Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Teachers on stage at the Mountain Brook Schools School of Rock Institute Day.
There’s a familiar rhythm to the end of summer in Mountain Brook. School supplies are gathered, summer reading lists are checked off, schedules are studied and families begin making the mental shift from lazy mornings to alarm clocks.
But while students are squeezing every last drop out of summer, something important has already been happening in the halls of Mountain Brook Schools.
The teachers are back. And they’re getting ready to rock.
For more than 50 new teachers, the 2026-27 school year began with the New Teacher Institute, a five-day welcome designed to be much more than a tour of the building and a stack of paperwork.
According to William Galloway, communications director for Mountain Brook City Schools, the institute is meant to introduce new faculty members to the heart of the school system — and to make sure they feel part of it from the start.
“The New Member Institute is more than an orientation — it’s a warm welcome into a community that sees, hears and values every one of its members,” Galloway said.
That sense of belonging is intentional.
Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Teachers on stage at the Mountain Brook Schools School of Rock Institute Day.
New teachers spent the week exploring the district’s purpose: providing “an effective, challenging and engaging education for every student.” They talked about what those words actually mean in a classroom, with the second day focusing on what it means to be effective and challenging.
They toured all six schools. They completed team-building activities on every campus. There were learning sessions, questions and answers, games and plenty of opportunities to meet the people who will become their colleagues — and, in many cases, their friends.
“Our goal is to ensure that every new member fully grasps the vision and heart behind this purpose,” Galloway said. “But it’s not just about understanding our mission; it’s about feeling a deep connection to it.”
That may be one of the most important lessons of all.
Because before a teacher can help a student feel known, challenged and encouraged, it helps to feel those same things yourself.
And the learning wasn’t reserved for the newcomers.
Mountain Brook educators logged more than 10,000 combined hours of professional development this summer, sharpening their skills as teachers, leaders and innovators. More than 500 educators from across the country also gathered for the district’s annual Engage Learning Conference, funded by the Mountain Brook Schools Foundation for both Mountain Brook’s teachers and any other educators who wanted to attend, according to the foundation president, Rachel Weingartner. During the conference, keynote speakers, panel discussions and teacher-led sessions focused on a question that never really goes away in education: How can we do this even better for our students?
The answer, apparently, involves a lot of learning — and a little fun.
“Everyone left invigorated and excited to put their new knowledge to work this fall,” Galloway said.
Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Teachers on stage at the Mountain Brook Schools School of Rock Institute Day.
Then came Institute Day 2026, with a theme that sounded less like professional development and more like a Friday night concert: the Mountain Brook School of Rock.
Faculty members took the stage for live performances. Staff performed skits and dance numbers, and the district recognized its 2025-26 award winners.
Somewhere between the learning sessions and the celebrations, there was even a guitar solo.
It’s a fitting way to begin a new year in a school system that clearly understands that professional growth and community spirit don’t have to be separate things.
Superintendent Dicky Barlow also addressed stakeholders as the district looks ahead.
Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Mountain Brook Schools Superintendent Dicky Barlow speaks to teachers at School of Rock Institute Day.
In his back-to-school message to Mountain Brook families, Barlow celebrated a remarkable 2025-26 school year while acknowledging the work already underway for the next one.
“We are just days away from starting up our 2026-2027 school year,” Barlow said, “and while the students are immersed in their summer reading, our teachers and staff are working diligently to prepare for the upcoming year.”
There is plenty worth celebrating.
All six Mountain Brook schools received a 99 or 100 on their school report cards, with the district earning the top scores among public schools in Alabama. Academic growth and academic achievement both received scores of 100. The graduation rate was 98.8, and college and career readiness was 97.8.
The Class of 2026 sent 329 graduates to 63 colleges and universities in 24 states. Nine students were named U.S. National Merit Finalists. Mountain Brook student-athletes won seven state championships, 19 seniors signed to compete at the collegiate level and the Mountain Brook High School Dorians dance team captured their third consecutive national championship.
Those accomplishments are impressive. But the numbers that may say the most about the year ahead are the ones that happen before students ever walk through the doors: 10,000 hours of professional learning, more than 500 educators gathered to share ideas and more than 50 new teachers finding their place in the Mountain Brook family.
Because a school year doesn’t really begin when the first bell rings.
It begins with teachers who keep learning.
It begins with colleagues who welcome one another.
It begins with a community willing to invest in the people who will spend the year championing its children.
Barlow understands that partnership.
“We could not do what we do without your great support,” he wrote, encouraging families to become involved with the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation, ALL IN Mountain Brook and the PTO.
Now, the halls have filled. Backpacks have returned to students’ shoulders. Classroom doors have opened. Teachers have greeted students, and the familiar rhythm of another school year has begun.
But before the first bell, there was already a lot happening.
Mountain Brook’s teachers were learning. They were connecting. They were preparing.
And as Institute Day indicated, they did it with a little music, a lot of heart — and one very rockin’ soundtrack.
