Photo by Erin Nelson.
Students change classes at Mountain Brook High School.
Bells will be ringing soon as the 2023-24 school year begins. Teachers had professional learning days from July 31 through Aug. 8 and students head back to classes on Aug. 9.
Mountain Brook Schools Superintendent Dicky Barlow said as a district, the staff have spent the summer growing through a combined 10,000 hours of professional development and attending conferences all over the country, as well as in Mountain Brook.
Barlow said he is thrilled to have the students back in school buildings this month and is looking forward to another great year.
“Last year, we had a tremendous year as a district in all areas,” Barlow said. “We were once again ranked among the top public school systems in the state. Our four elementary schools were recognized in the spring for being among the top individual schools in the entire state, and our school resource officer team was named the ‘Top SRO Team in Alabama.’”
Barlow added that the Mountain Brook athletic department was ranked as the fifth best in the nation last school year by MaxPreps. Mountain Brook athletics teams tied a school record by winning seven varsity state championships.
In addition to sports accolades, Barlow said multiple students competed in robotics on the international stage, and some even placed in the top five, and the fine arts department shared its standard of excellence with a global audience in Italy during the winter break.
“It is an honor to see our students and teachers have tremendous success in and out of the classroom on an annual basis,” Barlow said. “This year, we’re excited to continue our focus on our purpose of engaging each student deeply.”
Village Living reached out to the principals at each of the Mountain Brook schools to find out a bit about what’s new and what’s ahead for this year.
Brookwood Forest Elementary Principal Nathan Pitner
Pitner
This will be Pittner’s 20th year in education and his 12th at Brookwood Forest Elementary.
Q: Can you share an update from your school?
A: We began last year fresh off of a significant construction project. This summer, we’ve continued that work. As new as any updates to the physical building might be each year, it is always important to our team to continue investing in the same beliefs of the importance of teacher learning, relationships and engagement.
Q: Are there any expansion/construction projects taking place at your school?
A: We are taking the next steps in a phased project to update a number of areas in the building. This summer, we focused most specifically on updating our flooring in hallways and classrooms.
Q: How many students will you have for the 2023-24 school year?
A: Around 580.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming school year?
A: We are less interested in a new yearly “theme” than continuing to invest and grow in a consistent direction. We’re always interested in exploring the idea of engagement more deeply. The heart of this work is engaging our Rangers in their learning, but the concept extends to engaging our staff and our families in understanding their importance in collectively supporting this work with our Rangers. It feels like every step in this direction reveals new possibilities for our Rangers to grow. I can’t remember being so excited about an upcoming year.
Cherokee Bend Elementary Principal Brannon Aaron
Aaron
This will be Aaron’s 18th year in education, 12th in Mountain Brook schools and second at Cherokee Bend, where he serves alongside Assistant Principal Carla Dudley.
Q: Can you share an update from your school?
A: We established and lived out our Chief values of being caring, hard-working, inspiring, eager and fearless. Every student participated in Chief Camp over six school days and over 300 parents attended sessions in August.
Students participated in daily Chief Chats. These Chief Chats aided in building classroom community and served as a vessel for us to discuss our Chief values.
All students participated in showcasing passion projects for parents and peers. It was so exciting to see students share and take pride in their learning as we welcomed families into our building.
Sixth-grade students pioneered an elective model where they deepened knowledge and skills in many areas. These electives included broadcast, peer helpers, band and Spanish.
We celebrated the opening of our brand new, all-inclusive playground in March, with special thanks to our Playground Partners.
Teachers participated in embedded professional development opportunities throughout the year to align instructional practices. We also took part in district-based and school-led professional development focusing on increasing engagement of our students.
Our parent volunteers supported us in so many ways: decorating our school throughout the year, supporting our students in the lunchroom through Helping Hands and volunteering to help cover classes when needed. And don’t forget Wednesday treats! These weekly offerings made us all feel so appreciated.
Q: Are there any expansion/construction projects taking place at your school?
A: Our school has been receiving a much-needed facelift. New flooring, paint, cabinetry and furniture have improved how our school looks and feels. This summer we had two sets of restrooms renovated/updated, a new kitchen installed and updated flooring throughout the building.
Q: How many students will you have for the 2023-24 school year?
A: Right now, we have approximately 560 students attending in the fall.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming school year?
A: This year, we want to continue amplifying our school values through the work we do here at Cherokee Bend. One of the huge celebrations we had last year was the way we were able to connect with our families and school community in authentic ways. Our hope is to deepen these connections by providing more opportunities to work alongside and learn with our Cherokee Bend Elementary community.
Mountain Brook Elementary Principal Ashley McCombs
McCombs
McCombs is beginning her 22nd year in education. She was a teacher for eight years in another school district and has been at Mountain Brook Elementary for 14 years, including the last seven as principal.
Q: Do you have any new administrative hires?
A: Not this year. Dr. Heather Mays was hired last year as my assistant principal in place of Brannon Aaron, who was named as the principal of Cherokee Bend last July.
Q: Can you share an update from your school?
A: Mountain Brook Elementary will be spending the upcoming year welcoming nine new teachers to the faculty/staff. Life brings with it inevitable change. At Mountain Brook Elementary, we choose to embrace and honor the moments we have with every Lancer, students and teachers alike, recognizing that these seasons of change are always on the horizon. These moments bring with them a time to celebrate the impact others have had on our lives. They also bring a time to seek opportunities as we continue on our journey towards helping every student to “lead from the heart” in all they do, so they can reach their fullest potential. Then, they too can leave a positive impact on the lives of others along the way. What remains unchanged are the core values we hold dear as a school community and the purpose of Mountain Brook Schools: “to provide an effective, challenging and engaging education for every one of our students.”
Q: Are there any expansion/construction projects taking place at your school?
A: One major renovation at Mountain Brook Elementary this summer has been the installation of new windows throughout a large majority of the building. In addition, the support of our Lancer PTO has enabled us to add a fully accessible sensory playground, specially designed for our little Lancers. We are grateful for the continued support of our district and our Lancer sponsorships for helping Mountain Brook Elementary to maintain its historical beauty, while at the same time ensuring necessary updates that help our students feel safe and thrive.
Q: How many students will you have for the 2023-24 school year?
A: Around 545 preschool through sixth-grade students.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming school year?
A: To continue to invest in deep relationships with our school community; to design engaging learning experiences for our faculty/staff and students; to consider possibilities that help us to foster schoolwide community and create a sense of belonging for every individual; to continue to develop leadership capacity in every Lancer; and to reflect on ways we can refine our brand so that our touchstone of “leading from the heart” is lived out in our minds, hearts and hands.
Mountain Brook Junior High Principal Donald Clayton
Clayton
Clayton is in his 21st year of education and his 11th at Mountain Brook Junior High, where he serves alongside assistant principals Derek Kennedy and Brook Gibbons.
Q: Are there any expansion/construction projects taking place at your school?
A: We have been expanding for quite some time now, and a lot of it is complete. We also have six other projects going on this summer. Most will be done this summer, but some will linger into the year: a new artificial turf field, new luxury vinyl tile flooring in all hallways, new drainage tie-in, new flooring in the old gym, new parking lot paving and expanded art classrooms.
Q: How many students will you have for the 2023-24 school year?
A: Right around 1,000.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming school year?
A: Our expectations are to continue providing a top-notch education to our students in a great learning environment, all while continuing to get used to our new school layout.
Mountain Brook High School Principal Carrie Busby
Busby is taking over her new role as principal following the retirement of Philip Holley. She is in her 23rd year in education and sixth year at Mountain Brook High School. Eric Hollis was hired as an assistant principal after most recently serving as an assistant principal at Vestavia Hills High School. Assistant Principal Lars Anderson is also on the administration team.
Q: Are there any expansion/construction projects taking place at your school?
A: We completed the band room, dance room and counseling suites renovations this year. After being under construction for the last couple of years, we expect a brief hiatus this school year. The next renovation phase includes our fine arts center, with an expected start date of May 2024.
Q: How many students will you have for the 2023-24 school year?
A: We expect to open the 2023-24 school year with 1,038 students in the 10th through 12th grades.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming school year?
A: I expect Mountain Brook High School to be a safe and positive school experience where students engage in innovation, creativity, critical thinking and building strong relationships. Supporting student achievement and academic integrity remain foundational in all we do at Mountain Brook High School.
– Editor’s Note: A response was not received from Crestline Elementary Principal Christy Christian by press time.
