Board commends students, faculty for achievements
With the end of the school year approaching, the Mountain Brook Board of Education took time during the May 21 meeting to recognize some of the many accomplishments of their students and faculty over the year. The recognitions included:
- The Mountain Brook Schools child nutrition program, which had an average health inspection scores of 98. Both Brookwood Forest and Crestline Elementary received a score of 100.
- The outgoing MBS PTO council for 2017-2018, for their work throughout the year.
- MBS newly certified and re-certified National Board Teachers. The school system now has 60 board certified teachers.
- Student speakers from the fourth annual MBS TEDxYouth@MBJH, which was held on April 14.
- Casey Lancaster, eight grade counselor, who was named president of the Alabama School Counseling Association.
- Junior high teacher James Salvant, who was awarded the Program of Excellence award by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
- Mountain Brook Robotics, which took eight teams to the world championship in May and had two teams qualify for finals at worlds.
- MBS, for earning the School System Award in the 2018 state Visual Arts Achievement Awards, and multiple Mountain Brook students for winning statewide awards for their pieces.
- Mountain Brook High School track 4x800 relay team for setting the school and state record and winning a state title.
- MBJH student Grayson Scott, who is the new AHSAA Class 7A high jump champion.
- MBHS baseball, for accomplishments over the season and for winning the area championship this year.
- MBHS girls tennis, which won their 28th state title, and MBHS boys tennis, which placed third in the state tournament.
- MBHS boys soccer, which made the final four in the state tournament and was area champions.
- MBHS student Mary Mac Trammell, who was an individual qualifier for the girls golf state tournament and will be playing for the University of Alabama golf team in the fall.
- MBHS boys golf team members William Wann and Gordon Sarget, who were co-champions and set state records for both team and individual score, as well as the team as a whole for winning a state title.
- MBHS student Trendon Watford, who was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Alabama.
- MBHS student Hamp Sisson, who earned the Larry Striplin Scholar Athlete Award and the Bryant Jordan Achievement Award.
- MBHS boys basketball coach Bucky McMillan who was named the National Basketball Coach of the Year.
Facilities Director Tommy Prewitt also went through some of the renovations that will be taking place at MBS over the summer.
Brookwood Forest will be getting a new playground, called Ranger Park, which is funded by the Ranger PTO. Crestline Elementary will get lighting and ceiling tile upgrades, and Mountain Brook Elementary will get new carpet. Three roofing projects — two for the junior high and one for the high school — are set to be bid out in the near future, and the high school will also get cafeteria upgrades. Miscellaneous painting will occur at nearly every school.
Prewitt also discussed the construction of the Mountain Brook Elementary restroom, which was initially approved about two years ago.
Because there is a storm sewer in the originally approved location, Parks and Recreation Director Shanda Williams said the new restroom will be moved to the other end of the field. Because that area is a flood plain, it will be built on a 5-foot mound.
Williams said the building will be one of the prefabrication plans since it will no longer be highly visible and next to the road, but they have found “one better looking than before.”
Also during the board meeting, members:
- Approved this month’s financial statements.
- Approved the minutes of past meetings.
- Approved the sale or distribution of surplus materials.
- Tabled the 2018-2019 board meeting calendar to review.
- Approved the policy recommendations and revisions to J-27, concerning early graduation; G-24, concerning mandatory retirement; and J-4, concerning corporal punishment.
- Accepted a bid from Cardiac Solutions to purchase AEDs for the school system and declaring the old AEDs as surplus.
High school graduation will take place May 24 at 6 p.m. at Samford University. The next Board of Education meeting will be on June 11 at 3:30 p.m. in the PLC.