Student Spotlights – April ’23

Council Traditional School’s Annual 5th Grade Science Fair was a huge success! Jaxon Crownover won 1st place in the Physics category, as well as, was named Best In Show overall. The following students won 1st place in their respective categories: Braxton Inge– 1st place in Food Science, Ava Howell– 1st place in Biology, Lydia Nelson– 1st place in Chemistry and Myles Dawkins– 1st place in Engineering. Congratulations to these students for their achievement at this year’s science fair. We are so proud of each and every participant. Well done, 5th grade.

“Spread the Love” is exactly what the students at Council Traditional School did when they hosted a peanut butter and jelly drive benefitting one of our local food banks. The mission of Feeding the Gulf Coast, formally Bay Area Food Bank, is to nourish our community and help establish stronger, healthier families. We are so proud of our students for giving back to our community.

Acton Academy Mobile students celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss for National Read Across America Day! Inspired by the Cat in the Hat, these Acton Eagles each chose their own hat to wear and read with!

In less than two years, we’ve reopened Alabama’s first public school, built numerous academic, athletic, STEM, fine arts, and extracurricular programs from the ground up- and recently, our VEX IQ Robotics teams competed in Auburn against 74 teams at the state level and represented us amazingly well!! Two teams made it to the finals and finished 8th and 11th in the state! Congrats to our Barton Competitive Robotics students and their hard-working sponsor, Mrs. Bolton, and co-sponsor, Ms. Powell (now MRS. Leousis) on a fabulous season!

The Causey Archery Team competed in the Alma Bryant Regionals. Out of 11 middle schools, they placed first with a team score of 3322! Ethan Wheat was top overall shooter in the entire tournament; Brycen Conner came in 3rd for middle school boys. Isabella Green came in 1st and Kayley Miller came in 2nd for middle school girls. The archery team has secured their bid to the State Championship in April.

Denton’s robotics teams dominated at the Alabama State Tournament on February 15 and 16. It was a dream come true for both teams to work their way to the top and compete against each other in the championship match! Since both Denton Robotics Teams made it to the championship match, Denton now holds the position of Alabama Tournament Champions and Alabama Tournament Runner-Ups. Our championship team was UNDEFEATED the entire tournament going 10-0! The Alabama Tournament Champions are: (8th graders) Kaylyn Fetherland, Hamza Mohamed, Bria Poellnitz, Gerren Rease (7th graders) Owen Freeman, Jack Hill, Jack Hoyle. The Alabama Tournament Runner-Ups are: (8th graders) Jordan Barron, Ethan Emonina, Daisy Taylor (7th graders) Jovanni Hernandez, Aiden Joiner. Up next, VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas!

In our first-ever Hi-Q season, our Barton (9th grade only) Hi-Q team competed against VARSITY competition and finished the season within the Top 10 of teams comprised of both public and private schools. We are so proud of their accomplishment!

Students at Acton Academy Mobile team up with local artist, Kari Ransom, from Coastal Makers Art Studio Downtown Mobile. They learned to make playdough from scratch, then discovered sculpting techniques to dye and form their own dough into the human heart, as they are studying the Human Body in their afternoon Quest times!

The Fridays in Lent take on a somber tone as the students and faculty pray at the fourteen stations commemorating the suffering and death of Christ. The students know that prayerful moments in the 40 days of Lent lead to the joys of Easter.

Causey had 7 robotics team compete in the FLL Alabama State Championship over the Mardi Gras break. These teams competed against 24 of the best FIRST LEGO LEAGUE teams in Alabama. Congratulations to team 52195 – Ctrl+Alt+Compete – for winning the Breakthrough Award and to team 52197 – Shark Attack – for winning the Core Value award. Great job to all teams for competing and representing Causey so well!
52195 pic is Ctrl+Alt+Compete: Blaiklee, Ellie, Kamren, Casey, Nate, Tai, David (L-R)
52197 pic is Shark Attack: Jacob, Tate, Jackson, Bennett, Landon, Sydney, Ella (L-R)

St. Mary 7th grade ambassadors spread St. Valentine’s during the annual St. Mary Media Munch! St. Mary thanks City and Archdiocesan officials, community partners, and Mobile’s media for what they do for the local community throughout the year.
Pictured: St. Mary 7th grade students pay a visit to Mayor Stimpson with Valentine’s Day appreciation treats! Pictured are Liam Ollis, Magnus Hansen, Kennedy Hambright, and Abigail Blaize. Submitted by Marcelle Naman. Photo by Emili Hansen

On Saturday, February 25th, Dunbar’s Stage Door Players (Theatre II) attended the ACT Theatre for Youth Festival in Montgomery, AL. Students competed against fellow thespians from across the state.
Congratulations to: Deviana W. and TeNiyah E. (Allstars – 2nd place Duet Acting) AND Jaliyah H. , Ellionna P, and Alana G. (Allstars – 2nd place Group Acting)! We are so proud of all of you!!! SO EXCITING!!!

National Junior Honor Society students at Denton Magnet School of Technology recognized Read Across America Day by volunteering to virtually read aloud to elementary students around the district. NJHS sponsor and library media specialist, Mrs. Quinones, said that once she sent out the form for elementary teachers to sign up for a reading spot, the response was overwhelming!

The LWCC Kingdom Academy Students enjoyed a treasure hunt in Cooper Riverside Park. They learned about objects and pieces of art in and around the park, gaining a greater knowledge of their environment and community. The weather was great and the students had a blast!

District 1 Visual Arts Achievement Program and Young at Art Reception and Awards Ceremony. The reception was held at MAC’s Gallery in downtown Mobile.
The Visual Arts Achievement Program provides opportunities for students in grades 6 through 12 to be recognized for their contributions to the visual arts at the local and state levels. Seven of our Dunbar student’s art were chosen to represent our school: Cheyanne Crum, Maria Little, Chrisalynn Turner, Corynne Swan, Fey Bettner, Mckenzie Wilkerson, and Amelia Broach.
Amelia Broach won 1st place in the Drawing category and will go on to compete in the State level! Congratulations Amelia!!!
It was a beautiful day in downtown Mobile! Thank you to all who came out to tour the gallery and see our super creative student’s work!

Congratulations to Satsuma High School senior Radley Rawls for recently being named a Stamps Scholar for his upcoming enrollment at Tulane University. Founded in 2006, the Stamps Scholars Program partners with 36 universities across the United States and the United Kingdom to reward exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, and innovation. Awarded to only five students per university, this highly competitive and prestigious scholarship covers the entire cost of enrollment and attendance for Radley’s five-year course of study as an architecture student and will also include an enrichment fund to support supplemental programs such as studying abroad or undergraduate research. Satsuma High School is extremely proud of Radley and all of his endeavors, and we cannot wait to see his achievements at Tulane.

Causey Middle School’s cheerleading squad placed first in the Junior Varsity Non-Building category at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship held in February in Orlando.

Students from Mobile County Public Schools took home 18 of the 30 awards and three special awards last month from Alabama History Day in Montgomery! Earning first-place honors in their respective categories were Mya Pettaway of Murphy; Kyla Barnett of Clark-Shaw; Tyler Macon of Phillips Preparatory; and the teams of Janiyah Curry and Brelyn Pettway and Keani Betts, Cherish Harris and Kendra Nicholson of Burns Middle. Earning special awards were Macon and Murphy’s Ddwayne Lockett-James and Marc Leyk.
Earning second-place awards were: Lockett-James and Nakeria Woods of Murphy; Jayla Matthews, Aleice Wood, Amiyah Smith and Shameria Duncan of Blount; Jazmine Calderon and Dakota Meinhardt of Citronelle; Ashanti Molette, Layla McCants, Samiha Rox and Zoey Beckham of Burns; and Mia Kastor, Zander Snyman and Coston Korotky of Phillips. Earning third-place honors were: Leyk of Murphy; Brayden Helton and Brandan Gibson of Citronelle; Bryce Herbert, Colin Foster, Jason Williams and Joshua Hutchinson of Burns; and Oliver Horn of Phillips.
First- and second-place winners qualify to compete in the National History Day (NHD) in Washington, D.C. in June. Third-place winners qualify as alternates.

After an undefeated season, Phillips Preparatory Scholars Bowl A-Team traveled to Birmingham to compete in the state championship this weekend. They competed against some tough teams and finished in the top 10 in the state. Way to go Scholars… we’re proud of you! (l-r) Coach Vickers, Ava Wendt, Phebe Nguyen, Ian Gatlin, Tyler Macon, Zander Snyman, Kenton Moss, and Coach Walton.

Big congratulations to the Phillips Preparatory students who competed in the Regional Science Fair! Phillips Prep brought home ELEVEN awards! Way to go, Pirates! (l-r) Zonia Zeeshan, Claire Stringfellow, Kaylee Izaguirre, Rishita Bachu, Capri Colglazier, Abhinav Parupalli, Marissa Butler, Jonah Alexander, Noah Berry, and Khloe Berry. (not pictured: Nadia Hudson)

Our brand new Dunbar Magnet eSports team took on teams from New York and Illinois in Rocket League 3 on 3 tournament. In Rocket League, players must hit the ball with their cars into the opponent’s net and at the same time, prevent the opponent from hitting the ball into theirs. With each player controlling their own car, teamwork is an essential component of the game and can be the key to victory. Our two teams displayed quick-thinking and communication in their matches as they took on 2 ranked teams. They weren’t able to get the win, but they learned from the matches and will continue to hone their skills and practice teamwork.

St. Mary Catholic School Girls CYO Basketball teams took home championships in three divisions! The D3 Girls Team coached by Nicole Orso, Tim Talbott, and Jacob Bowlus won the Mark Tapia Memorial Tournament. The D4 Team coached by Thomas Sasser, James Daffin, and Matysan McClendon took home the championship in the Greg E. Smith Hoops at The Loop Tournament, and St. Mary’s D6 Team won the Pat Dumas Memorial Tournament, coached by Ronnie Hathorne, Marian Warner, and Brian Lang. Go Mustangs! Submitted by Marcelle Naman. Photo of D6 Girls by Marian Warner.

Five Mobile County Public Schools students were announced as National Merit Scholarships finalists! They are (from left) Shawn Mullen, Lily Stubblefield, Bailey Baxter and Ryker Quinones of Davidson High School, and Nathan Wallace of Mary G. Montgomery. They are among about 15,000 students to be selected as finalists from more than 1.5 million applicants and approximately 50,000 qualifiers, based on their academic performance and scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Hutchens Elementary School would like to give many thanks to Mr. Randall Dueitt, our County Commissioner, for donating the funds for our new outdoor picnic tables. Thank you, Hutchens PTA, Buck’s Construction, Brad Owen, and Shaun Coulter for your help to complete this project! The February attendance challenge winners were the first classes to enjoy our new picnic area.

At St. Ignatius we are forming leaders through various programs on campus. Students get their first chance at outward leadership in 5th grade when they run for SGA classroom representatives. Another prime example is the Buddy Program. This program pairs older and younger Impalas 4K-8th grade together for monthly Mass and mentor activities. This challenge is met with excitement from both the older and younger Impalas. We love seeing the “big buddies” guide the younger ones through Mass, service projects and school events. St. Ignatius loves finding fun ways to cultivate leadership skills!

St. Ignatius SGA went on a service field trip to Central Presbyterian Church in Mobile to assist with food packing in their drive through food pantry. Students filled bags of food, loaded cars with groceries and helped set up the food sorting space for next week’s distribution. They met many caring individuals. Some who volunteer their time every week to serve the hungry. It was a valuable experience resulting in the kids appreciating all they have in life

Students at Cypress Grove Academy are grouped into Houses in which student leaders provide mentorship, connection, and encouragement to students at every grade level. Led by Susan Currier, CGA House Leaders also organize school-wide competitions, activities, Bible devotions, and service projects. They are learning how to be servant leaders now in preparation for leadership beyond high school.

After learning about St. Patrick and his converting the people of the Emerald Isle, students at Little Flower Catholic School hoped for the Luck of the Irish as they prepared for the festivities to celebrate St. Patrick’s feast day.

Many Clark-Shaw Magnet School students competed in the Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of South Alabama on March 3rd. Our students were very successful, placing in every category and sweeping the Best in Show awards and the Moore Family Statistical Awards! The top awards were Best in Show: Edwin Perry (1st) and Mahtahseen Fatima (2nd) and the Moore Statistical Awards: Leigha Newton (1st), Edwin Perry (2nd), and Katherine Orso (3rd). Students placing 1st in their categories were Mei-Ling Rollman, Katherine Orso, Mahtahseen Fatima, Edwin Perry, Max Norris, Tyjhure Green, Andres Gonzalez-Espana, and Taylor Wells. Students placing 2nd in their categories were Charlotte Milling, Julian Pardo, Jaidyn Bettis, Landyn Randell, Brooke May, and Jordan Green, while these students placed 3rd in their categories: Malani Payne, Leigha Newton, Emerson Stuart, and Henry Quillen. These students will go on to compete in the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) on April 1, 2023 at Auburn University.
[see attached photo: 7th grader Edwin Perry won BEST in SHOW. In addition to this top award, he was awarded 2nd place in the Moore Statistical Awards and 1st place in the engineering category.]

For the second year in a row, Lighthouse Baptist Academy took home the first place trophy in the Panhandle Christian Conference varsity boys basketball tournament. The Lighthouse Baptist Academy varsity team is led by Coach Dave Dawson.

Revelation Christian Academy’s Students enjoying the joy of discovery in science class while dissecting simulated frogs.

Congratulations to Clark-Shaw Magnet School 8th grader Kyla Barnett! Her project, “Phoenicians: Frontiers in Trade” won 1st place in the Alabama state-wide History Day Competition held at Auburn University-Montgomery on March 3, 2023. National History Day is an academic program and competition which encourages students to conduct historical research on a topic of interest to them. This year’s theme is “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.” We are very proud of Kyla for taking on this rigorous project on her own outside of class! Kyla is now eligible to compete in the national History Day competition June 11-15, 2023 at the University of Maryland.
[see attached photo: 8th grader Kyla Barnett with Dr. Idrissa N. Snider, Alabama History Day Coordinator for the Alabama Humanities Alliance.]

Davidson’s IB seniors competed in the Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of South Alabama and brought home several top awards! Those who won Best-in-Show will also advance to the International Science and Engineering Science Fair in Texas and receive a tuition waiver to University of South Alabama.
Best-in-Show:
1st: Jayden Lin
2nd: Bailey Baxter
Alternates, 1st: Jimmie Kuntz
2nd: Kayle Curry
Biochemistry
1st: Bailey Baxter
Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics
1st: Jayden Lin
Chemistry
1st: Ryker Quinones
2nd: Jimmie Kuntz
3rd: Eri Coulson
Earth & Environmental Sciences
1st: Hannah Broders
2nd: Kayle Curry
3rd: Blue Teague
Statistics
1st: Blue Teague
2nd: Pratham Gupte

Tenth grade EPIC students in the engineering pathway at Davidson High School recently participated in the Civil Engineering competition at South Alabama. Submissions included concrete canoes, a balsa wood bridge, and a concrete ladder ball. They placed 1st in water filtration and 3rd overall!

Mr. Womack’s sixth grade Science class continued their soil studies at St. Dominic Catholic School. All students brought in three soil samples from different locations. They looked at the similarities and differences of each sample. They then brought out the microscopes and slides to take an up close look at the different types of soil samples from all around Mobile.

As we begin our Mystery Reader program again at St. Dominic Catholic School, first grade students were excited to have one of our grandparents, Theresa Orrell, surprise the classroom. She visited with a special book to read to the class, a craft and treats.
Pictured Colton Smith and Theresa Orrell.

McGill-Toolen Catholic celebrates 4 National Merit Finalists: Matthew Galvin, Nicoal Hewitt, Julia Grinstead and Andy Anderson.

St. Luke’s students explored new places, cultures, cuisines, traditions and ways of living while visiting England and France. A few of the many experiences: Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street -the UK White House, Covent Garden.Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, National Gallery Museum, The Opera, Louvre Museum, Seine River, Notre Dame, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, perfume factory, Normandy, Batteries de Longues, American War Cemetery, St. Malo, Mont St Michel, Loire Valley, Azay Le Rideau, Chenonceaux, Chartres, Les Halles, Eiffel Tower, We were so pleased to share this unique and invaluable life experience with our students as it is from experiences in life that we learn and grow.

Mrs. Moulder and these talented Art Club students at Corpus Christi School painted this wonderful ceiling tile for our library. Pictured Madison Nguyen, Rafaela Silva, Bela Bovenizer, Ryan Johnson and Ella Netto.

Aisha Raza, a fifth grade here at Eichold Mertz-Magnet, won first place in our school spelling bee. She went on to compete in the District’s Spelling Bee on February 3, 2023. She performed tremendously!! We are very proud of her!

The Baker High School Dance Team was named the 2022-23 National Dance Team Union Champions in the Spirit Showdown category! The competition was held in February in Orlando, Fla.

Congratulations to Audrey and Ellen who both participated in the Club Level Speech Contest hosted by The Midtown Optimist Club on March 7, 2023.
Ellen Wentworth placed 1st and Audrey Woodard placed 2nd overall. Pictured –Audrey Woodard, Miss Martin and Ellen Wentworth.

St. Luke’s Interventions in Biomedical Sciences students have begun their outreach assignments. They must choose a class other than their own, give a presentation, conduct an activity, and send the class home with information about their learning. Senior, Taylor Jackson is interested in surgery and chose to teach the 4th-grade about suturing.

Mobile County Public Schools’ Teachers of the Year were recognized during the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners meeting in February. From left are Middle School Teacher of the Year Amanda Delaney of Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies; Sherry Dillihay-McDade, Board President and District 4 Commissioner; High School Teacher of the Year Ava Long of Alma Bryant High; Elementary School Teacher of the Year Maegan Gayle of Hutchens Elementary; and Johnny Hatcher, District 5 Commissioner. Congratulations to each of these experienced, accomplished educators.

St. Paul’s Fourth grade teachers Bethany Benton and Karen Baldwin were joined by Katie Cotton, Marion Boteler, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Liz Livesay, David Armstrong, Laura McGee, and Leslie Lerner to lead fun Valentine activities with their students at the Callahan School for the Deaf and Blind. The students painted ceiling tiles, made heart mosaics and Valentine crowns, and strung beads to make necklaces and bracelets. They also enjoyed dancing with tambourines and ribbon dancers in the gym!

The scholars here at Eichold Mertz Magnet School of Math, Science and Technology were inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society. These inductees are fourth and fifth graders. After the induction ceremony, these students were treated to a limousine ride and lunch at a very famous restaurant in our city. Please join us in wishing them a huge congratulations.

Bravo to the Upper School Theatre Guild Club & Mrs. Delaney on another fantastic production. Bye Bye Birdie featured a cast/crew comprised of a versatile and talented group of 9th-12th graders! Thank you to our sponsor, Pilot Catastrophe.
Congratulations to the entire cast/crew on a job well done! We can hardly wait to see what you put on next.
Cast/Crew: Charles Saucier, Elizabeth Denson, Lane Nichols, Nancy Skidmore, Kathryn Busbee, Ann Claire McMillan, Ellie McCormick, Maddox Lavelle, Kirk Kennedy, Joseph Taylor, Brody Green, Shep Fountain, Hufton Parker, Landon Tanner, Brian Minh, Killian Delaney, Levin Sconyers, Hannah Martin, Claire Johnson, Ridge Tanner, Ryan Walton, Luke Kennedy, Edwin McCorquodale, Natalie Duncan, Mary Helene Marmande, Walker Busbee, Mariah Smith, Natalie Duncan, Eryn Tucker, Lilly Cunningham, Isobel Le, Campbell Murphy, Edwin McCorquodale, Stacy Rose, Edwin McCorquodale, Hayley Cleaton, Farah Hujier, Adam Shumer, Areej Siddiqui, Will McNair, Eryn Tucker, and Will Arendall.

Our Read Write Academy students are 100 days smarter, brighter, and stronger! The students and teachers were very creative with their 100-year-old attire. They enjoyed the day learning, playing games and eating a special treat. Read Write Academy comes to school Monday-Thursday from 8:30-12:30 and receive instruction in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

McGill-Toolen Catholic students, James Mayhall and John Paul McDonald joined St. Ignatius Catholic students this past Friday as part of the 40 Days for Life Lenten Campaign to share what it means to be Pro-Life in high school.

“Give to us a noble SPIRIT, that we, with our teachers, may go forward to achieve the highest goals in life.” Every year, UMS-Wright awards six deserving students in each Middle and Upper School grade a distinguished “Spirit Award.”
The spirit awards are given annually to those students, who in the eyes of the teachers and coaches at UMS-Wright meet the criteria the Alumni Board has established. The criteria state that the recipients display an all-around positive attitude and effort in their everyday lives. They also display the spirit of leadership, cooperation, good sportsmanship, friendliness, and they work to the best of their academic ability. This award can only be received once in Middle School, and once in Upper School, but all students are eligible their senior year. In addition to the recognition, the award winners receive a coveted Spirit lapel pin to be worn on their blazers! The Upper School ceremony will be held in April.
Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Middle School Spirit Award Winners!
5th Grade:
Grady Cook
Ana David
Che Hope
Heidi Peak
Lilli Margaret Smith
Sawyer Smith
6th Grade:
Caitlin Finney
Henry Harvill
Luca Karamovic
William Mitchell
Libby Smallwood
Annabelle Vickers
7th Grade:
Maggie Brenes
Lowery Church
Thomas DeLong
Alice Huddle
Lila Mattei
Murray Seifert
8th Grade:
Macy Ashurst
Jacob Cole
Evan Graham
Mallory Helms
Ty Mabrey
Kate Watkins

Congratulations to Emma Gage for winning First Place in the Better Business Bureau Laws of Life Essay Contest. The essay contest was open to high school students across Central and South Alabama. The essay contest is designed to introduce workers and citizens of tomorrow to lifelong values and standards that apply to both business and life!