Student Spotlights August ’21

The Corpus Christi Catholic School was excited to welcome new priests to their school and parish! Fr. Pat Arensberg and Fr. Alex Crow officially began their ministry with Corpus Christi Church on June 25. The priests were busy the first few weeks moving in and getting acquainted, but they took a break when the school principal delivered baskets of Corpus Christi goodies.

About 120 cadets from around the county recently learned about the science of flight and challenged themselves with STEM and leadership activities at the JROTC STEM Leadership Academy, which focused on the theme of aviation this year. During the week-long residential camp, based at Spring Hill College, cadets worked with gliders, kites, drone propellers and wings, visited aviation-related businesses and military installations, and tackled JROTC leadership challenges like rappelling and orienteering. “It’s really a great experience and it makes you a better person,” said one of the cadets who participated, Bailey Sheffield of Baker High School, “because it builds your leadership skills, helps with teamwork, and it really gets you out of your shell.” The Academy was organized by the Army JROTC program for Mobile County Public Schools and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Demario Pettway, a student at Old Shell Road Magnet School, won 2nd place for kindergarten in the dreamARCHITECTURE 2021: Draw Your Dream Restaurant contest for the Mobile and Baldwin County areas. The art contest is sponsored annually by Alabama Center for Architecture. Way to go, Demario!

Laura Kate Tharp, a member of Cottage Hill Christian Academy’s Class of 2021, was chosen for the “Spirit of Azalea Trail” scholarship. Each year, the Azalea Trail Maids vote for the trail maid who best represents all that an Azalea Trail Maid should be. This is a special scholarship that is given to only one student each year. We are so proud of Laura Kate for receiving this wonderful honor!

St. Dominic Summer Camp enjoyed celebrating the Fourth of July all week with special crafts and treats. They even made a sign to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July!
St. Dominic summer campers made their own Rosaries during art and crafts. The students really enjoyed this project! Left photo, pictured is Harper Watson.
Pirate week at St. Dominic Summer Camp was a huge success! Campers enjoyed a treasure hunt that ended with treats and sno-cones. Pictured, pirate Cuyler Ball.
St. Dominic Summer campers made their own pinwheel toys as part of a craft project. Students colored and decorated their pinwheel. They are each unique and beautiful! Right photo, pictured is Abigail Dragotta.

This photo is from the first faculty gathering and tour of the Barton campus! All were impressed with the progress of the renovations and the beauty of the building! We cannot wait to welcome our students to the newest-oldest public school in Alabama! Our faculty and staff are eager to do all that we can to promote excellence in education through a project-based learning (PBL) curricular approach, entrepreneurial education, global studies, world languages, and fine arts. We look forward to welcoming the Barton Explorers this August! Adventure awaits!

Members of the Maccrossan School of Irish Dance of Mobile recently participated in a Welcome to Summer performance at Artwalk on May 14, performing for a large crowd in front of Crockmiers on Dauphin Street. The dancers also recently participated in a 2-day Irish Dance competition in New Orleans on May 29 and May 30. The school was very well represented with each dancer being awarded several medals and trophies. Left to right: Heaven Gray, Molly Dudley, Katie Blanchette, Gabby Mills, Katie DeVilbiss and Beckett Buckridge.

Little Flower Catholic School sends special congratulations to graduating eighth graders Gretta Ingabire who received the Sisters of St. Joseph Award and to Gavin Tourne who received the Father Jimmy Byrnes Award. These two students exemplify the high standards of academic excellence, good citizenship, and spiritual attentiveness that Little Flower School strives to impart.

E.R. Dickson students participated in the school’s 18th Annual Butterfly Release on May 14, 2021. The release of the butterflies is the culminating event of class research and butterfly activities that began after spring break. Students watched in class as the caterpillars made their transformations from chrysalis to butterflies and participated in daily trivia. Students watched virtually as well as in-person, the release of over 2,500 butterflies.

Vigor High graduate Jaden Clemon won the Mobile County Community Remembrance Project’s Racial Justice Essay Contest. He and nine other finalists were recognized by the Equal Justice Initiative, which sponsored the contest. The other winners were: Karrington Jones of Saraland High (second place); Fatima Husain Abdulla of Baker High, Jayda Blair of Baker High, and Lattreal Wilder of Accel Day and Evening Academy (tied for third place); Macaiah Beck of Baker High (fourth place); Jasmine Rhodes of Baker High (fifth place); and honorable mention winners Aniya C. Thompson of Murphy High, Kiara Mosley of Baker High, and William Starling of Baker High. EJI awarded $8,000 worth of scholarships to the students.

The Little Flower Catholic School middle school language arts teacher, Miss Margaret Capizzi, has given many hours of blood, sweat, and tears to create the new middle school library for Little Flower School. By involving other teachers and volunteers, as well as having much help from students, Miss Capizzi has made this new library a reality. As an ACE teacher, Miss Capizzi has built a memorable legacy as she bids farewell to Little Flower. We send her on her way with a deep sense of gratitude.

STEAM Camp at CHCA was a success! The students participating were able to use creative thinking, artistry, and design to create masterpieces each week. These crafts and engineering projects are designed to help the students think in creative ways. CHCA is thankful to have been able to partner with STEAM to provide fun learning experiences for students throughout the summer!

St. Mary Catholic inducted the newest NJHS inductees who were recognized this spring at the student Mass. “The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) elevates a school’s commitment to the values of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. These five pillars have been associated with membership in the organization since its inception in 1929” (NJHS.us). St. Mary congratulates these students for their exemplary service in all five pillars.

St. Ignatius has been busy this summer keeping our middle school students engaged. In June we sent 32 6th, 7th and 8th grade campers to Camp Hidden Lake in North Georgia for a week-long LifeTeen camp. Our campers got to have some fun outside building skills, adoration, Mass and the ropes course.

Congratulations to the Heart of Mary Catholic Class of 2021! Fr. Bura celebrated a beautiful completion Mass for our 8th graders as they became proud alumni in the rich tradition of our beloved school. Following the Mass and ceremony, Mr. Horner surprised our graduates with a special gift from the entire faculty. To the Heart of Mary Class of 2021, we love you and are so very proud of each of you. We hope you never lose sight of our school motto: “There’s Always Room at the Top!” Stay tuned for spotlights on each of our graduates.

St. Mary Catholic held the crowning of The Blessed Mother this May where the entire school brought flowers, participated in readings, and sang songs of Mary! Left photo, pictured is eighth grade student Celie Frances Dean, crowning the Blessed Mother at the St. Mary Shrine.
Right photo, pictured is second grader, Martina Gomez, crowning the Blessed Mother in the Preschool Playground.

Aiden Quave and Rebecca Steedley will represent Cottage Hill Christian Academy in the Youth Leadership Mobile program for the coming school year. Youth Leadership Mobile is a nine-month program that teaches participants how to grow their leadership skills and to understand how those skills can be used to address opportunities in their communities with servant leadership. We are excited for the experiences this year will hold for both of our CHCA representatives!

Congratulations to Ms. Mallory Childers, Kindergarten teacher, on being recognized by the District Attorney’s Office as the Hero of the Month for May. Ms. Childers is a role model teacher and an advocate for children. Pictured with Ms. Childers is Mobile Chief Assistant District Attorney, Keith Blackwood, E.R. Dickson’s Principal, Ms. Katryna Kinn, Youth and Family Services Case Officer, Mr. Terrell Patrick, and Ms. Childers’ 20-21 Kindergarten Class.

Little Flower Catholic Church and School hosted another action-packed Vacation Bible School. Through Bible stories, songs, craft activities and really cool science demonstrations, the participants discovered the joys of VBS. Volunteers spent days setting the stage for this year’s theme of Treasured: You are priceless to God. Younger students took it all in with the assistance of older students who served as VBS helpers. Participants Thomas Smith and Avery Dill were helped by Gabriella Barrantes.

St. Ignatius Vacation Bible School was an amazing success. Over 180 students participated in the week-long program about building faith. Pictured with Fr. Shields are some of our 2nd grade campers.

St. Luke’s hosted the annual Springfest that students in K2-8th grade enjoyed with a friendly competition of the red team v. black team! The special day was complete with delicious food, traditions and fellowship. It was the perfect time for our families to reconnect after a year of social distancing!

UMS-Wright Summer Programs are an extension of UMS-Wright Preparatory School. We build on the mission of our school by providing academic, athletic, and creative opportunities to ignite new passions and strengthen an individual’s potential in mind, body, spirit, and character. Our 53-acre campus provides an expansive, yet inclusive environment that lays the foundation for encouraging children to challenge themselves academically, creatively, and physically throughout the summer. Summer 2021 offered forty-three academic, athletic, and specialty opportunities. Our full day camps were packed with engaging weekly themes, water fun, field trips, and special celebrations!

St. Mary Parish welcomed the 2021 First Communicants into this special sacrament with Mass Sunday, May 2 in St. Mary Catholic Church, celebrated by St. Mary Pastor, Father Stephen Vrazel. St. Mary Catholic School second grade teachers Amy Duncan and Bethany Brewer, and St. Mary Parish CCD Catechist Hattie Alexander prepared them for this beautiful day!
Pictured: Marie Eleanor Abraham, Cayden Matthew Augustus, Barrett Ryder Copeland, Taylor-Renea Elise Crudup, Julia Owens Dickson, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hyland Gilmore, Owen Barksdale Goff, Martina Cortes Gomez, Charlotte “Lottie” Rhee Hassell, Joshua “Mason” Haywood, Patrick Vaughn Howell III, Adelinh “Addy”, Ameila Kahalley, Frances Evelyn Kindt, Charlotte Grace Koen, Elaine “Ella” Flaherty Lee, Greyson Carter Martin, Stephanie “Betty” Elizabeth O’Dowd, Harper Grace Rhames, Macie Clare Sasser, Owen Woodford Sharp, Emoline “Emma” Angelina Tew, Stephanie “Clare” Tolbert, Lindsay Kaylee Trenier, Mary Adelyn Turner, Taylor McKenzie Wilson, Joseph “Collin” Winter.

Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog! Three UMS-Wright alums have excelled athletically this spring and have achieved some of the highest honors possible in their respective sports.
Tanner Allen ‘17 and the Mississippi State Bulldogs clinched the College World Series Championship on June 30th, the first national championship in the history of Mississippi State Athletics. Furthermore, Tanner was named the American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year! On July 12th, he was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 4th round MLB Draft.
In June, Paige Madden ‘17 competed at the Olympic Trials. Paige earned her ticket to the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo and will compete in the 400M Free Style and the 4 X 200 Relay. Paige graduated from the University of Virginia in May. She ended her collegiate swimming career at the NCCA Championship Meet where she and her teammates won the 2021 NCAA Swimming Championship. Paige was also named the NCAA Champion in all three of her individual events: 200 Free, 500 Free and the 1650 Free.
Maddux Bruns ’21 was named Mr. Baseball 2021 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association and was chosen as the Gatorade Alabama Baseball Player of the Year. On July 11th, with the 29th pick, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Maddux in the first round of the MLB Draft.
Congratulations Tanner, Paige, and Maddux on your accomplishments!

Several Mobile County Public Schools teachers got some out-of-this-world professional development recently at Space Academy for Educators at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Space Academy for Educators includes authentic astronaut training simulators and activities developed to promote learning in a classroom setting. Curriculum includes NASA-inspired lesson plans and is correlated to the National Science Education Standards.
In left photo, pictured left to right in the back row are: Shernell Mabien of Eichold-Mertz School of Math, Science and Technology; Brooklyn Moseley of Dunbar School for Creative and Performing Arts; Rachel Sullivan of St. Elmo Elementary; Nicole Bolton of Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies; Brooke Busby of Dixon Elementary; and Trissaunti Lambert of Calloway-Smith Middle School. In the front row are: Jo Anna Grimes of Morningside Elementary and Rebekah Campbell of Griggs Elementary. In right photo, from left are: Felicia Collins of Collins-Rhodes Elementary, Maegan Gayle of Hutchens Elementary, Camryn Tucker of O’Rourke Elementary, Theresa Burge of Council Traditional School, and Amanda Dumas of Theodore High School.

St. Luke’s 6th graders are required to take one quarter of theatre. At the end of each quarter, the budding actors perform in the auditorium. Our 4th quarter class recently performed A Tree Called Aesop. We all know of Aesop’s fables, the stories with a moral, but when three children turn up to the playground who do not know the importance of these stories, it is up to Aesop and rest of the gang to act out the famous tales and to teach the three children important life lessons through jokes, poems and traditional storytelling.

During the National Novel Writing Month, St. Dominic Catholic School middle school students are challenged to plan, write, and publish their own novel in 30 days. This year, 15 students met their goal and 4 are now published authors. Pictured are our seventh grade students. Front Row (left to right): Thomas Hunt, Caroline Midgette, Emmie Graham, Monica Kohnen, Robert Gamper, Sophia Ward, Joseph Johnson, Evan Nelson. Back Row (left to right): Heaven Gray, Brianna Seiter, Mary Linda Greenwood, Jonah Waits.