Pike Road Student Spotlights – April 2026

Pike Road Junior High School is celebrating a major achievement after being named a Lighthouse School of Excellence — the highest honor awarded by the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.
To earn Lighthouse status, schools must score at least 90 percent in nine key areas, demonstrating excellence in leadership, instruction, culture, and student achievement. Even more impressive, Pike Road Junior High earned the distinction in its first year of application.
The school marked the occasion with a spirited pep rally for seventh- and eighth-grade students and teachers. Participants entered the gym through a cheer tunnel, a celebration usually reserved for athletic victories, while the Pike Road High School Pep Band set a festive tone.
Mayor Gordon Stone congratulated the school community and expressed his pride in the students and staff. Superintendent Dr. Jason Goodwin highlighted the significance of the recognition and presented Principal Mrs. Wright with a framed letter from Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.
Pike Road Junior High will hold the Lighthouse title for five years, serving as a mentor and model for other schools seeking continued growth and improvement. The honor reflects the dedication of its students, teachers, and leaders — and a shared commitment to excellence.

Pike Road High School is home to the 2026 Alabama HOSA State Champions in Community Awareness! Congratulations to Cate Quinn, Layne Hart, Emerson Guy, Amelie Hixson, Addison May, and Kylie Morrow!
This outstanding team will now advance to represent Alabama and Pike Road High School at the HOSA International Leadership Conference, which will be held in Indianapolis, IN, in June!
Pike Road HOSA students recently competed at the Alabama HOSA State Leadership Conference, joining more than 1,500 high school students from across the state of Alabama, and they represented our school with excellence, professionalism, and pride!
We are thrilled to celebrate Alexandria Strum, Laniya Strum, Tonique Andrade, Molly Maloch, Ester Lee, Amy Kate Damato, and Sarah Cate Gulsby for placing in the top 6 in the state in Public Health.
Braylen Gamble and Aidan Navin both placed in the top 6 for their work in CERT Skills.
Placing in the Top 6 at the state level is an incredible accomplishment and reflects months of preparation, dedication, and hard work. We are so proud of these students for competing at such a high level!
We could not be prouder of all of our HOSA competitors for their commitment to leadership, service, and the future of healthcare.

The Pike Road Ladies Auxiliary recently announced two scholarship recipients from Macon East Academy: Cole Streetman and Caden Mobley. This scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate dedication, volunteerism, and meaningful community service. Cole and Caden’s commitment to making a positive impact—both now and in their future fields of study—shines through in this well deserved honor.

Pike Road Junior High Theatre learners recently excelled at the Trumbauer Junior Theatre Festival at Saint James School! Congratulations to our Medal Winners for Technical Theatre Set Design, Addison Quimby, Trisha Ramsey, and Hank Posey, and for Duet Musical, Griffin Isbell and Hank Posey. The talent didn’t stop there, as several students earned top honors for their individual performances. Griffin Isbell, Paisley Yeager, and Oliver Dominy received Superior Ratings for their musical solo, while Hank Posey and Bryce Popwell received Excellent Ratings. Congratulations to our performers and technicians for such an impressive showing!

Congratulations to 12th grader, Maylee Joy Leavell, for her Peaceful River, White Charcoal, and Color Pencil on paper piece, which won the 9th-12th grade Wiregrass Museum of Art Award! Her piece will hang in the Wiregrass Museum until April of next year.

Eight FCCLA officers/members competed in the Alabama State FCCLA STAR events. They competed against hundreds of other FCCLA members from across the state.
Lillian Restand, Hannah Lee, and Hannah Oh are all National Qualifiers who will be heading to Washington, D.C.
Lillian Restad and Hannah Lee both received Gold Scores, and Hannah Oh, Jenny Chen, Emma Spivey, J.T. Evans, Ashley Lee, and Kayla Jang received Silver Scores.
All 8 competitors placed in the top 10 in the State for their events.

Our C3 and C4 PEP gifted students at Pike Road Elementary School and Pike Road Intermediate School had several Amazing Read Across America guest readers! Dr. Eric Mackey (State School Superintendent), Dr. Tonya Chestnut (State School Board Member), Mrs. Jan Johnson ( Pike Road Schools Board Member ), Mrs. Summer Rice ( Pike Road Schools Central Office), Miss Alabama 2026 SLE Rodeo Queen ( Georgia Cauthen) and many parents. What an Awesome way to promote the love of reading! Thank you to everyone who made this week a huge success!

Mrs. Trussell’s C3 PEP learners at Pike Road Elementary School had a special visit from The McWane Science Center on the move program. Our learners had the opportunity to use their brain unit study objectives to help them with programming and mapping paths with ozobots. This is a wonderful program that McWane Center offers to schools! Our PEP learners had an Awesome learning experience! Thank you McWane on The Move!

Pike Road Schools is also proud to recognize eighth graders William Cuthbert (Football), Hadley Hawthorne (Cross Country, Soccer), and Riley Love (Tennis) as honorees for the esteemed Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award. Congratulations, William, Hadley, and Riley!

Pike Road Schools is proud to announce that seniors Ashley Lee (basketball) and Noah Foley (baseball) have been selected as nominees for the esteemed Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award. Congratulations, Ashley and Noah!