2023 Leadership Mountain Brook class kicks off

Eighteen students were welcomed into this year's Leadership Mountain Brook class at a  kickoff event on Aug. 15.

Leadership Mountain Brook is a partnership between Mountain Brook High School, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and the city of Mountain Brook. The yearlong course is designed to help students to learn more about what makes the community great.

To participate, students are nominated by a teacher in the Mountain Brook school system and then take part in a rigorous application and interview process.

Students take the one-credit course over two semesters and learn about organization, development, presentation and creative skills. They then come up with and develop a project proposal based on the needs of the Mountain Brook community.

Margaret Ann Denton, a 2004 Mountain Brook High School graduate is in her second year as the Leadership Mountain Brook teacher.

“I believe that this program is so great for our students because not only do they get to really dive into what makes our community so special, they also have the opportunity to make connections that will last them a lifetime,” Denton said. “This class also provides them valuable communication and teamwork skills that aren't always possible through a traditional classroom setting.”

The year begins with presentations to the students from various city leaders. Throughout the year, to take a tour of both the fire and police departments, visit Mountain Brook City Hall to learn what each department does and this year they will have the chance to take a trip to Montgomery to learn how state government functions

“We have the best school system, the best leaders and the best group of city officials around,” Mountain Brook police Chief Jaye Loggins told the students. “You’ll come to not only learn more about our city and community, but see that the people are what make this place so special.”

The leadership class will also hear from speakers from around the community and they attend a number of chamber events, including the holiday parade and the Village to Village Run. The students will also work with Avondale Samaritan Place to help the Christian mission put on several holiday events in the Avondale community, Denton said.

“The culmination of this class is students [in groups] come up with city improvement projects each year and present them to the City Council,” Denton said. “Last year's projects included: writing and illustrating an Arbor Day book for the first grade students, a mural on the wall by Crestline Pharmacy and a surprise bench dedication for Suzan Doidge, who recently retired as director of the Mountain Brook Chamber.”

Denton said she is looking forward to collaborating with the new chamber director, Emily Jensen, this year.

Here are this year’s 18 members of the Leadership Mountain Brook Class of 2023:

► Martha Anderson

► Evelyn Berry

► Hannah Blalock

► Laura Buha

► Randi Cron

► Stutts Everette

► Jackson Herron

► Halli Hollingsworth

► Lily Johnson

► Lauren Jones

► Jack McDonald

► Charlotte Robbins

► Mallie Robinett

► Oliver Salter

► Abigail Sharp

► Mary Frances Springfield

► Henry Sullivan

► Rachel White