Electrical students from Elmore County Technical Center toured the new building construction on campus while shadowing employees from Garner Electric. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about careers and educational pathways in the field as well as view their new classroom and lab spaces. Former ECTC Electrical student Braxton Lock, a 2018 Holtville graduate now employed with Garner Electric, also shared about his educational and career pathway with the students.

Two seniors from the Medical Sciences program and one from Aviation Technology represented Elmore County Technical Center at the Elmore County High Get Involved Fair in October educating students on the ways they can take courses at the technical center and join our CTSO communities to build leadership skills and give back to the community.

Over the summer, Elmore County Technical Center Medical Science student Shemai’ya participated in The University of Alabama’s Rural Medical Health Scholars Program. Only a few students throughout the state are selected to take part in this opportunity. In the program, she was able to take two college courses, Introductory Chemistry & Creative Writing. She said the program motivated her to pursue pediatrics and fight healthcare gaps in rural communities.

A group of aviation technology students from Elmore County Technical Center visited the St. Clair County Airport’s Aviation Career Day & Open House in October where they had the opportunity to view multiple aircraft displays and learn more about careers in aviation.

Macon East students recently participated in one of the oldest educational competitions in the United States of America, dating back to as far as the 1700s – the Spelling Bee! The spelling bee is an educational competition of spelling and vocabulary and can be an exciting and enriching experience.

Elise Logan, Madison Vocino, Eli Churchwell, Ava Noffsinger and Halyn Wren recently represented their grades in the AISA District competition at Chambers Academy. Alternates who attended in support of their classmates were: Bella Chambers, Hagen Owens, Bentley Graham, Sophie Clark and Bentley Faulk.

Noffsinger won the District spelling bee by spelling the word solve correctly and then tongs for the win! Wren was the alternate for 4th grade.

The AISA State Spelling Bee was held at Troy University of Montgomery Rosa Parks Auditorium on November 30 and Noffsinger won 1st runner up for the 5th grade level!

Mrs. Johnson (spelling bee sponsor) is shown with Ava Noffsinger, 1st runner-up in the AISA State Spelling Bee for 5th grade.

The Wetumpka High Theatre Guild Character Squad had a wonderful time visiting with the Redland Elementary students for their recent Book-A-Thon. Some Redland students are shown with a few of their favorites from Frozen.

Holtville Elementary 4th-graders enjoyed a Farm City Day field trip sponsored by the Elmore County Extension Office. Shown are some of teacher Jessica Scarpace’s students.

A group of senior students in Elmore County Technical Center’s Medical Sciences second-year courses competed in the AdVenture Capital GENYOUth Design 4 Good Challenge and was among the groups chosen for grant funding to launch an idea for improving school or community health and wellness.  The ECTC team focused on a plan to provide mental health first aid training for a group of student leaders on each high school campus who will be available for their peers. The team is currently in the process of submitting their final plans to GENYOUth to receive the grant funds for implementation.

Brady Walker, an English and theatre instructor at Stanhope Elmore High School, recently won a WSFA “Class Act” Award.

Macon East Academy senior Garrison Miller has signed a letter of intent to continue his football and academic career at Huntingdon College.

Five Wetumpka baseball players have signed National Letters of Intent to play college baseball. From left are Coach Russ Brooks, Dawson Fuller, Garrit Terrell, Noah Jones, Douglas Johnson, Kyle Morrison, and Coach Michael Dismukes. Morrison has signed with Troy; Terrell  with Snead State; and Jones, Fuller and Johnson with Southern Union State Community College.

Several ninth- and tenth-grade students from Macon East Academy attended the Alfa Youth Leadership Conference November 1-2 at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana. The conference teaches them how to advocate for agriculture, identify their potential and step into leadership roles. Sponsors are the Alabama Farmers Federation, Montgomery County Farmers Federation and Alabama Farm Credit. The following students represented Macon East at the conference: Ethan Jones, Addison Little, Mattie Pugh, Matthew Pugh and Luke Lawson.

Both the Pike Road Elementary and Intermediate Chess Clubs won their divisions at the Rasberry Chess Academy event held recently at PRES.

Eclectic Elementary School held its annual spelling bees December 9. Ten third-graders and eight fourth-graders competed. The 3rd-grade bee lasted 11 rounds and Abby Edwards won with the word imagined. The 4th-grade bee lasted 18 rounds and Saylor McDonald won with the word scarf. Third-grade runner-up was Carson Jones and fourth-grade runner-up was Daniel Quinn.

Christy Glassford teaches Community 11 English Language Arts at Pike Road High School and s one of the founding members of Pike Road Schools. She has been teaching for 11 years and said she became a teacher because it gives her the opportunity to shape the future. It also gives her a chance to love kids every day and be someone for them.

“The NBCT Accomplished Teacher model will continue to be what I strive after in my every day craft,” she said. “I will continue to reflect on and analyze my teaching strategies and student outcomes to ensure that the learners at Pike Road are getting the best experience they can in my classroom.”

Dawn Ellis has also been teaching for 11 years and has been with Pike Road Schools for the past two. She is a special education lead learner for the intermediate school. Ellis said teaching is her passion and something she always wanted to do.

“As a lifelong learner, I was motivated to pursue NBCT in the area of Exceptional Needs Specialist,” she said. “Through the process, I became more willing to take risks by trying new ideas and less afraid of failure. I believe the NBCT process has helped me write better IEPs that lead to even better collaboration with parents.”