Student Spotlights – April 2024

Congratulations to the Clark Shaw Math Team for their 1st place win in Math Counts! A special shout out to Edwin Perry (2nd overall) and Jacob Duncan (4th overall) in the individual timed test portion. Wish them all well as they head to the State competition in March!

The Clark-Shaw Scholars’ Bowl team competed as a state qualifier in the ASCA State Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. Congratulations to these students who represented Clark-Shaw Magnet School well!

The Covenant Christian School News elective has had the best time learning how to gather and report school news in preparation for the morning announcements every Friday.
The news crew had some special helpers to say the pledges and the week’s memory verse! This will continue throughout the year with the other elementary classes! It’s always a blessing when the Jr. High students get a chance to connect with the elementary students!

The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at Little Flower Catholic School had an educational and inspiring experience at the Africatown Heritage House. One student, reflecting on his visit, said, “The Africatown community has an amazing yet sad story behind it, but people sharing stories from American history helps us all learn”. Another student remarked, “I really appreciated the detail of the ship that they remade. It helped us understand the history that happened”.

Cypress Grove Academy held a grammar school History Parade in true Mobile style! Each class paraded and presented a recitation from their history studies this year: American flags, St. Patrick’s prayer, Greek gods and goddesses, Byzantine Empire characters, and America’s founding documents concluding with the Declaration of Independence by high school students!

Three remarkable Mobile County Public Schools students were recently named Outstanding Student Leaders of the Semester by Mobile United’s Education Task Force: Korie Dunnam of Griggs Elementary, Tavarus Wills-Young of Burns Middle, and Marc Leyk of Murphy High School. They were chosen from over 58,000 students countywide for their exceptional character, leadership and service to others.

The Theodore High School cheerleaders placed second in the nation at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando. The Bobcats competed in the Small Varsity Coed Game Day Division 2. Local schools also performing well include: Mary G. Montgomery, which placed ninth in Small Varsity Coed Game Day Division 1; Baker, which ranked No. 7 in the semifinals for Medium Varsity Coed Game Day; and Causey Middle, which placed in the Top 10 in the middle school division.

The Kindergarten Fashion Show is a beloved, generational, St. Ignatius tradition. This year’s theme was the 50 states. This fun filled program is also a very important leadership opportunity for students. Students stand up in front of the entire school to sing as a class and individually recite their character’s lines. Public speaking skills are fostered early at St. Ignatius. These skills go with the framework of forming strong Catholic leaders in mind, body and spirit. Great job, kindergarten Impalas!

Congratulations to Kyleigh Moore, a 5th grader at Council Traditional Elementary School. We are so proud of your incredible achievement at the science fair. Her dedication and passion for chemistry have truly paid off. Winning 1st place in the Chemistry division and claiming the top award as the Best in Show is a remarkable accomplishment. The Council community is extremely proud of all the participates who contributed to the success of this year’s science fair. Other first place winners were Eli Burge– Earth Science, Abigail Krause– Energy & Power, Carson Gaskin– Physics, Kylee Simmons– Biology, Carly Butterfield– Food Science, and Elijah Davis– Engineering, Math, Computer & Sports Science. Keep reaching for the stars and inspiring others with your love for science.

Leinkauf Elementary and Lott Middle School are among 32 schools statewide to be recognized this year as CLAS Schools of Distinction by the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools. Leinkauf is being recognized for its Book Tasting and Child Nutrition Day, during which students “taste” different genres of books as well as recipes from local chefs. Lott is being recognized for its Agriculture Program, which is paired with its 4H Garden Club. Students get time outside growing plants in the school’s greenhouse, and teachers tie in classroom lessons ranging from science to research to literature.

These kids’ shopping adventures may just seem like some simple afternoon fun, but they’re actually engaging in a positive learning experience: encouraging creativity, curiosity, communication and conflict resolution!

Congratulations to the winners of Council Traditional School’s annual Black History Month Oratorical Contest!
First Grade: Chloe Packer
Second Grade: Mayson Chapman
Third Grade: Baileigh Mosley-Stokes
Fourth Grade: Harleigh Stewart
Fifth Grade: Emily Williams

Little Flower celebrated Read Aloud Day with guest speakers on campus. Ashley Cooke, Devon Walsh, and Frani Stewart, members of the Notre Dame Club of Mobile, read lively selections to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. One special part of Read Aloud Day was an invitation for students to be read to by a loved one at home.

As spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter, students at Little Flower Catholic School pray the Stations of the Cross. The each of the fourteen stations reminds the students about the hours before the death of Jesus, and makes this preparation more meaningful, leading to a more joyful Easter.

Congratulations to Davidson High School’s Advanced Chorus and their instructor, Justin Ortmann, for being selected to perform with Foreigner at their recent concert at the Saenger Theater.
The students were Merrik Anderson, Jana’e Baldwin, Right Beatrice, Natalie Chatel, Emily Dickson, Aniecea Draper, Madison Jones, Kathryn McCrory, and Chanel Smith.

On February 29th, the gifted education department of Mobile County Public Schools hosted a family night at Denton Magnet School of Technology. Families of gifted students and their teachers came together for an enlightening presentation from Dr. Shirley Farrell and an array of engaging activities. From hands-on activities such as building marble runs and origami to deep focus activities such as extreme dot-to-dot, attendees of all ages were treated to a night of discovery and inspiration. As the evening drew to a close, it was evident that Gifted Education Family Night had not only strengthened the bond between families of gifted students and their teachers, but also ignited a passion for lifelong learning in all who attended.

Every year Corpus Christi Catholic School 3rd graders have a unit on famous Americans. Each student made a “bottle buddy” of a famous American of their choice. The students also did a presentation explaining the accomplishments of their famous American.
Great job 3rd grade!!!
Pictured, Ian Jones, Ryleigh Hahlen and SJ Bailey

The Council Golf Club teed up for an incredible clinic with the Pros of the GLOVe Foundation. Under the expert guidance of the pros, our students honed their skills with personalized, one-on-one coaching, elevating their game to new heights. A special thank you to Mr. Ron Davis for orchestrating this fantastic opportunity, allowing our young golfers to immerse themselves in the world of professional training.

Join us in applauding the exceptional talents of the Council Traditional Black History Month Oratorical Contest winners! These young stars illuminated the stage with their captivating recitations, each delivering a powerful rendition of their chosen poems. Congratulations to Chloe Packer in 1st grade, Mayson Chapman in 2nd grade, Baileigh Mosley-Stokes in 3rd grade, Harleigh Stewart in 4th grade, and Emily Williams in 5th grade for their remarkable achievements. Their eloquence and passion have shone bright, honoring the spirit of Black History Month and inspiring us all. Special thanks to attorney Shomari Figures, a former Council Comet, for his impactful guest speech.

Congratulations to the following Davidson High School students for placing in the Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair on March 1st:
(from left to right)
Yu-Wei Lin: 2nd place in Computational & Bioinformatics Sciences
Stan Blejwas: 3rd place in Animal & Plant Sciences
Evelyn Frey: 3rd place in Chemistry
Linden Berte: 2nd place in Chemistry
Graham West: 1st place in Chemistry and Best-in-Show
Dakota Perry: 3rd place in Computational & Bioinformatics Sciences
(not pictured) Matthw Ngo: 3rd place in Behavioral & Social Sciences

Cultivate Studios Mobile celebrates Read Across America day to celebrate their love of reading with all things wacky! “You’re never too old, too WACKY, too wild, to pick up a book & read to a child” -Dr Seuss

Congratulations to the Corpus Christi Catholic School senior boy basketball team on their championship win!!!
Pictured, Thomas Aguirre, Evan Daigle, Brooks Butcher, Brayden Hilpert, Caleb Morris, Jackson Hill, Owen Johnson, Tucker Reid, Ryan Bayird and Fr. Pat

Kindergarten students celebrated America My Home with a music program of patriotic songs. They also recited portions of famous American speeches.

Heartwood Christian Academy’s K – 5th-grade choir enjoyed the honor and privilege of singing to the Somerby Retirement Home residents. The staff warmly welcomed students. The residents were encouraged to listen to the choir as they sang “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” and “I’m Somebody Special.” The facility and staff were friendly and supportive of the students. HCA is looking forward to a repeat visit.

5th grade students portrayed famous Americans throughout history in a live wax museum for parents and students to view.

St. Mary’s Catholic School first grade teacher, Sarah Peel, was selected in March as the recipient of WKRG’s Golden Apple Award. The Golden Apple Award is a community partnership with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Rich’s Car Wash, Hembree Heating and Air Conditioning Incorporated, Elite Urgent Care, and WKRG News 5, and is an award that honors local teachers who are making a difference in the classroom.
Mrs. Peel was nominated by parents and fellow teachers for her enthusiasm, patience, kindness, love for the students, great communication skills with parents and students, and her commitment to helping each student succeed. St. Mary’s first grade parent Hanna Bolling remarks, “We are beyond blessed to have Mrs. Peel as a teacher. She goes above and beyond for each and every student, striving for each child to reach their potential. Her classroom environment is fun and fosters a love for learning.”

Each week, St. Mary’s middle schoolers in the Cool Catholic Club (C3) meet to discuss the Catholic faith, read and reflect on the upcoming Sunday Gospel, and plan service projects in the community. C3 recently partnered with Feeding the Gulf Coast to pack meals for food insecure senior citizens in our community. These amazing students packed over 450 boxes which equals approximately 10,000 meals!

28 UMS-Wright Middle School students participated against 200+ students from around the state of Alabama at the Alabama Conference of Theatre Competition in Montgomery in March. Gaillard Passmore, Richard Delaney, Henry Arrington, Gunnar Howell, Nicholas McPherson, and Cade Marks made all star cast for their scene “Fortnuggies at McDs,” Grady Cook made all star cast for his pantomime performance “The Save,” and Kinley Winter made all star cast for her costume design for the musical “Cats.”
BRAVO!

Davidson High School had three pre-IB students compete at the South Alabama Regional History Day competition, and all 3 were awarded for their outstanding efforts in two very competitive categories! (from left to right) Tyler Macon won 1st place in the category Senior Division Documentary for “The Meiji Restoration: Igniting Japanese Industrialization and the Dawn of Imperial Expansion.” Zander Snyman won 2nd place in category Senior Division Documentary for “Lies In Their Waters: The Johnson Administration’s Mishandling of the Tonkin Gulf Incident.” And Julia Panchenko won 1st place in the Senior Division Academic Paper category for “Live, Laugh, Love Locke: How the Enlightenment Changed the World.”

Alabama 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students can now pursue college-level engineering and medical pathways in high school. Starting this school year, the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science will offer two new specialized academic tracks for its students: Engineering and Medical Sciences. These interdisciplinary programs will give ASMS students a head start on academic content they will later encounter if they choose an Engineering major or a Pre-Med track in college.
The new Engineering and Medical Sciences tracks are interdisciplinary and give students the opportunity to take high-level electives, including Molecular Biology, Classical Genetics, Principles of Biophysics, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Nuclear Chemistry, and Data Science.
ASMS Academic Dean Mitch Frye states, “We’re able to offer classes and programs like this because many of our faculty members hold doctorates in their areas of expertise and are former university instructors. Students who come to ASMS may enroll in courses they would not otherwise see before college or even graduate school.”

Coach Calametti, a certified range master, assists 7th grade students during archery classes in PE.

Six members of Phillips Preparatory School’s chorus were chosen as All-State Vocalists and represented themselves well in the All-State Festival in Birmingham.

UMS-Wright welcomed Dr. Donald Berry and Rabbi Edward Boraz to assembly in February. After a viewing of “Shoah Ambassadors,” our students had a chance to participate in a Q&A with both Dr. Berry and Rabbi Boraz!
Dr. Berry is Co-Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education. He has studied the Holocaust in Israel and with the Jewish Foundation in New York. He offers a Holocaust class at the University of Mobile and teaches as an adjunct at Springhill College. Rabbi Boraz was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He currently serves as the Rabbi of Springhill Avenue Temple.
Pictured here: Dr. Donald Berry, Luke Lambert, Elizabeth Catranis & Rabbi Edward Boraz

St. Ignatius is thankful to receive a first aid training kit from American Heart Association – Alabama in partnership with Mobile Heart Specialists, P.C! Recently, members of their team along with Impala parent, heart doctor and American Heart Association member, Dr. Kevin DeAndrade led a demonstration for our 3rd-5th grade students on how to successfully administer CPR. The training kit includes 10 set ups. St. Ignatius Science teachers plan to include it in their yearly curriculum moving forward. Special thanks to Dr. DeAndrade for taking time out of his surgery calendar to educate our students on the importance of CPR and First Aid. His oldest child, Michael was chosen as the student to demonstrate the process. He did a great job! Thanks, Dr. DrAndrade and Mobile Heart Specialists!

On March 01, 2024, Living Word Christian Center Kingdom Academy held its annual Black History program. Students, staff, and families gathered in the school gymnasium to celebrate the achievements of African American leaders and heroes. It was truly amazing to see our students bring these inspiring leaders to life through song, dance, poetry reading, and acting.

Elementary students at Mobile Christian School completed a book study on kindness featuring Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Each elementary family with students in first through fifth grade received Wonder, and our kindergarten and preschool families received the corresponding picture book We are all Wonders. Students had a great time hunting for vocabulary words and playing class trivia while choosing to be kind.

Drama 101 Heartwood Christian Academy’s Drama 101 class completed their study of film. Students were required to create a commercial pitch, including designing their logo, writing dialogue, and submitting images and videos to insert on a green screen during filming. Annalyn Scott chose to imitate a product, Vitameatavegamin, from her favorite show, “I Love Lucy.” Annalyn used the show’s theme song and a black-and-white filter for effect. Annalyn is one of several students who participated in filming a commercial. Excellent job, HCA Drama class. Annalyn, we’d purchase your Vitameatavegamin in a heartbeat!

Phillips Preparatory School’s Student Council spearheaded a Mardi Gras bead collection to benefit Augusta Evans Special School. The whole student body collected and donated over 1,400 pounds of beads.

For the 6th year in a row, the UMS-Wright Wind Ensemble received all Superior ratings at the Alabama Bandmasters Music Performance Assessment in March!
They received 3 Superior Ratings in stage performance with perfect scores in every category from all three judges, which is the best collection of scores they have ever received at the State MPA Competition. In addition to stage performance scores, they also received a Superior rating from the sight reading judge and a 34 out of 35 in sight reading overall!
Way to go!

St. Mary Catholic School challenged all students from kindergarten to eighth grade to kick up their reading during St. Mary’s Stampede to Read read-a-thon. Incentives for classes and individual students clocking in the most minutes included class parties and individual student prizes. Funds raised during this read-a-thon was through pledges for each minute of reading and individual donations. St. Mary’s congratulates the kindergarten classes for the class raising the most funds at $1400, with overall funds raised totalling over $4,000 for the entire school. The class clocking in the most minutes read was St. Mary’s fourth grade! Proceeds benefit classroom room enhancements.

The Beef, Pork and Peanut Cookoff, held each year in February as part of Career and Technical Education Month, included 25 culinary students from nine Mobile County Public Schools high schools. Winners were selected from a panel of judges who evaluated the entrees for taste, presentation and creativity. The first-place finisher in the Beef category, Clayton Williams of Vigor High School, is now eligible to compete in the Alabama Junior and Senior High School Cookoff state competition in Birmingham in April with his recipe for Pineapple Steak Bowl.
A full list of winners:
Beef: First place, Clayton Williams, Vigor; Second place, Jamie Purifoy, senior, Murphy; third place, Ja’Lylaah Morgan, junior, Williamson.
Pork: First place, Patience Hawkins, senior, Vigor; second place, Hunter Maples, senior, Alma Bryant; third place, Nyla Smith, junior, Davidson.
Peanut: First place, Italy Caceres, Williamson; second place, Sydney Edmonds, Citronelle; third place, Teeta Ozaeta, Baker.

St. Luke’s students enjoyed parading around campus dressed as their favorite book character for “Read Across America Day” and to celebrate our LOVE of reading! This motivational and awareness day calls all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading and encourages them to read wherever they are.

St. Luke’s toured the best of Italy during Mardi Gras Break! This group of 10th, 11th and 12th graders traveled to Florence to see Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Chiesa di Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, a leather workshop, Gates of Paradise, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Baptistery visit, leaning Tower of Pisa, and Dante’s House. The group enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet balcony in Venice, Verona Arena, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, a glass-blowing demonstration, and a Gondola ride. In Assisi, the group visited St. Francis of Assisi Basilica. When in Rome, our students toured the Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Piazza Venezia, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. After traveling to Sorrento, the group watched a cameo workshop and took a Pompeii-guided excursion. The trip ended with a Capri and Blue Grotto excursion.The trip was an excellent learning experience as our students experienced firsthand the fantastic art, culture, and history of Italy like no history book can cover.

During lower campus science lab, St. Luke’s students studied George Washington Carver and his contributions to farming. They observed early signs of spring and documented them by drawing… just like Carver did!

Stop by the library at St. Ignatius to view the new edition, Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine! We are thrilled to have gained this book vending machine with the hope that it will motivate students to read more. A main focus of St. Ignatius academics is early literacy skills. By finding ways to make reading fun, kids really blossom into strong, confident readers. Special thanks to Mrs. Leslie, Librarian and the St. Ignatius Library Club for helping coordinate fundraisers to purchase this exciting tool. Donations of gently used books are encouraged to help keep the book vending machine stocked. Let’s spread the word and inspire others to join our mission!

This year, St. Luke’s added a new Civil Engineering and Architecture course where students thoroughly understand building and site design and development by employing mathematical, scientific, and engineering practices to design projects and utilizing 3D architectural design software to document their work. The primary objective of this course is to comprehend the significance, influence, and implementation of civil engineering and architecture in the context of building and design development.

Phillips Preparatory I.B. Learner profile highlight for the month was “Communicator”. The Phillips Prep standout student for this trait was 8th grade student, Jayden Pirozzi. The I.B. Teacher of the month is Mrs. Robinson.

6th grade Latin students created arches and aqueducts to reinforce their learning about Roman inventions.