools and Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill with a Teaching Partner Award in recognition of outstanding partnership with the university, particularly the colleges of Engineering and Education.

“Tell your colleagues thank you and hopefully we can partner in the future even more,” Mr. Threadgill told the USA representatives. Mobile County Public Schools values its partnerships with USA and its other partners in postsecondary education and the business community, as we prepare our students to be college and career ready.

Congratulations to Davidson High School senior, Reggie Turner, who was accepted into The Juilliard School and awarded a partial scholarship to study dance in New York City for the next four years! The school only admits 12 male dancers per year, so Reggie is one of few. He will join DHS graduate Tyrone Reese, who was accepted last year.

In addition to being an EPIC Computer Science major, Reggie has been a member of Kinetics, Davidson High School’s dance company for the past four years where he studied dance history, theory, and analysis, as well as composition and choreography. Reggie plans to study contemporary dance, as well as modern dance and ballet while he is at Juilliard.

Congratulations to Baker High School for winning the Alabama HiQ Competition and $2,000 from New Horizons Credit Union. The series competitions, which tests students’ knowledge and study habits in a variety of academic subjects and current events, was held virtually this year and was hosted by retired Fox10 news anchor Bob Grip.

Congratulations to senior Matthew Blevins for being selected for the EMSAP (early medical school acceptance program) at UAB! He was one of only 15 students selected from over 400 applicants. Upon graduation from UAB, he will have guaranteed acceptance into the UAB School of Medicine!

On March 11, Mary G. Montgomery head boys’ basketball coach Rovertus Kimble was recognized as the Optimist Club 7A Basketball Coach of the Year. This season, Coach Kimble led the varsity boys’ basketball team to the state playoffs. Congratulations to Coach Kimble and the MGM basketball team on a phenomenal season!

Kaylee Corley from Dunbar Magnet School was picked as a showcase winner for musical solo at the Alabama International Thespian Society virtual state thespian festival. She also received superior ratings. Here she is with her medal! Way to go Kaylee!

Four students from the Citronelle Center for Advanced Technology placed in the recent Skills USA South District competition. Gold medal winners at the competition were Robert Tate (Extemporaneous Speaking), Paris Roberson (Prepared Speech), and Ray Lambeth (Related Technical Math). Joseph Hayes took silver in Related Technical Math. These four students and eight of their classmates at the Citronelle Center for Advanced Technology will compete in the upcoming Skills USA state competition. The other eight students will compete in events that did not have district competitions.

Congratulations to the following Faith Varsity Basketball players for making the Mobile Boy’s ALL-County Team, as well as our 5A Coach of the Year! First Team: LJ Holifield, Second Team: Shemar James, Honorable Mention: Sherman Davis and Christian Walker, All-Academic Team: Jerrett Nettles, 5A Coach of the Year – Coach Chad Applin.

The CHCA Middle School Scholars Bowl Team is headed to the State Championship. They have been hard at work throughout the year preparing for their previous competitions and are now seeing the outcome of this commitment. We are excited to cheer them on when they compete via Zoom. The members of the 2020-2021 Middle School Scholar’s Bowl Team are Noah Archer, Luke Beauchamp, Hampton Broders, Christopher Ho, Ellie Olsen, and Troy Shamburger.

Avery Sayers, a 7th grader at Clark-Shaw Magnet School, will soon see her artwork featured on school-wide spirit shirts. Hers was the winning entry in a t-shirt design contest to commemorate Clark-Shaw achieving Cognia’s prestigious STEM Accreditation last year.
(She is shown in the picture with principal Mary DiVincenzo.)

Two eighth graders from Phillips Preparatory have been accepted into the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering in Huntsville. Sophie Santa-Cruz and Zemorah Morton will accept their offers to attend the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE), the nation’s only high school focused on the integration of cyber technology and engineering into all academic disciplines. ASCTE is a public, residential magnet high school serving students throughout the state of Alabama. Congratulations Sophie and Zemorah!

Thank you to Mrs. Spafford, Fifth Grade teacher, for teaching our students the art of crochet. Crochet club meets once a week and many of the students leave the class with a life-long love for crochet. At St. Dominic Catholic School we are very proud of our many enrichment opportunities offered to students. There is truly something for every child!

Congratulations to the new National Junior Honor Society inductees at Little Flower Catholic School. This year’s ceremony was the thirteenth such induction for the Little Flower Chapter. The six inductees participated in a candle-lighting ceremony, with each candle representing one quality of a NJHS student: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character, and Citizenship. The participants and guests were treated to refreshments after the ceremony. New members left to right are shown: Kourtney Tran, Andre’ Lang, Karrington George, Gabriella Barrantes, Jaedyn Lang, and Avigail Rodriguez.

St. Luke’s alum, Allison Lowe, class of 2017, returned to SLES with four of her classmates from the University of South Alabama College of Nursing to teach our Interventions in Biomedical Sciences classes about Diabetes Prevention. At the end of their presentation they allowed our students to test their blood glucose levels. Our students enjoyed the presentation and appreciated being a part of their community outreach assignment.

Mrs. Hardin’s Studio Art students participated in an assemblage sculpture project using only newspaper and masking tape. Most of the sculptures are geometric, and all are abstract to a greater or lesser degree. They are “deconstructed” in that they reveal their inner scaffolding. This construction process affords the viewer many interesting ways to observe the sculptures. The colors of the sculptures have been chosen to help establish mood.

Our traditional Homecoming and Coming Home activities were cancelled due to the pandemic, but we were finally able to celebrate with a spirit week and presentation of the members of both courts who were selected by their fellow students. Kelly Devoe was crowned Homecoming Queen and Hugh McClelland was named Mr. McGill!

Heart of Mary Catholic middle school students inspired all who attended this year’s Passion Play. The students’ rendition of Jesus’ passion was so emotional and realistic, it felt like the audience was watching a movie! A special thank you to Sr. Joanne Cozzi and Middle School Religion teacher, Mrs. Lee, for working so diligently with our students on their script, costuming and props to bring this important story to life.

Several students from Davidson High School and Clark-Shaw School of Math, Science & Technology were among the winners at the Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held virtually last month by the University of South Alabama. They were:

Senior Division: Dev Mehta, Davidson, 1st place, cellular/molecular biology/microbiology: “Escherichia coli Growth Inhibition through Dose Treatments of Pomegranate, Lemon, Ginger, and Turmeric Extracts”; Dakota Perry, Davidson, 1st place, environmental engineering: “Putting the Breaks on a Tsunami Again”.

Junior Division: Jackson Reiney, Clark-Shaw, 1st place, zoology/botany: “Follow the Light”; Madeline Borchert, Clark-Shaw, 1st place, chemistry: “Resist the Rust”; Victoria Howell, Clark-Shaw, 1st place, environmental: “How Will Dissolved Oxygen Effect the Temperature of Water?”; Lamar Perkins, Clark-Shaw, 2nd place, zoology/botany: “Meat and Heat Makes Flies”; London Wells, Clark-Shaw, 2nd place, chemistry: “H2Know”
MacKenzie Brackett, Clark-Shaw, 2nd place, physical science: “Ware of Weight”.

In preparation for the Easter celebration, St. Pius X students studied the history of the Faberge egg and created their very own eggs! Students and teachers alike put love and hard work into their very own creation. The gym turned into a museum as the story of the Faberge egg and eggs were on display. Classical music played as students and parents were welcomed to tour the exhibit and view all of the beautiful eggs. A special thank you to Mrs. Mattingly, our teachers and students for bringing this event to life!

Ten members of the St. Paul’s Sixth Grade Rutledge Fellows met on Tuesday, March 30 to assemble 50 bags of food for St. Paul’s Hunger Matters program. Each bag contained 13 nonperishable food items and a small bag of Easter candy with a $10 WalMart gift card. The sixth grade as a group had decorated the bags ahead of time and made cards as well for 35 families at Ella Grant Elementary and 15 families at the Callahan School for the Deaf and Blind. Leslie Lerner and Laura McGee delivered the bags of food to the schools!

Mrs. Thompson, St. Dominic Catholic School Technology teacher, has integrated coding into technology classes beginning in second grade. Knowledge in coding opens the door to creativity and is used for things such as video games, apps, websites, and even computer software. Coding improves critical thinking skills as well. The students have loved this program and are excelling in many varied applications utilizing what they have learned. Middle school students have advanced on to creating objects through coding and using our 3D printer.

St. Luke’s Center Stage recently hosted a school wide musical that truly lived up to the plot of High School Musical. 41 students came together both on stage and behind the scenes from all parts of St. Luke’s. These students represented 11 varsity sport teams, Robotics, Band, Hi-Q Team, all of the academic honor societies, Student Ambassadors, Honor Council, and, of course, the theatre department. Our students are the embodiment of “We are all in this together”! Go Wildcats!

Cottage Hill Christian Academy is proud to announce that Annabelle Miller has been chosen to be a Mobile Belle for the 2021-2022 year. Annabelle was chosen to represent the Historic Mobile Preservation Society as an ambassador of the history of the South. This program instructs high school students in historic preservation and provides them with the skills needed to confidently serve as guides at the Historic Oakleigh House Museum for the 2021-2022 year.

Every year, the middle school students at Corpus Christi Catholic School present the “Living Stations of the Cross.” The Stations of the Cross are a prayerful meditation that portrays the events in the Passion of Christ. Each student has a role in the presentation. The 8th-grade class is pictured.

The Varsity girls soccer team are our 4A-5A Area Champs! Congratulations, girls
and coaches!

On March 18, Mary G. Montgomery senior Ah’Miya Miller competed in the Optimist Club Oratorical. Ah’Miya received the bronze medal for her speech on this year’s topic “Healing the World with Optimism.” Ah’Miya spoke about being part of the team and supporting your teammates even when your situation changes. Congratulations, Ah’Miya!

Two Phillips students placed first in the Mobile Math Olympiad (Mobile Math Circle). Farah Hujier tied for 1st place in the 7th grade category and Matthew Ngo won 1st place in the 8th grade category. Great job Pirates!

Lane Stefurak, an IB and EPIC senior at Davidson High School, was recognized as the Mobile County Public School System’s Learning Leading Award winner. After receiving the award from the faculty at DHS, she was then selected by the school system as the finalist for all high schools.
Lane has a cumulative 5.12 GPA and 31 on the ACT after taking four years of IB and AP courses at Davidson. Outside of the classroom, Lane has been a standout in Hi-Q and Robotics. During the holidays, Lane spearheaded a project aimed at raising awareness for the Waterfront Mission. Lane enlisted other IB seniors to help, and together, students created flyers and social media posts advertising a collection at DHS for donations. Several weekends later, over 20 boxes of clothing, 5 packages of socks, 3 boxes of food, and 8 boxes of linens and toiletries were delivered to the two local shelters here in Mobile. Lane will be attending UAB in the fall on a full scholarship and plans to study political science.

Congratulations to St. Paul’s Coach Steve Mask on being inducted into the 2020 AHSAA Hall of Fame! Steve graduated from Muscle Shoals High School in 1976 and the University of North Alabama in 1980 and has compiled a 202-94-0 record in 24 years as a head football coach. He was also named Alabama head coach for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game in 2020, where he coached the Alabama squad to a 19-7 victory and snapped a 3-game losing streak. Coach Mask has had head coaching stops at Bradshaw, Buckhorn, Colbert County and St. Paul’s Episcopal. His 102-21 record with the Saints over the last nine seasons makes him the school’s all-time winningest football coach. St. Paul’s has won four Class 5A state titles (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020) and have reached the playoffs every year including 2018 and 2019 in Class 6A. Mask’s playoff record is 41-14 overall in 18 appearances. He began his coaching and teaching career at Colbert County in 1979, serving as an assistant coach for the Indians’ 1985 Class 5A state championship football team and for Colbert County’s 1981 Class 3A state basketball championship squad. He coached Bradshaw to its first-ever playoff victory in 1991, led Buckhorn to its highest state ranking ever in 1999, and was the Huntsville Times Coach of the Year in 199 and 1999. He returned to Colbert County as head coach in 2002 and led the Indians to the 3A state finals – earning the Florence Times Daily Coach of the Year honors. The Alabama Football Coaches Association and al.com named him the Class 5A Coach of the Year in 2014, and he received the John L. Finley Award for his service to coaching in 2015. He received the L’Arche of Mobile Lefty Anderson Award in 2018, also presented for his service to coaching. A founding member of the AFCA, Mask was inducted into the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Every year, the middle school students at Corpus Christi Catholic School present the “Living Stations of the Cross.” The Stations of the Cross are a prayerful meditation that portrays the events in the Passion of Christ. Each student has a role in the presentation. The 8th-grade class is pictured.

The Varsity girls soccer team are our 4A-5A Area Champs! Congratulations, girls
and coaches!

ASMS students recently competed in the 2021 MaPP (Mathematical Puzzle Programs) Challenge against other high schoolers and university undergraduates across the United States. ASMS scored 100 out of 101 points and came in 2nd place. Participants were: Gregory Li, Anna Livingston, Carter Swafford, Emma Joly, Emma Wahlers, Jacob Kim, Kenneth Womble, and Leonard Fowler. *Photo from MaPP 2020*

Three Baker High School students showed off their financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills to place in the recent DECA qualifying competition. Miranda Moulds took first place in Personal Financial Literacy, while Blake Tufts and Nick Pavey took second place in Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making. These students will now compete in the DECA Virtual International Career Development Conference this month.

Congratulations to the 2020 – 2021 National Elementary Honor Society Inductees from E.R. Dickson Elementary:
Azaret Metrio Zintos
Chandler Andrews, Riley Byrd, Taylor Carey, Jakairyn Finley, Hope Hatcher, Taylor Hill, Austyn Lacy, Jordan Larkin, Nicholas Lockette, Roman Lowe, Daeja Mack, Keely McBryde, Taliyah McKinnis, Arielle Mobley, Joshua Morris, Rico Nixon, Mila Pownall, Logan Rigsby, Sarah Rigsby, Matthew Russell, Sofia Ryder, Bella Salazar Sage, Carter Smith, Joseph Sonith, Binh Nguyen.

The Faith varsity men’s soccer team played in the Smoky Mountain Cup in Gatlinburg, TN! This was the team’s first appearance in the tournament, and they walked away with 2 wins. They scored 11 goals and only allowed 3 with 1 shutout!