September 2023 Student Spotlights – Montgomery

The Montgomery Academy Varsity Football squad closed out the summer with a number of team-building activities that took them across the city and back to campus. Junior/Senior members took advantage of the new Montgomery Whitewater Park and braved the rapids (and the heat!), while Freshmen/Sophomore members headed out for a day of paintball. Coach McBride and his staff also put together the inaugural Eagle Games, where everyone split into themed teams and competed in a variety of games designed to test their abilities. It all wrapped up with a carwash for MA faculty and staff in appreciation for the work they do in the classroom, and for the support they provide on the field of play.

In the opening hours of the new school year, Montgomery Academy Middle and Upper School students review and pledge to uphold the tenets of the Honor Code, adding their signature to a list with their classmates. The Montgomery Academy Honor Code fosters the development of a school community of trust, mutual respect, integrity, and academic honesty. All members of the community are expected to support the ideals of the Honor Code, to conduct themselves ethically, and to encourage others to do the same. These principles, set forth starting in our Lower School, serve to further our school’s fundamental mission: to develop leaders committed to honor, scholarship, service, and the pursuit of excellence.

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to announce 14 students as AP Scholars: 11 students averaged above a 3 on at least 3 AP exams; one student averaged above a 3.25 on at least 4 AP exams; and two students averaged above a 3.5 on at least 5 AP exams. Congratulations to our 2023 AP Scholars:
AP Scholars – Michael Algarin, Nate Berg, Evy Bosko, Cooper Davis, Lena Duncan, Kayleigh Everage, Esa Gancayco, Leona Sanford, Henry Skala, and Alan Stevenson
AP Scholar with Honors – Josie Smith
AP Scholars with Distinction – Cade Corbin (pictured) and Laura Thomas Zhvania (pictured)

SUA’s faculty and staff were welcomed back to campus for their annual professional development meeting. The new academic year kicked off with the theme “Sailing into Success.” Everyone was encouraged and challenged by SUA’s Headmaster, Susan Alred as she shared her vision for the 2023-2024 school year. Along with Mrs. Alred’s vision, faculty and staff received updates and information concerning new things to look forward to this school year. A very meaningful part of the time together was the tradition of praying for the students and their families. The scripture verse for the year is found in Psalm 139:9-10, ”If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.”
We’ve set sail for an exciting school year. “Bon Voyage! Ride the waves…chart the seas!”
(Pictured left to right are faculty members – Tullis Young, Barbara Grimes and Rhonda Wilson)

The more teaching strategies change, the more they remain the same. Over the years, various languages regarding students’ progress have taken on different terms. However, those terms all result back to one important key factor. . . Students Learning, Excelling, and Being Successful.
TEA Christian Academy is off to a great year. It started by conducting formative assessments, which are key components in evaluating students’ progress, helping to identify weaknesses that may need improvement. Formative assessments help assure teachers that students understand what is being taught and provide assurance students are ready to move on. Also, the student will be prepared for the summative assessment at the end of a teaching module with a final test, a project, or a presentation. This summative assessment can also serve as a benchmark.
The teachers at TEA Christian Academy, Inc. are ready to take on the challenges of providing students with the needed tools for a successful year!

Saint James School seniors Ava Donaldson and Will Alexander recently participated in the sessions of the American Legion Auxiliary’s Alabama Girls and Boys State programs.
During Ava’s week serving as the school’s delegate, Ava learned about all levels of state government, ran for Governor, served as part of the Senate, was inspired by female leaders in our community, and made friendships that will last a lifetime. Ava stated, “Girls State was such a surreal experience that has truly prepared me for the ‘real-world,’ with politics and voting. I am so lucky to have this experience to meet such incredible women such as Kathy Randal and Lee Sellers, and especially all of the other delegates. The bonds that I have created in one week at Troy will truly last me a lifetime! It was an honor to represent Saint James.”
During his week of the program, Will ran for the offices of Attorney General and District Attorney, served on the engineering committee, learned about the many facets of government, and formed friendships with students from all over Alabama. According to Will, “Boys State really is a once in a lifetime event. The memories made, lessons learned, and friendships forged will last a lifetime. And getting to see the inner workings of government from the local to statewide level taught me a lot. Boys State has shown me just how many opportunities are ahead in the future and how I can navigate them.”
Saint James School sends representatives to Girls State and Boys State each summer. These students enjoy the experience and learn lessons which will often impact their futures.

TEA Christian Academy, Inc. says WELCOME BACK TO ALL STUDENTS! EVERYWHERE! On the first day of school, we had the pleasure of welcoming a new Pre-kindergartener, Bryson Johnson. Bryson was so excited to start school; he and his mother took pictures and asked the principal, Dr. Maggie McElroy-Washington, to join them. Student Bryson made the following statements: “Oh! I just love my school!”
TEA Christian Academy, Inc. is all about making students happy and assuring students, young and old, that they matter. Bonnie Robinson, the lead teacher, always says, “TEA Christian is your school family.” One factor remains unchanged. Students learn best when they are comfortable, encouraged, and motivated to learn. TEA Christian Academy, Inc. is committed to going the extra mile to “Take an Extra Step Towards Educational Excellence” because our students MATTER!

During the summer break, SAC’s Gallery held its 2023 Student Photography Competition and Exhibition. Barbara Grimes, SUA’s art teacher, submitted nineteen photography entries by SUA students which were among those featured in the exhibition. The exhibition brochure front cover highlighted the entry of SUA student, Earnest Batey, entitled “My Art Table.” Six students won $100 Merit Awards for their photographs. Merit awards were presented to Alexandria Harrison – “A Beach Day,” Urijah Thomas – “Winter Trees,” Norman Yelder – “My Pencil,” Madi Gatta – “Galaxy,” Anya Smith – “Swirls of Color,” and Earnest Batey – “My Art Table.”
Other SUA students featured in the exhibition were Kaylee Duncan, Akia Butler, Que Turner, Roderius Harris, Morgan Kohn, Nequeo Graham, Crystal Mathews, Caleb Lassic, Maria Ruiz, Bella Mills, and Trenton Landrum. Congratulations to all these students!
(Merit award winners pictured left to right: Anya Smith, Urijah Thomas, Alexandria Harrison and Madi Gatta)

The 5th grade students at Trinity concluded their first week of school in math and science with a fun “the floor is lava” challenge. Students used math skills to build towers and protect villages at the base of the volcano using base 10 blocks in different scenarios.

The Senior class from Trinity kicked off the school year with a traditional Senior Breakfast hosted by their parents on the first day of school!

During the summer months, the Junior Varsity Cheer Squad of Saint James School was volunteering their time to serve the Montgomery community. The team decided to partner with MACOA for the upcoming school year, helping prepare meals for area seniors once per month and hosting a pet food drive to help feed the animals of the elderly. This partnership was the idea of cheer captain Maddy Chames, and the rest of the girls have been dedicated to serving the Montgomery community.
On June 7, the team worked in the kitchen chopping vegetables, preparing plates, packaging meals, packaging pet food, and helping to load the meals into cars of the volunteer drivers.
Saint James School is committed to preparing students for lives of service and responsibility.

We are privileged to have a group of students on our campus that care about what Alabama Christian Academy stands for. Each year they get together to decide on a theme for the year that will challenge our student body and encourage them to rise above the rest. This year they decided on Step Up, Step Out, and Step In. Students are encouraging their peers to step up spiritually, step out in service, and step into their relationships. This group of seven students shared their thoughts with the student body in chapel. We are so proud of the courage they have to stand up in front of their peers and challenge them to be better.

The Ambassadors are the official hosts of Trinity School. The purpose of the Trinity Ambassadors is to provide services to the school and to promote pride in the school and all its functions.

Students from the twelfth grade down to fourth grade had the opportunity to visit Faulkner’s state of the art new College of Health Sciences. They were able to visit the ortho lab where physical therapy is taught and were able to get hands-on learning with actual patients there. Students also visited the Simulation Lab where they were able to go into a room set like an actual hospital room. Some students visited the Anatomy Lab to study different ways of looking at the human body. This was a fantastic experience and all of our students enjoyed the visit.

ACA started the school year off with an hour of prayer dedicated to praying over specific areas on campus most trafficked by students. We had stations set up with hosts who had a bucket full of specific names of students. Everyone who visited each designated area grabbed some names and prayed specifically for each student they drew out of the bucket. It was a powerful day seeing all of the parents, teachers and students come together to pray over this year and their classmates.

SUA is pleased to announce that Carlos McGilvery has been named Athletic Director and Katina Robinson as Assistant Athletic Director. Susan Alred, SUA’s Headmaster, made the announcement prior to the opening of the new school year. Both coaches have served in various other SUA athletic responsibilities. Previously, Coach McGilvery held positions as assistant athletic director and assistant football coach; however, in 2022 he assumed the role as head football coach for the Mustangs. Coach Robinson, along with her new responsibilities, will continue to serve as the girl’s head volleyball and softball coach. She also teaches in the middle school. These coaches bring enthusiasm and sportsmanship to the athletic program. Congratulations, Coach McGilvery and Coach Robinson!

Congratulations to Trinity first grader, Walker Arrighi, and fifth grader, Hinton Marshall, for playing in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. this summer.

Congratulations to Montgomery Catholic Junior, Peter Riello who was awarded the National Hispanic Recognition Award by College Board! This is an academic honor earned by Peter because of his GPA of 3.5 or higher AND his outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®.
The National Hispanic Recognition Program recognizes approximately 5,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors each year from among the more than 400,000 juniors who take the PSAT.

Elementary parents and students were super excited to meet their magnificent teachers at Meet the Teacher Night at River Region Academy on August 14th. Middle schoolers and their parents listened attentively at Meet the Teacher Night to hear all about all of the spectacular learning opportunities that await them this year. The high school experience at River Region Academy will be a cherished moment in time that each student will carry with them wherever they go in life. At Meet the Teacher Night on August 10th, parents and students were reassured that their teachers are partners long after graduation, and that our care and investment will always follow them.

It is official football season at ACA! We had Meet the Eagles where all of our fall varsity sports were announced, and everyone got to meet the flag football teams from ACA! It was a fun night filled with inflatables, games, and an intersquad game between the ACA Varsity football players and the flag football teams. It was the biggest Meet the Eagles we have had in years. The concession stand sold out and the ice cream truck had a line the whole night. It was a great night of fun with the ACA family.

Two Floyd Middle Magnet students traveled to Louisiana and came back champions as part of the Dixie Youth Baseball League.
Xavier Manigault and Taylor Stiner were members of the Dixie Youth League team representing Alabama at the Dixie Youth World Series in Ruston, La. Team Alabama competed against teams from across the Southeast.

In Melissa Anderson’s 9th Grade Physics class at The Montgomery Academy, students recently worked on the question of the mathematical relationship between the drop height and the rebound height of a bouncy ball. Student-scientists also used their phones to film the motion of the bouncy ball for review and measurement of the rebound height, plotting the results in graphing software for the most accurate results possible.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey read to students and talked about the importance of literacy when she visited Dozier Elementary shortly after the school year began.
Ivey said she wanted to show support for the 15 Alabama schools that have been identified as “turnaround schools” because of high levels of poverty and other challenges.
“We just want to give them additional tailor-made resources per school to help them turn around and get better results so students can achieve more,” Ivey said.
Students asked Ivey a number of astute questions during her visit, including what it is like to be governor and how she came to be governor.

Several LAMP High students have received National Recognition from the College Board.
They were honored by the National Recognition Program for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher and outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 and/or AP exams.
Their awards include the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), the National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) and the National Indigenous Award (NIA).
They are, from left, Mia Dunlap (NAARA), Martha Crayton (NAARA), Cleo Washington (NAARA), Madison Rudolph (NAARA), Arabelle Fitisemanu (NIA), Micah Young (NAARA), Steve Shoals (NAARA), Brandon Zumba (NHRA), and Logan Whaley (NAARA).

Students in Mrs. Bonner’s class at River Region Academy read Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. Pete the Cat went walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes, but along the way, his shoes changed from white to other colors as he stepped in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes! Pete kept walking along and singing his song because “it’s all good.” After enjoying the story, the students talked about colors of foods and how colors can mix and change. In this photograph, students watch with anticipation to see what will happen when the two colors meet in the middle. Spoiler alert: red and yellow came together and made orange!

Lighthouse Christian Academy Middle School students participated in a team building exercise the first week of school. Students were able to work together and come up with different strategies that would be successful for their team.

Macon East Academy’s alumni 𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 was recently named Outdoor Scholar of the Year for the University of Montevallo, and he’s the first Freshman to ever do it! Macon East Alumni 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 won the award last year. That is not one, but TWO exceptional students from Macon East Academy in consecutive years!

Emily Cutler, a senior, represented Trinity at the Alabama Governor`s School this summer. Emily had the opportunity to explore the legal process through seminars and further inspired her future goals of being a lawyer!

During the summer months, the Junior Varsity Cheer Squad of Saint James School was volunteering their time to serve the Montgomery community. The team decided to partner with MACOA for the upcoming school year, helping prepare meals for area seniors once per month and hosting a pet food drive to help feed the animals of the elderly. This partnership was the idea of cheer captain Maddy Chames, and the rest of the girls have been dedicated to serving the Montgomery community.
On June 7, the team worked in the kitchen chopping vegetables, preparing plates, packaging meals, packaging pet food, and helping to load the meals into cars of the volunteer drivers.
Saint James School is committed to preparing students for lives of service and responsibility.

On Friday, August 18, the Saint James School ninth grade headed to Camp Butter & Egg outside of Troy, Alabama for a day of team building and community bonding. The Saint James School Advisory Program, led by the Guidance Office, works to create lasting friendships and sense of community among the newest high school students. The 9th grade advisories are assisted by a team of seniors who serve as Peer Leaders. The Peer Leaders meet weekly with the 9th grade students to help them transition to high school.
At Camp Butter & Egg, the 9th grade advisory groups and their Peer Leaders participated in a number of activities meant to build trust and encourage positive communication among the students. Many of the activities included challenges that require the group to problem-solve in order to achieve the goal. These group activities encourage communication and listening skills as the group works together. They also had lots of fun! Ziplining is always a favorite activity, along with canoeing, and volleyball.
Saint James School sets the tone for the new high school students with this fun-filled and team-building field trip each year. The Peer Leader program is a valued part of the Saint James high school experience.

A few of Ms. Johnson’s students at River Region Academy go to their reading center to enjoy reading for pleasure, while others work in a different area of the room with the teacher or doing independent work. Learning is alive and well at River Region Academy, where learning is fun, engaging, and tailored to each student’s needs!

Macon East Academy’s 2nd Grade class spent some time getting to know each other by playing “Find a friend who…” They have been enjoying helping build Mrs. Schaefer’s classroom community.

Trinity opens its new STEAM studio to students in kindergarten through 5th grade. They have already gotten a foundation for what STEAM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Students have been participating in team building and STEAM challenges. At Trinity, we teach a Biblical worldview and that the Word of God is alive and breathing. That is also incorporated into the STEAM studio. The theme verse for the STEAM studio is 2 Thessalonians 3:5.

Big smiles from these 11th grade boys on the first day of school at Trinity! Excitement filled the hallways as students returned to campus!