School board recognizes teachers of the year

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The Mountain Brook Schools Board of Education met Monday, Nov. 18, at Mountain Brook Elementary School and recognized the system’s 2020-21 teachers of the year. 

They include:

  • Caroline Peek, second grade teacher at Brookwood Forest Elementary 
  • Sarah Jackson, speech-language pathologist at Cherokee Bend Elementary
  • Amanda Johnson, fifth grade science teacher at Crestline Elementary
  • Kelsey Frey, kindergarten teacher at Mountain Brook Elementary
  • Jimmy McGowan, visual arts teacher at Mountain Brook Junior High
  • Brock Rotter, 12th grade government and economics teacher at Mountain Brook High School

Each teacher’s principal spoke about them at the meeting and explained why they were selected. Then, they were all addressed by MBS Superintendent Dicky Barlow. 

“We always say we’re a great school system because of the product — our students, who they are — but then when you put them next to teachers who have such qualities as this, it’s a no-lose situation,” Barlow said. 

In the coming months, one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher will be chosen as Mountain Brook's representatives in the state's teacher of the year competition. 

Also at the meeting, School Board President Nicky Barnes relayed the results of the superintendent’s annual evaluation. She said the board has been pleased with Barlow’s performance, particularly in his ability to secure a long-term funding source through the educational ad valorem tax increase approved by residents in September.

“It is the opinion of the board that we have a strong, confident, conscientious leader in Dr. Barlow,” Barnes said. 

In other business, MBS Director of Instruction and Special Education Missy Brooks provided an update about the future of the system’s math curriculum. As part of the Math Pathways 2020 plan, ninth-graders will take geometry with data analysis, 10th and 11th graders will take Algebra I with probability and statistics, and 12th graders will take a specialized course of their choice. 

After Brooks concluded, MBS Director of Student Services Amanda Hood updated the board about the system’s safety and security. She said the system divides safety and security into three prongs — prevention, facilities/support and training — that work together to ensure students are protected and have access to resources. 

Hood also announced the formation of a Student and Faculty Emergency, or SAFE, Team that exists to provide support and resources to schools that are experiencing challenging, emotional or crisis situations, such as the loss of a student, faculty or staff member. 

The team consists of Liz Fry, a counselor at Crestline Elementary; Kenneth Harkless, a systemwide student assistance counselor; Casey Lancaster, a counselor at MBJH; and Elizabeth Tiley, a counselor at MBHS. 

The school board also handled the following business:

  • Accepted a $795,000 check from Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Ammons, made possible by the county’s 1 cent sales tax. 
  • Approved a memorandum of understanding outlining the role of school resource officers.
  • Recognized the MBJH eighth-grade volleyball team, which won the Metro Championship in October.
  • Recognized the MBHS volleyball team, which won the Class 7A state title in October.
  • Recognized the MBHS girls and boys cross-country teams, which finished second and fourth, respectively, at the 7A state meet Nov. 9. 
  • Approved September and October financial statements.
  • Approved minutes from its Oct. 14 meeting.
  • Approved personnel recommendations.
  • Approved sale or disposal of surplus items.