July 2023 Student Spotlights

Heartwood Christian Academy’s Archery Team goes to state. It’s a HUGE achievement for Coach Grace Magnusen, who is new to the world of coaching but not competing. Grace’s team is less than two years old and 7 of her shooters made it to Alabama NASP State. It’s quite an honor! Congratulations to Coach Grace and her team members including, Natalie Kirk, Ally Kirk, Thia Scott, Jessie Scott, Jondavid Norstedt, Jarek Hoach, and Josalyn Hoach. The secret to success is that Coach Grace makes certain her team has fun doing what they love and it shows. Heartwood Christian Academy is very proud of the Archery Team! Go Lions!

Heartwood Christian Academy is the perfect balance of traditional school and homeschool. The possibilities are endless. Yearbook is a prime example of this balance. Congratulations to Mrs. Ida Thrasher, Mrs. Debbie Botsis, and HCA’s yearbook staff for winning the following prestigious awards; Overall 5th place for book design and Honorable 5th place for cover design. This is a monumental achievement considering that HCA competed with some of the largest schools in the country and won out of 300 entries. The yearbook staff is pressing forward for another exciting and creative year. Stay tuned! PHOTO: Left to Right (Lauren Higgins, CeCe York, Zoe Clarke) (Lauren Higgins, Staff 2022/2023, Editor 2023/2024, CeCe York, Editor 2021/2022, Assistant Editor 2022/2023, Zoe Clarke, Editor 2022/2023, Photographer 2021/2022)

Ella Wilson started a Summer Literacy Service Project in February of this year. Her goal was to collect enough books to fill 10 backpacks for 10 students in foster care so that they would have reading materials over their summer break. She collected well over 1,000 books and was able to not only fill those ten backpacks but also give every student at Kate Shepard Elementary School two books to take home over the summer. The foster students each received a new backpack, lunch box, pencil pouch, school supplies, activity books and several books to keep them reading over the summer. Ella was interviewed by WPMI News and said that she hopes she has made a small impact encouraging a love for reading with these students.

Each year the eighth grade class works for weeks preparing skits, songs and tributes to their time at St. Ignatius. This bonding activity really brings students and parents together and creates lasting memories. The show was amazing! The students had a showcase by the band, skits about their favorite teachers, dances by the boys and girls and finished with a Lauren Daigle song “Rescue”. The song was completely their choice and was inspired by their time in Theology class where each Wednesday is dedicated to worship songs. “Rescue” is a very popular choice for “Worship Wednesdays” in Mrs. McDonald’s middle school Theology class. We are so proud of you, St. Ignatius Class of 2023! #TheCatholicDifference #HisPathTheirFuture #HisPathStartsHere

Eighth grade at St. Ignatius comes with many leadership responsibilities but it also comes with some adventure! Each year the eighth graders look forward to their New Orleans field trip. Students meet at school for the 6:15 AM Mass and then begin their annual pilgrimage to New Orleans. They get to experience a Honey Island Swamp Tour, the shrine of Catholic priest Father Francis Xavier Seelos and French Quarter historic restaurants Mandina’s and Cafe du Monde. This fun filled day is a great way to begin wrapping up their time at St. Ignatius Catholic.

Archbishop Rodi came to Little Flower Catholic School to bless the new playground and the students who will use it. We are so grateful to Sr. Joanne Cozzi who helped manage the grant application that made this playground possible. We look forward to many years of fun and growth in this wonderful renovated area.

The faculty and staff at Little Flower Catholic School prepared a send-off gala for the graduating eighth graders. A catered dinner for family and friends accompanied a few short tributes from students and teachers alike. Little Flower sends its best wishes for a successful transition to high school as these students move on to their next chapter in life.

Elementary and middle schools around Mobile County welcomed back their alumni who graduated as part of Mobile County Public Schools’ Class of 2023 for Senior Walks and Reunions during the month of May. Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

Phillips Preparatory School’s annual Talent show was held last month and 1st place was awarded to Marion Joseph Parker who played an original piece on his soprano saxophone titled, “Death in the Moonlight.” Second place was awarded to Clara Walker for singing Frozen’s “Into the Unknown” and third place was awarded to Sanaa Prince for singing Beyonce’s “Listen.”

Jill Spencer of Denton Magnet School of Technology and Michael Fletcher of Davidson High School were honored as the 2023 Air Force Association’s Teachers of the Year in Mobile County. They are shown with Steve Carey, President of the Air Force Association, and Don Stringfellow, District 2 representative on the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners.

Denton Magnet School of Technology was honored this week to be named a 2023 School of Excellence by A+ College Ready. Denton Magnet students take the PSAT 8/9. Their baseline score is used to determine the school’s growth goal. Denton not only met but exceeded that goal! Denton Magnet’s leadership team was also asked to present during this week’s Leadership Institute in a session titled, “Schools that Work”. Denton Magnet said, “We appreciate the support of A+ College Ready and Alabama Department of Education in our focus on “developing the high expectations, skills, and content needed to prepare students for AP and other rigorous coursework…for college, career, and life.” Pictured here: Dr. Motley, Mrs. Glass, Mrs. Quinones, Mr. Stevenson, and Ms. Mike’s accept the 2023 School of Excellence award for Denton Magnet School of Technology.

On Saturday, May 6th, 23 UMS-Wright Band students (6th-12th graders) competed in the ABA State Solo and Ensemble at Spanish Fort Middle School. There were 30 total Superior Medals awarded – 8 solo medals and 22 ensemble medals! This was the first year that UMS-Wright 6th graders competed, and they earned 8 of the 30 medals.
In addition to the Superior ratings, there were 4 Excellent Rated solos and 2 Excellent Rated ensembles!

McGill-Toolen Catholic congratulates our 2023 Valedictorian, Julia Grinstead and Salutatorian Nicholas Hewit. Julia will be attending Harvard in the Fall and Nicholas will be attending The University of Alabama . The Class of 2023 was offered more than $9.3 million in scholarships this year.

Congratulations to the St. Luke’s Track & Field athletes on their success at State:
Kennedy Johnson – 1st place 200m, 1st place 400m, 3rd place 100m
Alex Prieto – 1st place discus
Andrew Burchett – 2nd place 400m, 2nd place 800m
Jacob Grandquest, Andrew Burchett, Alex Scott, Garrett Dolbear – 2nd place 4x400m relay

To complete their unit on Fluid Mechanics, Mrs. Cullen’s Honors Physics classes had to design and construct a boat that would float 2 students from one side of Lubel Pool to the other. The catch…they could only use cardboard boxes and duct tape. Using their knowledge of buoyancy and Archimedes’ Principle, they were able to be successful with their design. It was a lot of fun for the students as well as the spectators, and a great engaging experience to see the real-life application of Physics!

Avik Banik, a former student at Davidson High School, writes a book to help future and current high schoolers! He started writing the book during his sophomore year of high school and published it during his freshman year in college. The book is called Navigating High School: A Student’s Guide to Achieving Straight-A’s, Creating an Exciting Social Life, and Making the Varsity Team! This outstanding book is aimed towards helping students improve their academic, social, and athletic life. Banik, who is now a student at the University of South Alabama, has worked with over 110 students, teachers, athletes, and coaches from over 21 different high schools in Mobile! From straight-A students to “popular” kids to varsity athletes, he has interviewed multiple kids to get an insight into high school life and how to best prepare for it. He has also worked with numerous guidance counselors, head coaches, and test-prep coordinators for the chapters regarding a child’s academic and athletic life. The book includes lessons such as techniques for effectively studying for exams, preparing for the ACT and SAT, making real friends, avoiding school drama, how to ask someone to the school dance, solving acne problems, making the varsity sports team, balancing athletic and academic responsibilities and much more! The book is now available on Amazon. Get your child a copy before they start the school year!

Biomedical Sciences Program finished a week-long Forensics Case Study that concluded with a mock trial. We owe many thanks to Glenn Garside, Director of Investigations at Cunningham Bounds, for coordinating such an amazing “mock trial” complete with Honorable Judge Brandy Hambright, her Judicial Assistant Zack Jones, and Official Court Reporter Jerri Garside. Assistant District Attorney Louis Walker led the Prosecution team of senior Biomed students, and the Defense team was led by Marcus Foxx, founding partner of the Fox Law Firm. We even had a special juror, the retired Honorable Judge J. Donald Banks, who worked with the jury, so they understood their role.

School is out for summer! The Academy students enjoyed a day of relay races, water activities and snow cones to celebrate their last day of school. We are so proud of how hard they worked this year. We can’t wait to see them again in the Fall and have another successful year of Read Write Academy.

Congratulations to Ellen Wentworth, she received the Junior Citizenship Award presented by Midtown Optimist Club. We are very proud of you!!

Ella Brochu, a student from The Alabama School for Math and Science in Mobile, Alabama has been selected for the prestigious Student Enhancement in Earth and Space Science (SEES) summer internship to be held at The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Space Research. Students will work with scientists and engineers to conduct authentic research from data received from NASA’s earth observing satellites as well as designing Mars habitats, Lunar Exploration, and analysis of images from the International Space Station. This nationally competitive program, funded by NASA, selects students who will increase their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math through earth and space education.

Did you know that 132 Mobile County Public Schools students and 2023 graduates scored a 30 or better on the ACT college entrance exam? Three of these students scored a perfect 36. MCPSS is producing college- and career-ready graduates.

More McGill-Toolen Catholic Seniors sign letters of intent to continue competing at the next level: Charley Harrison (Tennis), Marion Military Institute; Aiden Janowski (Men’s Volleyball) ,Life University; Connor Overstreet (Swim) , Univ. of Montevallo; Trey Inge (Football), Point University and Heath Whigham (Track & Field), University of South Alabama. They join the other 9 student athletes who signed earlier this year for a total of 14.

More than 150 cadets participated in STEM challenges, industrial site visits and leadership activities in the 2023 Mobile County JROTC STEM Leadership Academy, hosted at Spring Hill College. Sponsored by DoD STEM and with support from Mobile County Public Schools, STEMWorksII, the University of Southern Mississippi and a host of business and educational partners, the Mobile County event is a model for three others held recently in Troy; Columbus, Ga., and San Diego. The theme of this year’s Academy is Advanced Manufacturing, with STEM challenges in robotics.