Student Spotlights July 21

Congratulations to Dunbar Magnet School of Creative and Performing Arts National Junior Honor Society inductees for the 2020-2021 school year! There was a total of 80 scholars that were in-person and virtual learners. We are looking forward to next year and the succession of our accomplishments.

Two members of Mobile County Public Schools’ Class of 2021 recently received Red Ribbon Leadership Scholarships from the Drug Education Council. Pictured here with MCPSS Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill are (left) Ava Sprinkle from Mary G. Montgomery High and (right) Alshawnta Leatherwood from Theodore High.

The scholarships were awarded in recognition of community service projects done during Red Ribbon Week, an event held every fall to promote the importance of a healthy, drug-free lifestyle for young people. Leatherwood’s project was called “Love Week,” an effort to bring a little sunshine to fellow students, teachers and members of the community during the pandemic. Sprinkle organized activities and fundraisers to benefit the Miracle League of West Mobile, Schmidt Family Park, a baseball field and playground being constructed in west Mobile for kids with special needs.

Dakota Perry of Davidson High School recently placed in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair! Her project — Reduction of Tsunami Impacts on Coastal Inhabitants and Infrastructure by Armoring Shorelines Using Hydrodynamics – tested the effectiveness of different barrier designs against the storm surge created by a tsunami and won 4th place in the Engineering Mechanics category. Perry was eligible to participate in the international competition, which was conducted virtually, after placing in the Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of South Alabama.

Graduation is a very special time in every student’s life. In May, the CHCA Kindergarten classes were able to experience this firsthand! Each student sang with a smile, walked across the stage with excitement, and recited their memorized Bible verses with pride. What a joy it is to see the Warrior students growing and ready to move onto the next level in their education! Congratulations to the future Class of 2033!

St. Dominic Catholic School’s Summer Camp is off to a great start! Pictured are Caleb and Caiden Hall on their first day of Camp Little Eagles. We are looking forward to a FUN Summer!

Graduating from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS) is not the only thing senior Gregory Li is celebrating. U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona announced the selection of Gregory Li of Spanish Fort 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®).
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.

Julie Neidhardt of Hutchens Elementary has been named the Alabama State Board of Education’s District I Elementary Teacher of the Year! “This is quite an honor, to be selected over so many other elementary teachers who are so qualified,” said Neidhardt, who is now among 16 finalists for the Alabama Teacher of the Year award. “There are so many good teachers out there. I am very honored and very humbled.”
Neidhardt, Mobile County Public Schools’ 2021 Elementary Teacher of the Year, is a National Board Certified Teacher and a past winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Education. An educator in Mobile County Public Schools for 22 years, she established the N.E.S.T. (Nurturing Engineering, Science, and Technology) lab at Hutchens, where she leads 574 kindergartners through second-graders in collaborative science lessons. Students receive inquiry-based instruction and participate in hands-on science experiments designed to empower them in their learning.

St. Luke’s Whitney Novak had a senior year to remember! Whitney was a multi-sport athlete during her time as a wildcat. She was a three-year starter on the successful volleyball team and a 5-year starter on the basketball team going to the Final Four three times. She made the 2021 All-Coastal Basketball First Team. As soon as she left the Basketball Final-Four, she immediately picked up with the tennis team. St. Luke’s won the AHSAA Class 1A-3A girls state championship this year and Whitney won state titles in No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles. She decided to join the soccer team “just for fun” when not on the tennis court. Also this year, Whitney was named the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Award Winner and graduated from St. Luke’s with a 4.1 GPA. In the Fall, Whitney will play basketball at Millsaps College. We are proud of the exemplary way that Whitney represented St. Luke’s as a student and an athlete.

UMS-Wright is pleased to announce the hiring of a new Lower School Principal, Mrs. Aldridge Marks. Mrs. Marks has served our school effectively as interim principal since early March. She has demonstrated a highly effective skill set in the areas of improving teaching and learning, and she is focused on the growth of students and staff. She possesses an ability to communicate and connect with parents, students, and staff as a keen listener and problem solver. The UMS-Wright family has great confidence in her ability as a leader and communicator, and her vision for our Lower School aligns with the mission of UMS-Wright. She has proven her value as a member of our leadership team, and we are confident she will continue to lead our students and staff to achieve the highest goals in life.

What better way to end the school year than with a princess party? On the last day of school, our PreK-4 students walked the halls as the princesses of Prichard Prep and celebrated their first year as PPS Eagles in true princess fashion… with a tea party!

St. Mary Parish hosted the Feast of Corpus Celebration including a beautiful procession from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church to St. Mary Catholic Church following Mass. First communicants were invited to process and drop rose petals to lead the way through historic Midtown!

As the school year ended students at St. Paul’s Episcopal School cleaned out their lockers and book bags. The Community Service department collected used but usable school supplies. In late July the items will be donated to a local organization helping needy children get supplies for the upcoming school year. Working with Cave Ministries, St. Paul’s also organized a school-wide used backpack collection at the end of the school year. The school collected almost 100 backpacks which were delivered to Cave Ministries on Wednesday, May 26th. The backpacks will be filled with items and donated to the homeless in the Mobile area.

Congratulations to St. Dominic Catholic School’s graduating eighth grader, Noah Huynh, who received The William Skoneki Scholarship awarded for the highest grade point average during the middle school years. Noah was also recognized for his years with the National Junior Honor Society, being selected by McGill Toolen as a St. Thomas Aquinas Scholar, and Outstanding Achievement in Social Studies.

Ms. Mallory Hill has mentored the Drama Club for middle school students at Little Flower Catholic School. After eight weeks of planning and hours of practice, the club put on a production called “Creature Features”, a story that encourages people to not only accept their differences but to see them as assets. Congratulations to Ms. Hill and all the cast for a great show.

After 38 years of faithful service to Covenant Christian School, Mr. Keith Currie has retired as Principal. Under Currie’s leadership, CCS has grown and thrived for nearly 40 years. Currie’s passion for CCS and his love for students has never subsided and he will be missed.

St. Pius X Catholic School held a multicultural good-bye on the last full day of the 2020-2021 school year! Students and teachers from each grade level selected a country and made signs and goodie bags for our parents and grandparents to welcome them as they drove through campus. Thank you to our Saint Pius X school family for making this unusual school year one filled with love, community, faith, knowledge and tremendous growth. Go Cardinals!

St. Ignatius is proud to recognize the 2021-2022 Lifesaver Ambassadors who will represent the school for the upcoming school year. We are so proud of this group of incoming 8th grade students who are leading the way for the ProLife cause on our campus. Pictured: Mary Fran Rigrish, Clay Partridge, James King, Barrett Porter, Bear Zeidan, Charlie Kidder, Sam Hecker, Mae LaCour. Not Pictured: Thomas Beckmann, Andin Choquette, Sam Meador, Cate Vulevich, Bryce Ward and Patrick Weems.