Prattville, Autauga, & Elmore County Student Spotlights – December ’22

To celebrate our military families and formally recognize Veterans Day, Prattville Intermediate School hosted 16 service men and women. This was a great opportunity for our 5th & 6th grade students to learn a wealth of information about our nation’s military branches.

Prattville Intermediate School held its annual Family Game Night on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. Our parents and students had a fun time while testing their knowledge with fun games, good conversation, and prizes.

With a pumpkin decorated to look like the popular cat Garfield from Garfield Makes It Big, homeschooler Eliah Hall of Wetumpka wins “Best in Show” in the Book Character Pumpkin Contest at Academy Days Co-op recently.
Started by this year’s creative writing classes, the contest featured more than 20 pumpkins decorated to represent a book character. Charlotte’s Web was the most popular book with three entrants, followed by Harry Potter with two. Nine other homeschoolers ranging from kindergarten to high school received certificates and candy for winning in such categories as “Most Creative,” “Most Original” and “Funniest.”
Academy Days Co-op, held weekly during the school year at Eastmont Baptist Church, is designed for preschool through high school students to learn subjects difficult to teach at home or best taught in group settings. For more information about the co-op, visit AcademyDays.com.

Billingsley School’s engineering and robotics team competed in the BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) robotics competition at Shelton State Community College on October 28 and 29. The team received the 3rd place BEST Award, while also bringing home first place for Team Video Design, second place for Website Design, and third place for Team Exhibit Design and Construction. Billingsley advances to South’s BEST Regional Championship which will take place at Auburn University on December 3 and 4.

The Varsity Cheerleaders at Billingsley School hosted a mini-clinic for elementary students interested in cheerleading. The clinic was held each after school Monday through Thursday during the week and the mini-clinic participants were invited to show off what they learned during the varsity football game that Friday night.

PCA’s volleyball program has been chipping away at post-season advances season after season, and with the reclassification shuffle following last year’s season, the 2022 varsity team was deemed “special” by anyone who’s worked with them during the past few years. “I think we knew from the beginning of the summer that we had a special group of girls,” said Kaylon Cantrell, PCA’s head volleyball coach. “We knew we had a lot of talent and the chance to make history this season.”
As they say, the rest is history! The No. 7 Lady Panthers went 3-0 in the state tournament, defeating No. 8 Geraldine High School in the Elite 8, No. 6 Ohatchee High School in the Final 4, and No. 2 Plainview in a gritty 3-1 victory to bring home the program’s first AHSAA state championship. The Lady Panthers came to the state tournament ready for battle, and the stats prove it with the team combining for ten aces, 54 kills, seven blocks, 51 assists, and 76 digs. Baylee Rogers ‘26 and Coco Thomas ’23 were named to the All-Tournament Team, and Hannah Jones ’23 was named the state tournament’s MVP. The team finished the season 38-19, losing only seven games following the season’s bumpy start in August and early September.
This state championship is PCA’s fourth title in recent years…and all from girls’ teams.

PCA’s Cross Country teams overcame significant obstacles to compete in the 3A state meet this weekend, and through it all, the teams showed great character and perseverance. Student-athletes battled flu and sickness leading up to the meet and less-than-ideal conditions on race day with torrential rain, and a deteriorating course full of mud and standing water that only got worse as runners in the classification heats continued to slip and slide through the 3.1 miles.
Despite the challenges, PCA’s teams ran well, with the girls’ team placing sixth overall with eight runners and the boys’ team finishing 13th overall with only six runners. The girls’ team set a new school record for the highest finish at an AHSAA state meet, moving up from a 13th-place finish in 2021.
Ethan Green ’28 set a new personal record of 20:37, and Brysen Pugh ’26 also PR’d at 21:00. Ally Blankinchip ’25 set a PR in her first XC appearance of 23:34 – an average of 7.5 minutes per mile. More than medals, these teams were commended for their concern of others. “They were more concerned about their fellow teammates’ health and ability to race than anything else,” said Scott Schumpert, head coach.
Congratulations to both teams on a great season!

PCA’s 25th-anniversary homecoming celebration was one for the memory books! Students celebrated in grand style with themed dress-up days, specially-planned activities, a parade and pep rally, a state volleyball championship, the crowning of the 2022 Homecoming Queen, and a victory on the football field.

The Billingsley School FFA Chapter received a donation of $10,000 from Arrow Exterminators and the Runion Family in memory of former Billingsley FFA member Charlie Jones. The funds will allow several students to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall.

Third graders from Billingsley School zoomed with Lindsay Yacovino, one of the authors of the children’s Christmas book, North’s Pole. Yacovino shared the process an author goes through to create and publish a book. She also read North’s Pole, answered questions from the students, and challenged them to brainstorm ideas for their own stories!

Congrats to 2023 Ashtyn Pannell on signing her softball scholarship to Anderson University! Ashtyn joins numerous other Lady Panthers who have signed to play at the next level. She has been a huge part of Elmore County’s softball success in winning almost 100 games in two years and one month.

Pine Level students were asked to participate in the drawing of a lighthouse that would be used on the for which Autauga County’s Superintendent, Tim Tidmore, is the president. Claire Autrey was voted the winner of the lighthouse drawing contest, and her drawing was placed on the cover of the AAFEPA Conference Program given to each attendee. In this picture, Claire is being recognized by Superintendent Tidmore and awarded a cash prize for being selected the winner.

Mrs. Thomas’ Kindergarten Class helped save Tom Turkey from getting eaten this Thanksgiving. The students had fun using their imagination to create a Turkey in Disguise.

Our first thanksgiving lunch at RMS was a huge success! Thank you to our cafeteria staff for all their hard work to make this day great!

We want to congratulate Nolan Fletcher and Bradley Hanby for being accepted into the UAB Middle School Honor Band. They will represent MMS during the Honor band on the campus of UAB in Birmingham on Dec. 8-10.

Sarah Williams ’23 was selected as PCA’s 2022 Heisman High School Scholarship award recipient. The Heisman Trophy Trust “extends the Heisman prestige to the nation’s most esteemed high school seniors by recognizing and rewarding outstanding scholar-athletes who understand that the most important victories happen not only on the field but in their schools and communities.” Sarah is a leader that makes a game-changing difference every day by paving the way for others around her on the field and in the classroom.

Sally Swindall ’23 has committed to Chattanooga State Community College to pursue her passion for softball at the next level! She will join Chattanooga Athletics as a softball pitcher among the fall 2023 class of student-athletes.

The annual Elmore County College + Career Day was held in September at the Wetumpka Civic Center where more than 70 representatives from colleges, universities, military branches, and local businesses visited with the 800 seniors in attendance. Students from Elmore County High, Holtville High, Stanhope Elmore High, Wetumpka High, The EDGE Virtual School, Tallassee High, Edgewood Academy, New Life Christian Academy, and Victory Christian Academy participated in the event.