Leadership Mountain Brook program offers ‘remarkable opportunities’ to MBHS students

Leadership is a critical quality to nurture in young people because society can’t function without it.

This need for leadership applies to any group of people attempting to accomplish anything, from football teams to legislatures, from nonprofits to corporations.

For 10 years, Leadership Mountain Brook (LMB) – a partnership between Mountain Brook High School, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and the city of Mountain Brook – has nurtured this quality in young people.

Each year, a group of Mountain Brook High School students — led by Amber Benson in the school’s Business Education Department — works with the chamber, the city and other stakeholders to complete projects they believe will make the community better.

In the past, LMB has spearheaded such projects as landmark signs and the dog park at Cahaba River Walk.

The 2020-2021 class of LMB is working to complete two important projects begun by last year’s class – a new map of Mountain Brook and a Mountain Brook promotional video.

They are also doing a project with KultureCity — a nonprofit in Vestavia Hills — to expand access and inclusion in Mountain Brook for people with special sensory needs, such as autism and ADHD.

The LMB students want to make a real difference in their community.

“I didn’t want to leave Mountain Brook without leaving my mark on the city I grew up in,” said MBHS junior Franklin Day. “I wanted to make Mountain Brook better and make a difference in lives other than my own.”

“The students who come through this program continue to arrive with an eagerness and passion to learn more about their community and how they can be an active member,” Benson said.

MAPPING MOUNTAIN BROOK

The map project was proposed last school year by LMB participants Joe Barber Adams, Jane Ryland Elliott, Mary Douglass Evans and Sarah Kate Sanders, who received approval and partial funding from the City Council to create an 18 x 24 inch flat map that displays streets and points of interest and also highlights the city, chamber and other surrounding attractions, Benson said.

The map can be folded to a size of 4 by 9 inches to be displayed and distributed.

This year’s map committee includes Malik Cook, Ian Hart and Spain Hodges with support from Mary Ragon Allen, Sareena Askenazi and Gracy Black, Benson said.

These students organized the sponsor layout, promoted the sale of sponsor ads, collected and designed ad artwork, wrote the “About the City” and “About the Chamber” sections and designed the cover.

“We have worked closely with Steve Gordan at Cartagram who has provided support to our students through the entire process,” Benson said.

The map, which will be printed and distributed in the coming months, “is something that’s been needed for quite a while now,” said Molly Wallace, Chamber of Commerce project manager.

HYPING THE VIDEO

A video created by the LMB students to promote the city of Mountain Brook is complete, and the students are currently working on a distribution plan, Benson said.

Possible video recipients include realtors, banks, contractors, apartment communities and hotels, and the students also plan to post the video to various websites and social media platforms, Benson said.

It will likely be used on the city and chamber websites, Wallace said.

Nick Blackwell, Samuel Cox, Olivia Hunt and Megan Lee took the lead on this project in the spring of 2020, received approval and partial funding from the City Council and created a list of attractions to be highlighted.

This year’s committee — Crawford McDuffie, David Pruet and Rachel Roth — worked with Harry Long at Go81Shop to plan and create the video.

EXPANDING ACCESS

About 1 in 5 individuals in America has a sensory need, said Uma Srivastava, KultureCity COO.

“The work we do at KultureCity ensures that every individual, regardless of their ability, is welcomed,” she said.

Working with Srivastava and KultureCity, LMB is seeking to place sensory bags in Mountain Brook businesses.

These bags contain such items as sunglasses or noise-canceling headphones that can prevent sensory overload in public places for those with sensory needs. The items are easy to clean and reuse.

LMB and the chamber are contributing to the initial cost for the first 10 Mountain Brook merchants interested in signing up.

KultureCity is also offering a package discount price for merchants that includes online training, two sensory bags and KultureCity signage.

The LMB students “instantly loved this idea” and reached out to Sara Nall and Samantha Pate at Mitchell’s Place in Birmingham to learn more about sensory needs, Benson said.

Day, Sam Davidson and Sarah Huddle from this year’s LMB class reached out to merchants to promote the partnership, Benson said.

“If available, these bags would allow people who have sensory needs to participate in and enjoy public settings around Mountain Brook,” said Davidson, a MBHS junior.

Last year’s LMB class, including Grant Abele, Lucy Bowling, Ann Clair Walton and Katherine Watson, proposed the project and got chamber approval.

Iberia Bank is participating and, at press time, staff at all eight Birmingham branches had completed sensory kit training.

“We couldn’t be more proud of this partnership,” said Leigh Haver, Iberia senior vice president and Birmingham retail manager.

“We really pride ourselves on integrating into the fabric of each community we serve, and this partnership is a way to illustrate that,” Haver said.

FROM ‘NERVOUS’ TO ‘WELL-POISED’

Benson said she enjoys watching the students mature and grow in confidence each year as they meet with city leaders, draft proposals and carry out their projects.

“Their development from a nervous interview to a well-poised presentation to the City Council is exponential,” Benson said. “They always enter their next opportunity with confidence from the valuable experiences they have with LMB.”

The LMB participants are always very impressive, Wallace said.

“These students are nominated by teachers, have to go through an interview process and often times they have to make the difficult decision to pick between LMB or playing sports or other extracurriculars that would eat into their  class duties,” Wallace said. “They are always a driven group, but I particularly enjoy watching them get to know each other and begin working as a team together. They also serve as volunteers for many chamber events and projects, and we couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Srivastava appreciated the LMB group’s dedication to their partnership with KultureCity.

“Despite the pandemic and school being shutdown for months, the students didn’t give upon their project,” she said. “They were very organized and thoughtful.”

“LMB students learned more about how contracting works for partnerships, how to manage clients and how to work with timelines,” Srivastava said. “These are all crucial skills for any future career.”

“I have grown and I am growing greatly through this experience,” Day said. “I have learned so many lessons on how to be a better leader and be a person of value.”

“I think that I have learned a lot about teamwork and working with others in a group setting,” Davidson said. “I have also learned much more about what it takes to run each different aspect of Mountain Brook with maintenance, shops, events, advertisements and city planning.”

‘REMARKABLE’ OPPORTUNITIES

LMB students are given “truly remarkable” opportunities for personal growth through the partnership with the city, the chamber, O’Neal Library and Mountain Brook Schools, Benson said.

The program also creates positive downstream effects for the entire community.

LMB “helps train future leaders that will hopefully represent Mountain Brook well in the world and possibly even come back to leaders in Mountain Brook in the future,” Wallace said.

“Leadership Mountain Brook students return to Mountain Brook and find ways to serve and give back to their community,” Benson said. “Several alumni are currently serving on the Mountain Brook Chamber Junior Board.”