New faces at Mountain Brook Elementary
The new school year brings many new faces to MBE, both students and teachers. This year, MBE welcomed eight staff members into the MBE family: Ruthie Gravlee (second grade), Alex McCain (sixth grade), Shelli Abernathy (enrichment), Julie Butterworth (special education), Tyler Pilz (music), Sharon Jones (lunchroom), Trissy Condra (one-on-one nurse), and Mary Catherine Smith (special education paraprofessional). New teachers had special days of training this summer, and existing teachers served as their mentors. Second-grade teacher Ruthie Gravlee already seemed to be embracing the MBE culture, saying, “What I love most about this school family is that we are all pushed to be our best, which means to be a life-long learner and never to give up. We teach children to ‘be your best self’ in and outside the classroom, but the staff lives it. I love that at MBE, I feel confident that the students are being encouraged by the staff through words and actions to be kind and work hard.”
New sixth-grade teacher Alex McCain shared similar sentiments: “I am loving my new job here at MBE. Everyone from faculty to parents and students have been so welcoming and friendly. It truly feels like a family and I am so happy to be a new member of this MBE family.”
In addition to new faces on the staff, twenty-one new students are walking the halls of MBE. MBE strives to provide an inclusive, welcoming environment to all students, but particularly to families that are new to the area. A Newcomers Party, chaired by Emily O’Dell, was held several days before school started to introduce new students to the school. Current students also served as buddies for new students, so that each new student would have a familiar face once school started.
Andrea Jansen, whose family recently moved to Mountain Brook from Scotland, had this to say about being new to MBE: “Our eldest two children attend MBE. They have both been made to feel very welcome, and the school has a great program set up to help new families settle in quickly. There are many things to think and worry about as a parent when moving such a long way from home, but luckily for us, MBE has meant that school is not one of them.”
-Submitted by Kate Mather.