Student Spotlights – February 2024

Cypress Grove Academy House leaders shared gifts of food with a local homeless shelter this Christmas, and Grammar school students shared the gift of song with a local assisted living community.

St. Luke’s Culinary Medicine students created delicious fried rice and rice noodle dishes under the direction of our guest chef, Adam Korzun, who is the Director of Performance Nutrition for the Green Bay Packers. He oversees all aspects of player nutrition, hydration, and supplementation and manages and operates the organization’s Team Dining and Staff Dining.

Congratulations to Satsuma High School Senior Ashland Ross, who was recently selected for the United States Senate Youth Program sponsored by the Hearst Foundation. As a delegate, Ashland will represent Alabama when when she travels to Washington, D.C., in early March to hear major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials of the Department of State and Defense, and directors of federal agencies; as well as participate in a meeting with a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and possibly the President of the United States. In addition to participating in this prestigious week of events, Ashland will also receive a $10,000 scholarship for her accomplishment.
At Satsuma, Ashland is the President of Student Council, a Junior City Council representative, and an active member and officer in multiple clubs and honor societies. She also serves as the Second Lady-in-Waiting of the 2023-2024 Mobile Azalea Trail Court. After graduating, Ashland plans to pursue a degree in the pre-law tract with the intentions of serving in public office one day.

As the technology teacher at Mary B. Austin Elementary and Mobile County Public Schools, Maria Gronowski has impacted countless lives! With over 500 students yearly, she makes the effort to build strong relationships with everyone teaches. She has been nominated for the 2023-2024 Lifechanger of the Year Award sponsored by National Life Group. You can read more about her nomination at https://app.lifechangeroftheyear.com/nomination_detail.cfm?NominationID=21142

Thank you to all of our Covenant Christian School Junior High students who jumped in to help load canned goods and to our service elective students who led the effort. Amazing! These cans are headed to Feeding the Gulf Coast.

Little Flower students and staff helped get the whole school in the Christmas spirit with their program named CHRISTMAS TALENTS AND TREATS. Students sang solo pieces, a pantomime piece, and a choral piece with nearly 20 students on the stage. Teachers gave the audience some thoughtful performances as well. A husband and wife duo, a poetry reading, and the real story of the first Christmas from Saint Luke’s Gospel let the audience see the adults shine. At the end of the performance, student performers passed around trays of sweets. We are grateful to Mrs. Lehman and Miss Hill for their hard work to make the show such a success.

Clark-Shaw’s NJHS students helped to organize the toy drive at school again this year. Students encouraged others to bring toys to support our local community.

Congratulations to 5th Grader Destinee Barnes on winning the elementary digital category for the 2024 MCPSS Film Festival Poster Design Contest. She created her digital design during Innovative Labs and was among almost 50 digital entries for the school. She will be recognized along with the other winners at the Film Festival in April. Pictured are representatives from the Instructional Technology Department, Destinee and principal Melissa Whigham.

St. Luke’s 6th grade Flight and Space class had “Bring Your Parent to Class Day” to allow our students and parents time to collaborate on class work and for the parents to have the opportunity to see what their students are learning in a class setting. Each student had three projects: creating paper airplanes, fuel pumps using air balloons, and propellants using liquid rocket fuel.

St. Luke’s 3rd-grade students recently took a journey back in time to learn about the customs of the Colonial era by dressing in colonial-style clothing and making candles, quilting, writing with quill and ink, making and playing colonial games, making butter for biscuits, weaving, etc. They also visited an apothecary to learn about medical care during colonial times and that doctors of the time were nothing like medical professionals today. Oftentimes, common illnesses and minor injuries resulted in death. Only those who could afford expensive medical care were treated by a “doctor.”

Heartwood Christian Academy’s Student Council officers were formerly installed in a ceremony during the Thanksgiving luncheon. The officers received pens honoring the office held. Congratulations to the following officers for the countless hours of dedication and hard work since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year: Marabella Wilmoth, President; Lauren Higgins, Vice President; Sophie Tritch, 1st Vice President; and Libby March, Secretary. Twenty-twenty-three Student Council’s project highlights include a high school Meet and Greet social, Operation Shoebox Missions, and reading to the lower school. A myriad of meetings, fundraising, and bulletin boards were met with enthusiasm and an effort to complete the mission.

Clark-Shaw cheerleaders are pillars of their community. They strive to be positive and productive members of their communities by adhering to their personal values and having a shared responsibility in supporting others through various events.

The Little Flower Catholic School middle school library was visited by a generous benefactor who left a stocking for every student. Each stocking held a book and a Christmas wish for happy reading. Some say they heard reindeer on the roof before the stockings showed up, but that couldn’t be confirmed.

Phillips Preparatory I.B. Learner profile highlight for the month was “Principled.” Our standout students for this trait were 6th grade student, Broderick West and 7th grade student, Kyleigh Southall. Our I.B. Teacher of the month is Ms. Thomaston.

The Corpus Christi Art Club received 2nd place in the Mobile Regional Art Christmas Tree Contest. Over the last few months our students have worked hard creating each ornament. Thank you, Mrs. Moulder and Mr. Stoyka for sharing your passion and love for Art with our students.

Heartwood Christian Academy high school students enjoyed hands-on learning through the exploration of physics. Mrs. Callahan’s physics class participated in a challenge with the students required to construct a catapult. The design was left up to the student … no rules. Students learned about force, acceleration, and gravity through hands-on competitions using marshmallows, ping pong balls, marbles, and more to see which design would move the object farther and catch the object. Mrs. Callahan furthered the learning by having students demonstrate their knowledge by applying test runs, data entries, and final measurements. Mrs. Callahan’s science classes consistently exceed expectations!

On January 9th Corpus Christi Catholic School hosted our Annual School Spelling Bee. Congratulations to our winner, Rafaela Silva. She will go on to compete in the Archdiocesan Spelling Bee later this month.

Our Read Write Academy students finished a unit on Robotics in science class. To add to their learning and experience, STEM for Kids Mobile Bay came and taught them how to make their own robot. They learned about robots in our world, following directions, problem solving and coding! Our students loved this in-house field trip!

Congratulations to Phillips Preparatory’s Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Kristen James. Mrs. James is one of our 8th grade science teachers, department chair, and assistant volleyball coach. We are so proud of her hard work and dedication to our students.

Students at Denton Magnet School of Technology were highly impacted and inspired by the Litter Literacy presentation that came to their school last fall. Several 6th grade social studies students asked if they could do an environmental awareness project in class and so they did!
Students spent a week learning, reading, researching, and then presenting their projects. Students could focus on one of 4 key areas: Conserving Water, Reducing Food Waste, Conserving Energy, or Reduce/ Reuse/ Recycle “Stuff”.
After the presentations, the students then had to create a one-page flyer to educate others in the community. The top 10 student created flyers were posted around the school, as well as Davidson High School, on Denton’s school website, in the school newsletter, and were also shared with the city’s Litter Literacy Campaign.
Pictured from left to right: Aubrey Newton, Fawaz Nhaier, Alex McGill, Jakhauri Griggs, Dreion Hardy, Amber Rose, Michael Freyaldenhoven, Amora Ruport, and Jaxon McCarthy. Also pictured is Denton social studies teacher Dr. Kerr, Davidson High Principal Mr. Richardson, and Denton Magnet Principal Mr. Stevenson.

Congratulations to eighth grader Ethan Spottswood for winning the Mobile Christian Spelling Bee. Ethan has competed in the spelling bee since he was in fourth grade, and this year is his third time to win. Ethan will compete in the Mobile County Spelling Bee for a chance to participate in the Alabama State Spelling Bee. Way to go!

Students in the 5th grade at St. Dominic Catholic School are learning block coding. Students work to complete lessons that will further their knowledge into the world of coding.

On Thursday and Friday, the Eichold-Mertz Archery Team traveled to Semmes Middle School, where they competed in their second archery tournament! As a team, they improved their collective score by 488 points! Every single archer improved from the previous tournament. We are so proud of their growth and determination! Go Investigators!

Phillips Preparatory’s 8th grade students in Mrs. Lewis’s Individuals and Societies classes engaged in ‘Meet & Greek’, embodying notable figures from Ancient Greece. They delivered introductory speeches in character. Many gods and goddesses were in attendance, along with a few Spartan soldiers! Alexander the Great even made an appearance this year!

A multitude of dedicated St. Paul’s students have actively participated in this year’s Fostering Together birthday card initiative, designed to bring joy to foster children within their program. Our students willingly sacrificed their study halls and common room moments to craft over 500 heartfelt birthday cards thus far! The impactful gesture extends beyond the artistic expression; recipients of these handmade cards are also granted a special coupon to choose a meaningful gift at Fostering Together on their birthdays.

Students in the 3rd grade at St. Dominic Catholic School created a project focusing on how animals work together to help each other in their habitat. These students are acting as ants who are helping build a bridge together.

Students in the seventh grade geography class at St. Dominic Catholic School created brochures on various countries around the word.

On January 5, in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, 247Sports reported that top college football scouts witnessed 600 underclassmen display their skills in the National Combine. Among these 1,000 student-athletes was our very own Shadarius Toodle. Toodle’s performance secured him an invitation to the 2026 All-American Bowl. We eagerly anticipate how he will represent Cottage Hill during the next two seasons!

On Friday morning of January 5th, the entire sophomore class of St. Paul’s embarked on a meaningful journey to the citrus orchards owned by Jack Boatman and Chandler Bramlett in the Salt Aire community. The purpose of this collective effort was nothing short of admirable – to glean grapefruits, oranges, and satsumas, all destined to grace the tables of those in need.
The students, under the guidance of committed chaperones including Marty Smisson, Angelica Howard, Tyler Kerns, Mark Bryant, Lisa McDonough, Jody Wade, David Armstrong, Tim Huber, Ryne Baxter, Laura McGee, and Leslie Lerner, immersed themselves in a few hours of purposeful labor. Together, they not only harvested the fruits but also sorted, boxed, and delivered them to Feeding the Gulf Coast food bank and the Africatown Food Pantry.

Congratulations to the winners of the Mobile County Public Schools Film Festival poster contest! These students will be recognized at the MCPSS Film Festival on April 26 at the Saenger Theatre. They are: Francois Pasion of E. R. Dickson Elementary (traditional); Destinee Barnes of Mary B. Austin Elementary (digital); Aiva Agato of Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies (traditional); and Elizabeth Jones of Barton Academy (digital).

Fifty schools joined Central Office and the MCPSS Board of School Commissioners in donating toys to MCPSS’ annual Stuff the Bus toy drive in December. They combined to donate over 6,000 toys, which were delivered to WKRG’s Magical Christmas Toy Drive for distribution to needy families throughout the Gulf Coast.
Two buses crossed the county and visited each of the participating schools to pick up donations, with Santa and Mrs. Claus visiting students along the way. Students from Alba Middle and Burroughs Elementary then joined employees from the MCPSS Office of Communication and Transportation Department to help unload the toys.
“It gives me joy to give to kids that don’t get this usually,” said Alba student Creighton Ellis, who was among those helping unload the toys at WKRG. “We’re making mountains of toys and it makes me happy to see that.”

Eichold Mertz Magnet School of Math, Science, and Technology was named “One of the Best Elementary Schools” in U.S. News and World Report. Go Investigators!

Congratulations to our LBA creative writing winners! The top selections will advance to the AISA state competition.

St. Mary’s Catholic School held their inaugural “5 on 5 Christmas Classic” this past December. Six teams battled it out in 5 on 5 basketball games under St. Mary’s Ollis Pavillion in 15 minute games, with the final game totaling 30 minutes. St. Mary’s Coach Medeiros and Coach Ryan were the officiants, and Coach McDuffie was the time, bracket and score board keeper. St. Mary’s overall winning team included St. Mary 8th graders, Seth DeMouy, JD Williams, Liam Ollis, Jay French, and Mason Winter. Photo by Kortnee Acton.

The Little Flower Vikings boys’ basketball team is showing their stuff on the court. Working as a team and learning from good coaches has helped form the team this season. Their Viking spirit keeps them focused on playing their best. Go Vikings!!

In January, our 7th and 8th grade students had the opportunity to tour our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The students were immersed in learning about the history of our nation by visiting several prominent locations. They visited the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Capital Building, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, several monuments and memorials, and so much more! A small number of our students were even able to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. CHCA is thankful to get to offer this trip for our students as an opportunity for them to learn about our nation in an exciting and hands on way.

At Mobile Christian School, we believe that everyone has the potential to be a leader. This year, 190 students in grades kindergarten through fifth applied, interviewed, and were hired for school wide leadership roles. Some roles for our “Leopard Leaders” include Preschool Pals, Public Speakers, Tour Guides, Buddy Readers, and Art Amigos. Our leopards love to lead!

St. Mary’s Catholic School Spelling held their Annual Spelling Bee this past December under the direction of St. Mary’s Spelling Bee Coordinator and teacher, Aimee Guerret. St. Mary’s Overall Spelling Bee Champion is 8th grade student Jack O’Dowd and Runner-up is 6th grader, Brian Holladay. Jack will move on to the Archdiocese of Catholic Schools competition in winter of 2024. St. Mary Catholic congratulates all St. Mary’s Spelling Bee participants in grades 4th through 8th for a job well done! Photo by Diane Roberts.

St. Mary Parish hosted their annual Lighting Up Midtown on the Feast of St. Nicholas this past December 6. Under the leadership of St. Mary’s parishioner, Leslie Fowlkes, her merry team made this a fun event for all with great food, hot chocolate and cookie making centers, a photo booth, pictures with Santa, and a new vendor area. Special thanks goes out to Mobile’s Lafayette Street Fire Department for organizing the arrival of Santa and lifting St. Mary’s Principal, Corinne Cuffle on the firetruck ladder to kick off the event with the lighting of this year’s Christmas Tree! Submitted by Marcelle Naman
Pictured: St. Mary’s Pastor, Father Stephen Vrazel with St. Mary’s Principal, Corinne Cuffle, and members of the Lafayette Street Fire Department.

Ja-den Carson-Brooks of Blount High School was named Miss Gulf Coast Teen Volunteer of the Year! Ja-den, pictured with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, takes dual enrollment classes through Bishop State Community College and participates in cheerleading, track and field, choir, DECA and JROTC at Blount. She does volunteer work at the Ronald McDonald House and Mt. Hebron Ministries, and also does early childhood reading at several local elementary schools.

St. Mary’s Catholic held their annual Christmas Pageant on The Feast of St. Nicholas, December 6 in St. Mary’s Church. Kindergarten students portrayed the roles in the greatest story ever told, and students in grades first through 6th sang Christmas Carols between acts. Special thanks to St. Mary’s teachers, students, and families for making this year’s beautiful performance possible! Submitted by Marcelle Naman.

Congratulations to the following artists for the honor of having their artwork displayed at the state capitol in Montgomery for the State Superintendent art show. Your creativity and skill have earned you a well-deserved place among the top ten elementary artists in Mobile County. Brayden Williams, Cameron Bright, Les’Leigh Nettles, Ava Drew, Katie Blejwas, and Dallas Patterson.

High school genetics classes used Hudson Alpha to take on the role of geneticists and evaluated astronauts’ health before sending them to space. They applied lessons they had learned about multifactorial traits and inheritance to make the best decisions for their assigned astronaut!

Amir Calderon-Acevedo, an eighth-grader at Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies, was selected as a finalist in a National STEM Challenge through EXPLR and the U.S. Department of Education. He now has the opportunity to compete for a trip to Washington, D.C.! Amir, a member of Barton’s robotics team, participated in the challenge through STEAM Lab and Technology Specialist Nicole Bolton’s STEM Explorer Elective.

Recently, Kindergarten through 8th grade students had the pleasure of talking with two St. Ignatius and McGill-Toolen Catholic alums who are in formation for the priesthood: Joe Seiter (Jesuits) and Luke Nicholas (Archdiocese of Mobile). Each week at Friday School Mass, St. Ignatius students pray for all the seminarians and specifically Joe and Luke by name. It was wonderful for students to put a face with a name. Special thanks to these two great Catholic leaders for answering a bunch of questions and praying with our students. We are all called to be saints and are grateful for these young men who are living the faith and sharing it with students at St. Ignatius. #TheCatholicDifference #impalapride

Members of the St. Ignatius SGA volunteered to have buckets of ice cold water poured on their heads to raise funds for Penelope House. Service is very important at St. Ignatius. Service can also be fun! Students could donate $1 per entry for a chance to “ice” one of the beloved SGA representatives. Penelope House was greatly appreciative of the support and students had a very cold blast with Frozen Friday! #TheCatholicDifference #impalapride

After reading and analyzing The Outsiders, 7th grade students got to participate in Outsiders Day recently: Greasers vs Socs. Learning is fun at St. Ignatius! St. Ignatius is blessed with amazing teachers and a challenging curriculum but, also tries to foster an engaging and exciting academic environment. #HisPathTheirFuture #HisPathStartsHere

St. Pius X seventh-grade students Jennifer Ulin-Sanchez and EveMarie Gaudet are pictured with their principal, Mrs. Lauren Alvarez, at the McGill-Toolen Future Scholars Dinner. Photo: Joseph Gaudet

St. Pius X Kindergarteners and 3rd graders put on a Christmas Nativity Play following Mass for the students and parents. Photo: Lauren Alvarez

St. Pius X 4th graders enjoy Spirit Shirt Day and Popcorn on a beautiful, crisp day. Thank you, PTO Volunteers! Photo: Kim Meyers

Recently, the LWCC Kingdom Academy students presented their oral Book Reports. Their oral presentations included the following: Book Title, Main Characters, Author, Story Setting, Main Events, Main Conflict and Resolution, Story Symbolism and Message, and Important Reference Sources and Pages. All students eagerly participated in this great learning experience at LWCCKA, where READING IS A “WINDOW TO THE WORLD”.

LWCC Kingdom Academy students participated in a marketing project, which offered them the opportunity to exercise their management and marketing skills as entrepreneurs. Students were able to sell their creative masterpieces that they had skillfully put together: bracelets, sandwiches, song recordings, paintings, and more. The LWCC Kingdom Academy students were very impressive with each presentation!

14 buses, 6 planes, four trips, and a lifetime of memories…that is a wrap on Project Engage 2024! Project Engage offers a unique cross-curriculum, hands-on learning experience that allows students to delve deeply into an area of personal interests while developing deeper relationships with peers and faculty with similar academic curiosities!
The 14 experiences were Cayman Islands, Art on the Coast, All About the Food, Design/Build/Fly, Disney World, Ready/Set/Dive, Archaeology, The Other Side of Sports, Forestry, Tools to Take You to the Top, Grand Canyon, Berlin/Prague/Swiss Alps, & Exploring Recreational Sports!

Aside from the 14 experiences that were offered with Project Engage, over 50 students participated in individual internships. In order to participate in an internship, students must apply, accrue a minimum of 42 hours of practical experience, keep a daily journal of their activities and observations, and write an essay at the end of the internship!
[Thomas Arendall – Beard Equipment, Henry Arras – Mobile County Democratic Party, Madelyn Audia – Mobile County DA Office, Evelyn Baird – Providence Hospital, Anne Margaret Bridges – Dakinstreet Architects and Maurin Architecture, Cecile Brown – Wilmer Hall Children’s Home, Frances Brown – Event Planning with Innovative Captive Strategies, Walker Busbee – University of South Alabama STEM Professors, Austyn Buskness – Berry, Appleman, and Leiden LLP (immigration law in Dallas, TX), Khandro Butler – Coast Guard, Elizabeth Catranis – Mitchell Cancer Institute, Carlen Cook – Home of Grace for Women, Jacob Cooper – Mobile Infirmary Neurosurgery (Dr. Gordon), Nicholas Cooper – Mobile Infirmary ER (Dr. Fischhertz), Claire Cross – Orthopedic Group (Dr. Clint Howard), Madylin Dawson – Children’s Medical Group (Dr. Huettemann), Ethan DeGraeve – USA (Dr. Audia, Professor of Microbiology), Killian Delaney – Mobile Bay Magazine, Helen DeLaney – PACT Theatre Company, Anne Freeman – Careerxchange, INC (Staffing Agency in Miami, FL), Olivia Gleason – Big Yellow Dog Music, LLC (Nashville, TN), Katharine Goodloe – Canfor Southern Pine, Ava Harvill – Orthopedic Group (Dr. Clint Howard), Jake Jay – Glass Orthodontics, Louise Ladd – Arzberger Stationers (Printery in Charlotte, NC), Finlay Lavelle – Grassy Roots Commercial Real Estate, Emma Marmande – PMT Publishing and Lagniappe Weekly, AnnaBeth McCain – Mobile County District Courthouse – Judge Cheriogotis, Ellie McCormick – Judge Phillips, Jewel McCrary – USA (Dr. Shelley-Tremblay, professor Psychology), Allen Moore – USA – Dr. Barrington (professor Microbiology/Immunology), Anna Bell Muscat – Lucy Barr Designs, Campbell Myers – Mitchell Cancer Institute (Dr. Sarkar), Sadie Norris – USA Hospital (Interventional Radiology), Liza Perry – Brandon Maxwell in New York City, Jerrick Phan – USA (Professor Joseph Richardson Research/Engineering), Jay Ramsay – PACT Theatre Company, John Ramsay – Auburn University (Turf Management), Anne Roberds – Ashland Place Preschool, Kate Roberson – Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Caroline Ronek – Team Church in Matthews, NC, Alex Sherman – Infirmary Therapy Services – Fleming Institute, Areej Siddiqui – USA C&W (Dr. Batten/USA – Dr. Prakash, Cancer Care), Mariah Smith -Infirmary Pediatrics (Dr. Johnson/Dr. Jeukeng), Ryan Steele – McMurphy Orthodontics, Kathleene Walker – Greater Mobile Laser & Aesthetic Center (Dr. Jill Ringold), Emily Walton – Distinguished Young Women National Office, Elizabeth Warren – UMS-Wright (Mrs. Paula Kiszla), Elizabeth Whitehead – Coastal Dermatology (Dr. Kathryn Dempsey), Braydon Williford – KLS Martin Manufacturing, LLC in Jacksonville, FL, Emily Wolf – Hargrove Engineers and Constructors]