Photo courtesy of Heather Mays.
Heather Mays and family
Q: Please tell our readers about yourself.
A: I tell our school community that over my 29 years as an educator, I have loved every job I have ever had … but this one has been my favorite! Serving as the principal of Mountain Brook Elementary feels like a dream come true after decades of doing lots of different things as an educator. Since 1997, I have been a library media specialist (nine years), a district supervisor (10 years), a secondary assistant principal and curriculum coordinator (four years) and an elementary administrator (six years). I also taught graduate courses at the university level for 11 years at the University of Alabama and the University of Montevallo. My degrees are so varied — I have a B.S. in Economics (UA, 1995), a Master of Library and Information Studies (UA, 1997) and an Ed.S. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (Samford University, 2012 and 2017). As happy as I am to have had all of these experiences and opportunities as an educator, my favorite title has been “mama.” I have a son, Reid, and a daughter, Caroline, and the loveliest daughter-in-love, Libba. Reid and Libba met at Mississippi State and married last summer — they are living their best life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Ocean Springs, where Reid is project manager with a commercial landscaping company and Libba is a third grade teacher. Caroline graduated from Duke University in May and is now in graduate school at Vanderbilt, living HER best Nashville life as she pursues her master’s in clinical mental health counseling. They are a delight to me, and I count down the days until we are all together again to play games, host taco party game nights for our friends and escape to the lake with our family. In my spare time (what’s that?!), I love playing mahjong with friends, reading, hiking, doing low-key crafts and the thing my friends and family tease me about the most — pilates!
Q: How would you describe the mission and culture of Mountain Brook Elementary School to someone new to the community?
A: MBE has a rich and storied tradition as one of the oldest schools in the area and the oldest school in the Mountain Brook district — we will celebrate our 100th birthday in three years! The purpose of Mountain Brook Schools permeates every campus — to provide “an effective, challenging and engaging education for every one of our students.” We do this by focusing on delivering the highest-quality instructional experiences, steeping ourselves in best practices and focusing relentlessly on building a positive school culture.
Q: What do you see as the school’s biggest strengths right now, both academically and socially?
A: Several years ago, a team of teachers and school leaders explored the idea of “Houses,” popularized by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, as a way of building community throughout the school. We are in our fourth year of fully implementing the House model, and we believe it has transformed our school in so many positive ways. Each adult and student is “sorted” into a House in kindergarten (or whenever they join us), and we do all kinds of fun things together in our Houses. Students earn points for their House by going above and beyond in the areas of our core values: kindness, respect, responsibility, perseverance and curiosity. They deliver their points to the office and share what they have done to earn them, and then we count the points monthly and fly [the winning] House’s flag on the front of the school.
Academically, I am so proud of our teachers, staff and students. They all work incredibly hard to provide engaging work that captures students’ imaginations and hearts. It is our goal that every student would experience success academically, that we would intervene early and often if they are struggling in any way and that we would challenge students that need an extra push. We are fortunate to have support at every level to ensure student success, and I speak for Mrs. Simmons, our assistant principal, and myself when I say that our very favorite place to be is in a classroom sitting beside students as they are learning. MBE classrooms are a BLAST!
Q: In what ways do teachers and staff collaborate to support student success?
A: I can’t think of a way that teachers DON’T collaborate for student success! Teachers and paraprofessionals are in constant communication about students with a truly comprehensive approach to both academic success and student wellness. Teachers meet weekly with administrators and academic coaches to discuss students’ progress toward mastery as well as unit and assessment design. Our school counselor works closely with teachers and parents to make sure students feel supported in every aspect of their day, whether it is related to learning goals or issues related to mental and emotional health and wellness.
Q: How does the school engage families and the broader community in students’ education?
A: MBE hosts many events throughout the school year to engage families and the community in the life of our school. Parents have an opportunity to volunteer in many ways at MBE, and special events require a lot of hands on deck! We annually host parents and the community for House events, the Lancer Loop Fun Run, Lancers on the Lawn, Boo Bash (everyone’s favorite!), Veterans Day, GrandFriends Day, GrandLancer Breakfast, grade-level musicals and performances, Bring Your Parents to PE Day, Field Day (the best MBE tradition!) and our final Sixth Grade Honors Day and Lancer Walk.
Q: How do you ensure that all students feel included, supported and valued?
A: One of the core tenets of MBE is a commitment to “morning meetings.” This is an opportunity for every student to start their day checking in with their teacher and classmates, playing games to build teamwork and group dynamics, discussing social-emotional learning goals and hosting older students to do mini lessons on our core values: kindness, respect, responsibility, perseverance and curiosity. This year, Mr. Bill Andrews also began our Roots and Wings program, which provides character education through outdoor adventure experiences. The emphasis on team building, communication, and demonstrating courage and compassion during the outdoor activities has enabled students to make new friends and enhance relationships with peers and adults. Our House events, and specifically our House Huddles, which are small group gatherings the first Monday of each month, provide additional opportunities for students to get to know each [other] across the grades.
Q: What goals do you have for the school for the remaining year?
A: At this point in the school year, we are already celebrating big wins on behalf of students — we saw so much academic growth during our midyear assessments. We want to continue to strengthen our school community through our culture and hospitality efforts, and we have plans for service projects this semester to impact our Mountain Brook community as well as the greater metro area. It is our goal at MBE that students understand they are a part of something bigger than themselves and they have a responsibility for the greater good of the school community.
Q: What message would you like to share with parents and community members about the importance of elementary education?
A: At MBE, we believe that these seven years create a foundation for learning and relationships for the remainder of a student’s childhood and adolescent school years. We have faith that our students will excel academically because we know what a strong effort families and teachers have made together to ensure that students have everything they need for success. It is even more important to us that they leave MBE knowing they were seen, heard, known, valued and LOVED. That we have called them to a higher purpose — a calling to show kindness and compassion, to respect themselves and others, to feel a responsibility to their community, to persevere when life presents challenges, and to approach the world with a posture of curiosity and a deep appreciation for the people and the world around them. Each May, our MBHS seniors come back to their elementary schools to walk their elementary halls, and it is one of the highlights of our year to welcome them back. It is our hope that one day at their final Lancer Walk, it will be the sweetest moment — an opportunity to reflect on their memories of MBE and all of the people who invested in them and loved them. As we like to remind all of our students, “Once a Lancer, always a Lancer!”
