December 2023 Student Spotlights

Davidson High School’s dance program recently hosted a workshop for middle school students. Led by instructor Angie Dussouy, dancers from six different middle schools in Mobile county learned ballet, jazz, and contemporary. In addition to Introduction to Dance, Davidson has two audition-based dance groups: KDCII and Kinetics. Several Kinetics dancers also assisted Mrs. Dussouy with the workshop as they focused on various aspects of dance such as choreography, performance skills, technique, and style.

Davidson High School is thrilled to have Chef “Panini” Pete Blohme as a new business partner. The owner of four local restaurants, including Panini Pete’s, Ed’s Seafood Shack, Sunset Pointe, and Squid Ink, Chef Blohme has committed to working with students in Davidson’s Culinary program as they consider and prepare for careers in the food and hospitality industry. DHS’s Culinary instructor, Rachel Baxter, and her students look forward to learning from his expertise!

Coach Kate Wood and her team won their second straight 7A State Volleyball Championship. That makes 4 for Coach Wood and 23 for McGill-Toolen Catholic.

St. Pius X students enjoy the PTO’s monthly Spirit Shirt and Snow Cone Day.

St. Pius X 7th graders created a “Saint Wax Museum” for All Saints Day. Students dressed as their favorite Saint and told facts about them to the students and parishioners who visited the museum. Pictured is Chance Wilson, portraying St. Michael the Archangel.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. The award represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others. Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA) congratulates Sophia Turk, Lola Cuesta, Bethanie Critchfield, and Charlotte Milling of Troop 8003 for earning their Silver Award.
Girl Scouts of Troop 8003 organized a fashion show at local Girl Scout camp, Scoutshire Woods, to bring awareness to the history of Girl Scouting through the Girl Scout uniform. Through its 110 years of existence, the Girl Scout uniform has changed and evolved in many ways. “We hosted a fashion show to show other Girl Scout troops the importance of knowing our history of being a Girl Scout,” says Girl Scout, Lola Cuesta. “Through this project, I learned how important history is and that it needs to be preserved for other generations to appreciate,” she continues.
By earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, Troop 8003 has become community leaders. Their accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that sets them apart.
Through Girl Scouting, girls learn to face challenges head-on, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and find solutions to social issues all while building the skills and courage they need to take the lead every day. Earning the Silver Award is just one of the amazing things girls can do as part of Girl Scouts. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, please visit www.girlscoutssa.org.

Two of Coach Kate Wood’s volleyball players at McGill-Toolen participated in National Signing Day, Wednesday, November 8th. Emma Moore will play for Auburn and Juliet Galla will play for Tulane.

Congratulations to McGill-Toolen Catholic High School senior, Baleigh Coleman, who was recently named QuestBridge Program Finalist! QuestBridge is a national nonprofit that connects the nation’s most academically exceptional students of color with leading colleges and opportunities. QuestBridge aims to increase the percentage of talented minority students attending the nation’s best colleges and to support them to achieve success in their careers and communities. Baleigh maintains a 4.0 GPA while being a leader both in and out of school.

Mrs. Parazine’s classroom counseling lessons focused on the topic of bullying. Our students learned the difference between disagreeing, a rude moment, a mean moment, and bullying. Learning these differences helps our students understand a situation they may find themselves or others in and know the appropriate way to handle it. In efforts as a school to combat any unkindness or bullying, we are committing to being kind to others by being the ‘I’ in Kind.

Ninth grade students in Davidson’s EPIC program recently attended the University of South Alabama’s Discover Engineering Day. Students learned about chemical, mechanical, civil, and computer engineering through hands-on experience, working alongside professors and graduate students at South. These DHS students are also enrolled in the EPIC Career Prep course at Davidson, where they are learning about the EPIC pathways of biomedicine, computer science, and engineering.

Each November 500+ beloved grandparents flutter to St. Ignatius for Mass, donuts, Carpe Diem coffee, book fair fun and classroom visits. Our students are extraordinary in part due to their grandparent’s love, support and imparting wisdom. The importance of family percolates through Mass on Grandparent’s Day. Each year Father Shields asks kindergarten and second grade students to write about what they love about their grandparents. Their heartwarming thoughts are shared during Mass. Father Shields reminds us of the importance of family- our personal family and our holy family. What a blessing it is to gather together to honor grandparents and Jesus alike. #TheCatholicDifference #HisPathTheirFuture #HisPathStartsHere

Goedes, rocks & crystals oh my! St. Ignatius loves STEM forward experiments in our state of the art Science lab. A geode is an igneous or sedimentary rock that forms when gases are trapped. Over time water seeps in and interacts with the gases to form crystal formations. In this STEM experiment, St. Ignatius students made predictions about the outside and inside of the geode to determine whether it was igneous or sedimentary and what crystals formed internally. Then the fun began! Students loved cracking open the geodes to identify the type of crystal formation inside. What middle school student wouldn’t love using a hammer and playing with rocks in the middle of the day? Science is fun at St. Ignatius Catholic!

Every October, Phillips Preparatory School holds a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. Last month, the school raised $837.50 with “Pink Out Cancer Day.” Students paid $5 to be out of uniform and in pink! The funds were to be donated to Providence Hospital’s Breast Cancer Center.

Congratulations to Jayden Whatley, who represented Griggs Elementary Schools as the Star Student at the SouthWest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce’s November Luncheon. Jayden was selected as the Star Student for his excellence in academic achievement and attendance.

Cypress Grove Academy students celebrated Greek Week in October. Students read famous Greek myths, tasted delicious Greek cuisine, and participated in Greek-inspired games. It was a fun week for the entire student body!

Parker Davis, a third-grader at E.R. Dickson Elementary School, led a school-wide fundraiser in which students and staff were invited to donate $1 in order to wear jeans to school. He collected $354 for the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama, where Parker, who has cleft palate, has received care and treatment. This is the second year that he has led this fundraiser.

October was Dyslexia Awareness Month. Read Write Academy learned the truths, myths and facts about dyslexia and everything they overcome as a dyslexic learner. The students dressed up for “Rolo”-over & Get Out of Bed Monday, Be a Lifesaver Tuesday, Payday Wednesday, and Taste the Rainbow Thursday. Everyone enjoyed dressing up, learning more about dyslexia and spreading awareness of what makes them unique.

In first grade the children at Corpus Christi Catholic School are blossoming into fluent readers. To encourage the love of reading, around Halloween they dressed dress as their favorite book character and wrote a report they presented it to the class.

St. Ignatius forms leaders in mind, body and spirit. One way leadership is developed is through public speaking opportunities. SGA representatives Graham Mayhall, Dominic Tolleson and Jack Robinson recently visited Archangel Radio and spoke on air promoting St. Ignatius Catholic. They led the radio show with poise and maturity. Previous speaking opportunities like Mass readings, service projects, classroom presentations and more gave them the confidence needed to represent St. Ignatius with pride. Great job, students! #TheCatholicDifference

At St. Luke’s Episcopal School Mrs. Lersch’s middle school Flight and Space students & future aerospace engineers designed, prototyped and tested aircraft models to learn about the science of flight. Limited to the provided supplies, each team of students utilized higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills while following the engineering design process. They were encouraged to experiment with different airplane designs, test their creations in a controlled environment, document their results, and continue to refine the models to improve their performance based on the desired outcome. Each plane had to complete a flight by attempting to land on a precise target located 3 meters away without flipping or rolling over.

Davidson High School and Lott Middle School competed at the Emerald Coast BEST robotics competition in Pensacola recently and both advanced to the South’s BEST regional competition, set for the first week of December in Florence! Davidson RobotEx took first place for creative design and engineering drawings, second place for the BEST award and second or third in several other categories.

Old Shell Road School of Creative and Performing Arts teacher, Ms. Monica J. Beasley, has been named Alabama Art Teacher of the Year. We are so thankful for Ms. Beasley’s service to our school and community.

The seven MCPSS middle schools that began offering a Leadership Officer Training Course (LOTC) this year competed in their first drill competition at Fort Whiting recently.
In the squad drill competition, Hankins placed first, Semmes was second and Calloway-Smith was third. In the color guard competition, Calloway-Smith took first, Semmes was second and B.T. Washington placed third.
MCPSS is the first school system in the state of Alabama to offer LOTC, which focuses on character development and introduces middle school students to drill and ceremonies, along with VEX IQ robotics, drone technology, and physical fitness.
Participating middle schools are: Calloway-Smith, Hankins, Lott, Pillans, Semmes, Booker T. Washington and Williamson Middle Grades Preparatory Academy.
Mobile County Public Schools thanks the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, which sponsored and judged the drill competition.

St. Luke’s life-size Operation game is a fun teaching tool for our future surgeons to enjoy in the Japonica Campus Biomedical Sciences Classroom! Students have a blast while improving their dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Our talented University Campus students built our Operation game!

Our senior SGA officers had the opportunity to visit the Mobile Va Outpatient Clinic to pass out Thank You cards created by our lower school students. We count it an honor to offer our gratitude to all the brave men and women who have served our country.

Congratulations to Covenant Christian School’s Cross Country Team! The team won the prestigious Spirit Award for the THIRD consecutive year at the Mobile Elementary XC League Championship Meet. Team members include (front row) Jonathan Chavali, Dylan Chavali, Adeline Greenwood, Taylor Wilson, Naomi Powell, Clara Moffett, Colson Stafford, Harper Malone, Grace Conner, Dawson Willyerd; (middle row) Alina Moffett, Wesley Keesee, Jenny Neese; (back) Levi Keesee; and Coach Lisa Rush. Special recognition also goes to Colson Stafford, who finished 4th overall in the Championship race, and Wesley Keesee, Alina Moffett, and Taylor Wilson, who placed in their respective age groups. Go Eagles!!

St. Mary Mustangs Division 4 Flag Football Team took home the 2024 Championship on October 28! St. Mary’s winning coaches include Matt Boos, Luke Dyas, Brandon Hambright, and Blake Stein!

The purpose of Super Reader Week is to highlight the importance of early childhood literacy and to create excitement about reading. From parents, to college athletes, to alumni, to community leaders, we have loved having guest readers in our classrooms throughout the day!

2nd Grade students read No room on the Broom! The students used their engineering skills to design a broom that could hold pumpkins.

St. Pius X 5th graders enjoyed a visit from Fox 10 Meteorologist Michael White. They learned about weather patterns and the tools and information used to forecast weather.

Students and faculty at St. Dominic Catholic School took the opportunity last month to honor the men and women who serve our country. Thank you veterans for your service!

Congratulations to St. Mary’s 2023 Toy Bowl Court for raising $11,550 for the CYO Sports Program! These students raised funds through St. Mary’s First-ever Mother/Son-Father/Daughter Dance, McGill-Toolen Game Concessions, Boston Butt sales, St. Mary’s yard sign sales, and the Spirit Wagon! St. Mary’s court members include: Abigail Blaize, Liam Ollis, Braydon Arata, Katie Blanchette, Dominic Evans, Brooke Bunn, Cole Gates, Mary Dowdy, Sam Solano, Molly Dudley, Ellis Dean, JD Williams, Katie Edmondson, Henri Woodard, Martha Ann Grubbs, Alex Gould, Kennedy Hambright, Sam Tyler, Andrew Stowe, Amaya Holmes, Jay French, Paige Johnson, David McGowan, Clara King, Archer LeGrone, Brady Sonnier, Chloe Moore, Seth Demouey, Gabby Proffitt, Magnus Hansen, Harlynn Roberts, and Mason Washington.

The Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals recently honored Satsuma High School Principal Mr. David Diaz as Principal of the Year for District 1. He will move on to be considered as state Principal of the Year, which will be announced in January. “We are all very proud of Mr. Diaz for receiving this well-deserved recognition,” said Tim Guinn, superintendent for Satsuma City Schools. “We’re not surprised because David consistently exhibits the highest standards of professionalism and leadership, always epitomizing the best ideals of our profession.”

Join us in congratulating Mrs. Delaney and the Wright Players on their excellent showing at the Walter S. Trumbauer High School District Theatre Festival in November.
Of their 18 individual events, 2 earned excellent ratings and 16 earned superior ratings (15 will advance to state due to a cap on one of the categories).
For the Studio show, “Ichabod!,” the cast earned four All-Star Cast awards, one Best Supporting Performer award, Best Ensemble, and Best in Show advancing to state with a big, personalized trophy to be picked up in Florence! All-Star Cast: Killian Delaney, Will McNair, Levin Sconyers, Joseph Taylor; Best Supporting Performance – Ridge Tanner.
The Best Ensemble distinction means that the cast was cohesive, consistent, and the commitment and talent of every member of the 22-person cast was clear to the judges!
Now, let’s take STATE!

Lee Elementary School teachers and faculty were recognized at a recently District School Board Meeting for their dedication and commitment to ensuring children in their school are able to read at or above their current grade level before they leave third grade. Lee Elementary was the only school in Mobile County and one of 12 schools and two districts across the state recognized as an Alabama Science of Reading Spotlight School by the Alabama Reading Initiative.
Schools and students were evaluated based on two consecutive years of ACAP scores in Reading and English Language Arts, along with considerations for how scores have improved in that time as well as their commitment to meeting and exceeding the Alabama Literacy Act’s requirements.
Alabama State Department of Education Board Member Dr. Tonya Chestnut presented Lee Elementary Principal Mrs. Suzanne Bahr with a resolution to document this prestigious recognition.
“I am so proud of our teachers, administrators and staff at Lee Elementary,” said Dr. Tim Guinn, superintendent for Satsuma City Schools. “Their passion and caring for our children in Satsuma City Schools is absolutely amazing! It is evident that teaching is more than a profession to them, it is a calling.”

Friends For Satsuma Schools awarded $24,000 in grants to Satsuma City School teachers at a recent school board meeting. “We are very fortunate that Satsuma City Schools is nestled in a community that supports our students and teachers at all grade levels,” said Dr. Tim Guinn, superintendent for Satsuma City Schools. “Our community fully supports educating our children with the community values of integrity and character, even above curricular pursuits. Nothing is more evident of this support than that shown by our Friends For Satsuma. Their selfless sacrifice of time and energy helped to raise money that will go directly into our classrooms to meet the needs of our students. I want to thank Friends For Satsuma for all that you do for our children in Satsuma City Schools.”
The $24,000 donated this year brings the total amount donated to Satsuma City Schools to $159,000.
“When Friends For Satsuma Schools was formed 11 years ago, we never realized what our community, our city, our school system and the Northside Cruisers Car Club would one day achieve,” said Shirley Compton Presnall. “Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to help Friends grow over the years!”

At our Halloween event, our cheer squad put on an amazing performance and our families had a great time enjoying food, drinks, and trick or treating.

The Acton Academy Mobile Eagles set off to spread some holiday cheer as they helped local senior residents in a game of Bingo!

In celebration of All Saints Day, our 4th graders came to school dressed as their favorite Saint and were part of the processional at Mass. Afterwards they led a parade around the school, then gave a short presentation about their Saints.

Being on one campus allows UMS-Wright students to foster relationships with one another regardless the grade level. The practice of allowing younger students to learn from older students is a prominent part of our curricular and co-curricular programs. Regular cross-grade level interaction takes place in classrooms, choral rooms, theater labs, athletic facilities, and dining halls designed so that younger students will be influenced by positive role models in higher grades.
In November our younger students took a “field trip” to the Middle School and participated in STEM activities with the 5th grade!

Each year, UMS-Wright’s 8th graders spend a week at Camp Grace to take part in bonding activities as a class and to complete a service project. They participated in a high ropes course that tested their team-building skills. The students constructed & sold benches, Adirondack chairs, cornhole boards, and more! From the sales of these items, $3,500 will be donated to Camp Rap-a-Hope as well as $3,500 to Camp Smile.

A group of homeschoolers from The Field Trip Line-up and More went on a field trip to the Air Traffic Control Tower at Mobile Regional Airport. They toured the facilities and saw Air Traffic Controllers in action. They also learned what it takes to become an Air Traffic Controller.

Manners for Life class, our students learned how to have meaningful conversations and participated in team building exercises! They had to work together to complete a puzzle. Everyone had a job to do in order for the team to be successful.

Heartwood Christian Academy’s Lower School participated in a field trip to USA’s Archaeology Museum where history comes to life! Albert Einstein once said, that the best way to know the future is to visit the past. The past became tangible and real upon exploration of this amazing museum. Best of all, HCA’s students learned the relevance of archaeology and how it relates to life as they viewed artifacts from the Gulf Coast and learned about ancient cultures.

Congratulations to Heartwood Christian Academy’s high school archery team and Coach Shelley Kirk for ranking 2nd place as a high school team in the Causey Monster Shoot Bullseye and 3D Tournament.
Several of HCA’s archers successfully made it to the leaderboards. Jarek Hoach scored a career-high and received a 2nd place medal for middle school boys for Bullseye. He scored his first 50, which is quite an achievement. Natalie Kirk ranked 1st place for high school girls in Bullseye and 2nd place for high school girls 3D.
A huge congratulatory shout-out to archers Jondavid Norstedt, Jesse Scott, Josalyn Hoach, Matthew Crabtree, Brooklyn Norstedt, Cary March, Annalyn Scott, Laila Evans, Allison Kirk, and Thompson Norstedt also scoring career-highs. Way to go Lions!

Congratulations to these talented artists whose work is being showcased at the West Regional Library for the Alabama Art Education Association Fall Art Show. Their creativity and skill have truly come to life in these captivating pieces on display for the month of November. We celebrate their achievements and applaud their ability to inspire and captivate us all through their beautiful creations.

The St. Luke’s Robotics Team competed at the Emerald Coast Best Robotics Competition at the University of West Florida.  They came in first place in the robotic competition, competing against 16 teams.  They now advance to the championship in Florence, Alabama to compete against 44 other teams.  We’re extremely proud of their hardwork!

At Council the kindergarteners had an exciting day as Mobile’s brave community helpers, the firefighters, paid them a visit. These little learners got firsthand knowledge about the vital role firefighters play in our community. From safety tips to exploring the awe-inspiring firetruck, it was an experience that left a lasting impression. A big thank you to our heroic firefighters for inspiring and educating the next generation!

Acton Academy Mobile welcomed local news anchor Chelsey Sayasane to learn more about how Fox10 news runs and all the important roles there. She shared all about what makes her passionate about her job and career as the students got to see if this is an area of interest they’d like to pursue!

Congratulations to the newly elected student officers of Council Traditional School for the 2023-2024 academic year! Your dedication and leadership skills will surely make a positive impact on the school community. We look forward to seeing you excel in your roles and inspire fellow students. Best wishes as you embark on this exciting journey of service and representation!

Phillips Preparatory IB Learner profile highlight for the month was “Caring.” Our standout students for this trait are 8th grader, Claire Stringfellow and 6th grader, Julian Brown. Additionally, Kudos to our 6th-8th grade Computer Science and Technology teacher, Mrs. Wakefield, who was acknowledged by multiple students.

Members of the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department visited Little Flower Catholic School. Students got a first hand look and feel of the firemen’s gear, equipment, and truck. The most exciting part of the visit included students practicing putting out a couple of fires. A big thank you to the Fire and Rescue team for such a great visit.

Phillips Preparatory School participated in the Feeding the Gulf Coast Cereal Food drive last month. Our student council personally delivered 255 boxes of cereal. This equates to 290 lbs. Of cereal and will provide nearly 245 meals to families in need. We are truly grateful for our students’ generosity

Last month, St. Mary Catholic School welcomed Fr. Patrick Gilbreath, Archdiocese of Mobile Director of Vocations, to celebrate two of the weekly student Masses. Father Gilbreath visited all of the classrooms and made time to talk about vocations to St. Mary’s 5th graders.

At Barton Academy of Advanced World Studies, World Languages and Global Studies are woven throughout the learning. Our French, German, and Spanish support their language students as they plan and present experiential learning for the other students on campus. So, even if you are not taking the same language, you are still exposed to the language and the many cultures and places around the world that speak these languages. Here you can see a recent Oktoberfest traditional dance being hosted by German 9th grade students and taught to fellow Barton students and teachers. Also, we have “El Dia de Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead” ofrendas on display created by the Spanish students. Finally, we have a glimpse at one day of our National French Week display planned and presented beautifully by our 9th grade French students for all who enter Barton. From ambient music playing softly in the background, to student created displays visible around the school, to cultural dancing, food, and art creation, Barton Academy students are experiencing many flavors and wonders from around the world.

Clark Shaw hosted our first STEM Fair on October 10th, 2023.
We had several community partners join us as we showcased what Clark Shaw is all about to our students.

The Auburn COACHES (Center for Opiod Research, Education, and Outreach) program visited Barton Academy during Red Ribbon Week to share information about drug awareness and safety. They had interactive obstacle courses with student and teacher participation while the students learned about drug safety and decision making. Pictured above is Therese Mulroy, trying in vain to walk a straight line with impacted vision from simulation goggles.

The Field Trip Line-up and More Homeschoolers visited the Fire Station at the Airport. They learned how firefighters use their special truck and tools for airplane fires.

Students at St. Dominic Catholic School celebrated Dia de los Muertos (the day of the dead) in Spanish class.

Congratulations to the Clark-Shaw Robotics Team for bringing home several trophies from Troy’s BEST Robotics Competition! Great job students and sponsors, and now we are headed to regionals.
1st Place- Robot Performance
2nd Place- Marketing Presentation
2nd Place- Spirit and Sportsmanship
3rd Place- Overall BEST Award
3rd Place- Exhibit Booth and Formal Interviews

Our middle and high school parents were invited to join us for a picnic on Monday, October 16, Parenting Day! While here, they ate lunch with their students, picked up report cards, visited the PTO booth, and received digital citizenship information from the librarian and kindness week information from the counselor. Middle and high school students saw their families making the extra effort to partner with their school to support them. The weather was beautiful and the picnic was perfect.

At Little Flower Catholic School, eighth grade students learned about Newton’s law, energy, and motion. Lining dominoes up and allowing them to fall brought potential energy to kinetic energy, with students designing their own experiments in motion.

Teachers at Little Flower Catholic School make time each day for students to enjoy time with their favorite books. Not only do reading skills grow, but self discipline and sharing ideas become part of the process. Read, Vikings, read!!