April 2024 Student Spotlights – Montgomery

Valiant Cross Academy was not just honored, but transformed by The Yass Prize, a recognition accompanied by a generous $1 million prize. This transformative accolade has affirmed our commitment to education and propelled us toward achieving milestones we once thought were beyond our reach. With the proceeds, we are excited and invigorated about the upcoming opening of our new elementary school in the Fall of 2024, visiting other states with the possibility of scaling our model, and recently initiating a new literacy center that will serve countless children in our community.
Pictured: Dr. Anthony Brock, Co-founder and Head of School

The 2024 Montgomery County Spelling Bee was hosted Monday, February 12th in the Performing Arts Building on the campus of Saint James School, 6010 Vaughn Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Montgomery County public, private, and parochial schools and those home-schooled through the 8th grade were eligible to enter the contest. Sixteen Montgomery County schools participated.
For the 66th consecutive year, the Montgomery County Bee was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States – Smith-Wynn Post 96 in Montgomery Alabama, which awards a prize of $300 to the County winner. The second-place prize was $200, and the third-place prize was $100.
First place was Justin Lee of Holy Spirit Elementary. Lee has won the Montgomery County Bee for the third straight year.
Second Place was Lynn Kim of Forest Avenue Elementary School
Third Place was Fridda Barrios of Baldwin Arts and Academic Magnet School
The winning words for the final round were “cathode” and “bonsai.”
The Montgomery County winner participates in the State Spelling Bee in March with the chance to represent the State of Alabama in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC.
The Judges were:
Joe Crowley – Retired Professor of English, Auburn Montgomery
Bill Chivalette – Post Adjutant, VFW Smith-Wynn Post 96
Jerry Taff – Retired insurance agent and substitute teacher at various schools
The Pronouncer was Vicki Petters, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Trinity French Class students competed at the 73rd annual Alabama Federation of French Clubs French Convention, hosted by the University of Alabama. Trinity brought home multiple awards in Original Art, Individual Oral Speaking, Student Video, Break Out Room, Design, and more.

Trinity Senior, Junior, and Sophomore students proudly presented “All Shook Up” as their Spring musical performance. The students enjoyed performing many of Elvis’s hits, including Blue Suede Shoes, Jailhouse Rock, That’s All Right, and several others.

Montgomery Catholic was represented by 27 students in this year’s 75th Annual YMCA Alabama Youth Legislature Conference, accompanied by high school students from various counties throughout the state of Alabama. These students joined together in Downton Montgomery to learn about the democratic process and step into the roles of legislators.
Throughout the three-day conference, delegates debated bills in the First Year, House, and Senate chambers. The Catholic delegation, entirely composed of First Year and House participants, echoed the chambers with their debates!
While many of the bills passed committees, only a select few were chosen to be debated. In First Year, Samantha Berg, Frances Bach, Anna Rose Schwarz, Madelyn Stringer, and Hannah Grace Zaworski were placed on the bill docket for the weekend. In the House, Campbell Webb, Kate Robertson, and Amari Archie were placed on the bill docket.
One of our delegates – Samantha Berg – earned a First Year Spotlight. Berg had a Special Order bill passed and signed into “law” by the Youth governor. The bill, FY046, would require all officers of the law in Alabama to wear a body camera for the entirety of their shift. Campbell Webb’s bill was debated and passed in both the House and Senate and was signed into “law” as well. Although not all of our delegates who were selected got a chance to debate their bills throughout the weekend, their voices rang in the chambers as they debated and passed meaningful legislation!
Catholic brought two amazing lobbyists – Zion Williams and Haylei Mason – who spent the weekend researching and presenting arguments in favor of particular bills they had chosen. Additionally, one of our first years, Brooklyn Ruffin, worked behind the scenes as a media representative for “Today’s Tomorrow.”
Finally, Isabella Shin, running for office for the second time, continued her campaign of “Shin for the Win!” to be elected as next year’s Speaker of the House. Isabella will be joined by Bebe Neely, as they were selected to attend the Conference on National Affairs this summer!
Returning Montgomery Catholic delegates and Youth Legislature participants included Anna Lathram, Bebe Neeley, Isabella Shin, Amelia Kate Skala, Amari Archie, Haylei Mason, Zion Williams, Mikiyah Washington, JaJa Gancayco, Kate Robertson, and Campbell Webb.
New to the program were first-year participants Brooklyn Ruffin, Lucy Calhoun, Rylee Wilcoxson, Frances Bach, Samantha Berg, Sawyer Carroll, Ava Henderson, Anna Rose Schwarz, Kayla Hora, Frances Ann Rogers, Madelyn Stringer, Hannah Grace Zaworski, Heaven Bailey, Paulina Quilacio, Kelley Ramirez and Hayden Whetstone.

Macon East Academy had four outstanding juniors, Mattie Pugh, Addison Little, Mary Taylor May and Bryant Morrison participate in the Dixie Electric Cooperative’s Montgomery Youth Tour. Students toured historical sites in Montgomery, met with legislators, learned about the cooperative form of business, competed in Co-op 101, and participated in leadership activities.

Montgomery Academy was proud to once again host President Jo Bonner of the University of South Alabama to meet with our Junior class and to take a tour of our Upper School campus. Students also heard from Executive VP & Provost, Dr. Andrea Kent, and Ms. Dymon Burke from the Admissions office. President Bonner’s tour of our Upper School was led by members of our Junior class. Thank you to President Bonner, Dr. Kent, and Ms. Burke for sharing the USA story and experience with us!

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is pleased to announce that Karen Lathram will serve as the next Principal of our Holy Spirit Elementary Campus beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year. Karen is a familiar face to Montgomery Catholic. She has been a 2nd grade teacher at our Holy Spirit Campus for the last 7 years, where she has provided Faith Formation to her students each year as they prepare to receive the Sacraments of First Communion and Reconciliation. She is a loving wife to her husband Othni and together they have two children, Christopher and Anna, who are a Montgomery Catholic graduate and a current student, respectively.
On Karen’s hiring, school President Justin Castanza shared, “Our community will be so blessed by Karen in the role of principal. I am so grateful to Nancy Foley for years of dedication and service to Montgomery Catholic and a beautiful career of more than four decades. As we say goodbye to Nancy at the end of the school year, I am pleased to know we will continue to be in capable hands and welcome Karen Lathram to the team. Faith is at the forefront of our mission, and Karen is ready to carry that standard.”
Bringing 17 years of classroom experience to the role of Principal, Lathram had the following to say about her new position. “I am humbled and excited about moving forward as the next Principal of the Holy Spirit Elementary Campus. I have been a lifelong beneficiary and supporter of Catholic education as a student, a parent, and a teacher. I am a firm believer in the mission of educating our children’s souls, minds, and bodies. As Montgomery Catholic celebrates its first 150 years, I look forward to serving in this role and helping to build the foundation for the next 150 years.”

At George Washington Carver High School, Mr. Gregg’s 11th grade AP students gear up to “March Into the ACT!” Students are looking for groundbreaking results as they prepare to take the ACT.

Congratulations to our three MCPS Bands – 7th grade, 8th grade, and Concert – as they all earned straight Superior ratings at this year’s Music Performance Assessment! Our Concert Band got perfect scores in every caption, scoring a 35/35 from all four judges for the 3rd year in a row! Tougher judging this year meant tougher scoring, but these students still earned these incredible scores and we are so proud of them!

Trinity Varsity Girls’ Basketball team won their second consecutive State Championship title, showcasing their unwavering dedication and exceptional talent on the court. Their coach, Blake Smith, was also named Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Learning became a delightful adventure for Trinity’s second graders in Candyland! Daily challenges in Math, Science, English, and Bible added excitement to the curriculum. After conquering each task, the class eagerly advanced their game pieces along the Candyland board, turning education into an engaging and fun experience.

Students who attend the MAP Youth Navigation Center After School Tutoring and Homework Help Program (formerly Common Ground Ministries) are tutored every weekday while receiving homework help after school and safely taken home in the evening. During the first nine weeks of the 2023-2024 school year, 90% of the children in the program made the A/B Honor Roll. This is significant as this is the first year to be on the Honor Roll for many of these students. It’s a huge accomplishment to see so many students make the A/B Honor Roll, and it shows that the curriculum with the After School Tutoring and Homework Help Program is paying off at what is now the MAP Youth Navigation Center! MAP provides services to ten schools in West Montgomery.

On February 6-8, Montgomery Catholic Sophomore Campbell Webb and Freshman Madelyn Stringer had the opportunity to serve as Pages during the opening week of the First Legislative Session of 2024 at the Alabama State House. As Pages, they learned about the legislative system, helped staff during and after sessions, and spent time with their respective representatives: Campbell with Rep. Rhett Marques and Madelyn with Rep. Phillip Ensler.
Some of the things they got to experience: attending a Board of Education meeting with Rep. Ensler, witnessing a bill getting passed in the gallery, attending sessions in the House chamber, leading the House chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance, touring the Alabama State House, and meeting the 2023 MLB AL Rookie of the Year and Montgomery native Gunnar Henderson.
The highlight of this unique experience was that Campbell and Madelyn got to meet and interact with government officials, including the Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey!
Thank you to Page Director Mia Dacus, Reps. Phillip Ensler and Rhett Marques, and all those involved with helping these students have such an incredible experience! We love how invested our students are in government and making the places around them better for future generations!

Lower elementary classrooms at River Region Academy were turned into campsites to celebrate Read Across America Week! A special thank you to Mrs. Bonner for setting up the tents and bringing in the outdoors! Pictured here are the students in grades K-1-2. Happy camping!

Demitri Flowers is an 11th grader at Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School. He was selected to participate in the 2024 Auburn University Minority Introduction to Engineering (MITE) Camp and earned a full scholarship to attend the camp.
The Minority Introduction to Engineering program (MITE) is a week-long residential summer program that allows students the opportunity to be exposed to engineering design processes that are used to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. While working on their collaborative engineering project, participants will develop presentation skills. Participants will explore and be exposed to engineering through hands-on activities led by faculty and administrators. MITE participants will learn more about careers in engineering and the overall impact one can have in this field.
Source: Auburn University School of Engineering & Auburn University Youth Programs

5th graders from Forest Avenue learned so much and had an amazing time at STARBASE this week!

Forest Avenue students loved the fun visitors who popped into their classrooms for READ ACROSS MPS Week!

Congratulations to this year’s newly inducted MCPS National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta members! The Loretto Chapter of NHS inducted 34 new members and the Mu Alpha Theta – National Math Honor Society inducted 20 new members! 27 graduating class members also received their NHS graduation stoles. All of these students exemplify a commitment to scholarship, service, leadership, character, and an understanding of the intricacies of mathematics in all of God’s creation.

River Region Academy’s upper elementary students, under the guidance of Ms. Perdale Johnson, learned about African Americans who made contributions to our society. From activists to entertainers to record-breaking athletes to an aerospace engineer and mathematician, students shone spotlights on the contributions of 12 influential African Americans as we celebrated Black History Month.
Do you recognize these famous people?
Guion Bluford (Jyron), Ruby Bridges (Hannah), Aurelia Browder (Ellie), Aretha Franklin (Jordyn), Fred Gray (DJ), Al Green (Kaleb), Michael Jackson (Aiden J), Katherine Johnson (Rayyah), Rocky Johnson (Aiden H), Max Robinson (Kay’don), Serena Williams (Loren), and
Venus Williams (Londyn).

Trinity 9th-grade students embarked on an enlightening journey into the professional world through an immersive Shadow Day experience. Numerous professionals and local companies opened their doors, providing our students with a unique opportunity to explore diverse career paths. Throughout the day, the students not only gained valuable insights into various industries but also had the chance to witness firsthand the daily operations and responsibilities of professionals in different fields. This event was more than just a glimpse into the working world; it was a day filled with inspiration, new perspectives, and the invaluable chance for these young minds to learn and grow as they considered their own future career paths.

In a momentous occasion at the State Capitol, fifth-grade students from Montgomery Christian School proudly stood around Governor Kay Ivey’s desk and watched history unfold as Governor Ivey signed the CHOOSE Act (House Bill 129) into law. The CHOOSE Act is about school choice, empowering families, and shaping the future of the youth in Alabama. MCS fifth graders will carry this memory with them—a memory of standing shoulder to shoulder with their governor and witnessing the birth of such a substantial law.

River Region Academy’s “Principal of All Things,” Mrs. Kris White, gets into the spirit of Read Across America! Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children’s author and cartoonist who adopted the name “Dr. Seuss” as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College and as a graduate student at Lincoln College, Oxford. His first published book was And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), but it was probably his 1957 book The Cat in the Hat that made him a household name. Reading a book a day keeps brain fog away!

Macon East Academy first and second graders enjoyed dressing up as their favorite book character in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Their love for reading is truly inspiring!

Montgomery Christian School enthusiastically joins the nationwide celebration of Read Across America Week. This spirited event encourages students to embrace the power of literacy as a foundational skill. Throughout this week, students at Montgomery Christian School express their creativity through themes like the Crazy Hat Day. Montgomery Christian School creates an environment that promotes the benefits of reading to its students. Reading not only enriches vocabulary but also improves comprehension, fluency, imagination, and creates a lifelong love of reading.

Mrs. Bonner’s class at River Region Academy celebrated Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped waffles. Students also created and exchanged valentine cards and learned that Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, friendship, and the joy of having other people in your life. It’s a day of flowers, candy, and cards decorated with hearts.

The AISA District 5 Art Show was recently held at Hooper Academy. The event included art work from all of the AISA schools in the Montgomery Area.  Several students from Evangel Christian Academy won awards.  Kerington Thomas placed in the 3D and in the Drawing with Color Categories.  Ariel Lovett placed in Collage, Printmaking and Painting Categories.  Andrea Thai placed in the Watercolor Category.  The first place pieces of art will advance to compete at the AISA State level.

Upper elementary classrooms at River Region Academy were turned into campsites to celebrate Read Across America Week! A special thank you to Ms. Johnson for setting up the tents and bringing in the outdoors! Pictured here are the students in grades 3-4-5. So glad you had fun reading in your tents and eating hot dogs!

Mrs. Hale’s 4th grade class had a wonderful time touring the Hyundai Plant in Montgomery. They were able to see the economic impact Hyundai has had, not only on our city, but our state.

On February 8-10, the Saint James Performing Arts Department presented its annual Cabaret. This year’s theme was Rock & Roll: Hall of Fame. With students participating from grades 3 through 12, the singing and dance numbers were performed before a delighted audience each show. Songs were chosen from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees over the decades.
The show featured 24 musical numbers. The fun began with “Let’s Go Crazy” and continued until the finale of “Rock and Roll Medley.” Small group numbers including the elementary choir, Rising Stars, were featured as well as numbers designed for the full cast. Rising Stars is Saint James’s elementary choir. Choreography featured Sarah Jane Patterson along with Saint James alumni choreographers Anna Colson, Emma Sherlin, and Kassidy Thompson.
The program was orchestrated by Director Lonny Harrison and Musical Director Sallye York.
Dr.York (piano and keyboard) and Clyde James (percussion) provided musical accompaniment, along with Saint James students William Harvey on guitar and Jacob McNally on piano. Matt King was the bassist.
Cabaret is an annual event at Saint James which brings together all division levels. This year’s production featured 33 members of Rising Stars, 35 middle school and high school cast members, and 17 student crew members. All students who wish to participate may do so in any of the following capacities: production, house crew, backstage crew, lighting, sound crew, publicity, costume crew, or onstage performance.

During the weekend of February 23-25, Saint James School participated in the YMCA’s Alabama Youth Legislature. A number of delegates had special roles, along with several Saint James students being awarded special recognition for their outstanding contributions this weekend.
Saint James School participants included Eric Vo, Michael Phan, Grant Phillips, Andrew Shalayda, Austin Oh, Alex Ruona, Kevin Hwang, Lucas Kang, Lucy Hwang, MaryEllis Killough, Izzy Pappas, Ava Donaldson, Madison Walton, Elaine Vo, Stella Sponseller, Amolika Mishra, Kaleigh Soto, Aashvi Patel, Nicole Jung, Margaret Hornsby, and Charlotte Brown.
Alex Ruona and Michael Phan served on the Supreme Court. Speaker of the House was senior Austin Oh. Ava Donaldson was Senate Chaplain. Attorney General was Elaine Vo, and Amolika Mishra served as a part of the Governor’s Cabinet, representing the ABC Board. Stella Sponseller and Madison Walton served as part of the media team for the weekend, and Nicole Jung served as a lobbyist.
Several Saint James students were selected as Delegates/Alternate Delegates to this summer’s Conference on National Affairs: Austin Oh, Ava Donaldson and Elaine Vo.
Of the four awards given to students at Youth Legislatures, Saint James won two of them. The Bill Barringer Scholarship Award was given to Ava Donaldson. The Bill Barringer Scholarship Award is given to a college bound senior participant who has participated in Youth Legislature for a minimum of three years. The student should embody exemplary Christian character, as well as be a person who works behind the scenes often without recognition. The student should be committed to the program with an attitude of enthusiasm and encouragement.
The Betty Carr Award went to Elaine Vo. This award was named in honor of longtime adviser Betty Carr. It is presented to a delegate who gives fully to the program, exhibits excellent debating skills, works hard behind the scenes, and stands for his/her beliefs. It was first awarded in 1976. Saint James alumna Trinity Hunter, C’19, presented this award to Elaine. A former recipient of this award, Trinity returned this year to work as a YMCA volunteer at the conference.

The Saint James eighth grade class made its annual visit to the nation’s capital during February 11-14. This trip is in conjunction with the 8th grade history curriculum focusing on American History, taught by Mrs. Venna Everett.
The class visited many important historical sites including Arlington National Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum, Martin Luther King Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, and Mount Vernon, among others. The Holocaust Museum was a poignant part of the trip.
Several students were a part of the ceremony of laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The students chosen to participate in this meaningful ceremony are the children of active military or national guard. This year’s student participants were Eva Light, Life Gradaille, Holden LaPres, and Aileen Mulligan. All other students were present to watch the ceremony.
As part of the adventure, the alumni office invited Saint James alums living in the D.C. area to join the class for dinner. It is a great way to reconnect. On the final night of the trip, the students were treated to a dinner cruise complete with fun music and dancing!

Saint James School is proud to announce its students placed well in the Visual Arts Achievement Program (VAAP) sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. VAAP provides local and state recognition for student achievement in the visual arts. The program is designed to offer encouragement to young artists, showcase their work and offer opportunities for advanced training beyond high school. The following Saint James middle school and high school students won awards at the District Level. Saint James has seven first place winners that will move on to State later in March.
In the middle school division, for Painting Sophia Griffin placed 3rd. In Drawing, Jiyu Shin was awarded 1st place. For Mixed Media, Charlie Jenkins placed 2nd. In Printmaking, E.J. Williams won 1st place and Peyton Stewart was awarded 2nd place. In Crafts, Jia Kim won 1st place.
In the high school division Photography, Abbie Strickland placed 1st while Olivia Patrick placed 2nd. In Drawing, Kaleigh Soto was awarded 1st place. In Printmaking, Wendy Stombaugh won 1st place. Elaine Vo won 1st place in Crafts. In Mixed Media, Cole Williams won 2nd place.
Mrs. Aimee Bentley teaches the middle school art students along with the photography students. Mrs. Evelyn Shoults teaches high school art classes at Saint James.

Saint James School proudly announces that Will Alexander, member of the class of 2024, has been named National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist.
After being named a Semifinalist in the fall, Will was reviewed and evaluated based on his academic record, information about Saint James School’s curricula and grading system, national test scores, school recommendations, information about his activities and leadership, and an essay he wrote.
Upon completion of these requirements, 15,000 students nationwide were notified that they had been named a National Merit Finalist. During the spring and early summer, approximately 7,100

2nd grader at FAAM are learning about fast changes to Earth’s surface and imitated volcano eruptions this week!

Alabama’s Quality STARS program is designed to help parents evaluate potential child care providers. The voluntary assessment program is managed by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education and rates providers on the following research based standards:
1. Curriculum and instructional practices
2. Student assessment process
3. Family engagement
4. Professional credentials and education of their teachers
5. Classroom climate and environment
Through incredible hard work, AIM Academy of Pike Road has been awarded THREE stars! We are extremely proud of our entire team for this impressive achievement. Consistent with our core values, our drive for excellence does not stop here. We will apply everything we learned from the assessment to further improve our policies, procedures, and daily practices to reach even higher STARS in the future. Thank you to our community and families for your support as we AIM for excellence! https://alabamaqualitystars.org/for-parents/

On February 2, 2024, George Washington Carver High School Speech and Debate, Robotics, and Ambassadors visited Rosa Parks Museum during their Black History Downtown Tour. Students commemorated Rosa Parks by visiting the museum and her monument to celebrate her birthday.

Forest Avenue fourth graders had a great time at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville on Friday. They enjoyed learning about the impact NASA and the space program has had on Alabama.