Prattville, Autauga, & Elmore County Student Spotlights September 2022

Prattville Christian Academy was recognized as a 2021-2022 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School for its Engineering Academy – the only PLTW-certified program in Alabama in a private school setting. PCA’s Engineering Academy was one of just 191 high school programs from across the nation to be recognized and the state’s only Distinguished High School honoree this year. This national recognition confirms PCA’s commitment to empowering students in industries that interest them.

“We are honored to recognize Prattville Christian Academy for their unwavering commitment to provide students with an excellent educational experience despite the last two years having been some of the most challenging in recent history for students and educators across the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. David Dimmett, Interim President and CEO of PLTW. PCA should be very proud of their achievements in unlocking their students’ potential and equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in life beyond the classroom no matter what career path they choose.”

PCA’s Engineering Academy is a four-year program that teaches critical thinking and reasoning skills as well as the opportunity for students to work with their hands in a technologically advanced setting. This industry-specific academy, along with similar programs, offers students the chance to learn more about the profession they possibly want to pursue after graduation. The courses, Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and the program’s Capstone course, Engineering Design and Development, allow students exposure to the industry while learning valuable skills that will assist them in furthering their interests beyond high school.

PCA is proud to partner with Project Lead The Way as the nation’s leading provider of K-12 STEM programs. PCA’s Engineering Academy enjoys access to world-class curriculum and a high-quality teacher professional development model, combined with an engaged network of educators and corporate and community partners, help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in the global economy.

Madison Thrailkill represented Prattville Christian Academy at the 2022 American Legion Auxiliary Alabama Girls State session earlier this summer. This week-long leadership program is focused on teaching responsible citizenship, leadership, and love for God and country. Rising female high school seniors are competitively selected and sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary to participate in a mock political process of electing officials for all levels of state government and actively running a government as a part of the “Federalist Party” or “Nationalist Party.”

“It takes great courage and good leadership to make your community a better place, and everyone plays an essential role,” said Madison Thrailkill, PCA’s 2022 Girls State delegate. “Girls State encouraged me to understand that no matter who you are, you can make a difference.

While attending Girls State on the campus of Troy University, Madison enjoyed learning from various leaders essential to Alabama’s government, including Senator Katie Britt, Alabama’s State Treasurer Young Boozer, a previous adviser to the Attorney General, and Governor Kay Ivey.

As an upperclassman on PCA’s campus, Madison is encouraging others to “be strong in your faith and know what you believe and why” because whether in a mock government exercise or in everyday life, you will make decisions that affect others, and supporting your decisions with a solid internal belief system is key to impacting positive change for future generations.

Several Academy Days Co-op students cheer over the 256 canned goods they have recently collected for Millbrook’s Welcome Inc., a food pantry which serves West Elmore County families in need. Pictured are (front) Zelda Senn and Braxton Davis of Millbrook, Levi and Landon Baughcum of Deatsville, and Layla Sanders of Millbrook; (back) Isabelle Baughcum of Deatsville, Mady Segrest of Montgomery, Kyler Abrams of Deatsville, Sebastian and Julia Pope of Deatsville, and Noah Wintle of Elmore. The homeschoolers represent 61 families in the tri-county area who participate in the weekly co-op held at Eastmont Baptist Church during the school year.

Academy Days Co-op offers preschool through high school classes in subjects difficult to teach at home or best taught in group settings, such as science labs, photography, foreign language, computer programming, literature, and P.E. Visit www.AcademyDays.com for more information about the co-op or homeschooling.

PLES coaches Rae Ann German and Joshua McCullers received a grant from the Autauga Education Foundation. The grant was used to build a Gaga Pit for Pine Level Elementary School’s playground  The Gaga pit provides a new inclusive sport option for all students and faculty at PLES to enjoy. Students are able to work on agility skills, hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and playing with integrity. The students and faculty are extremely ecstatic to have the new addition to the playground. Thank you to the Autauga Education Foundation for funding this grant.

After reading “How to be a Bucket Filler,” Ms. Moseley’s class took a few minutes to write ways they could be a bucket filler in our classroom and at Pine Level Elementary School. A “bucket filler” is someone who is kind, helpful, and someone who makes people feel happy. After coming up with their own ideas, they put their ideas on a sticky note and displayed them for the class. We made a promise as a class to always fill up people’s bucket, and to never “dip” out of people’s bucket.

Students at Elmore County High School enjoyed a “Getting to Know Me” activity on the first day of school in Mrs. Hines’ class.