By Emily Williams-Robertshaw In early May, the Alabama State Department of Education announced the 16 finalists for its oldest and most prestigious awards program. The Alabama Teacher of the Year award competition recognizes teachers throughout the state who inspire their students, foster achievement and passionately prepare them to succeed beyond their school years and into … [Read more...]
Shades Cahaba Elementary’s Alli Phelps Is State Teacher of the Year Finalist
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw Update: Homewood City Schools announced on June 16 that Alli Phelps has been named amongst the final four finalists for Alabama Teacher of the Year. One of Shades Cahaba Elementary School teacher Alli Phelps’ favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou and reads, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, … [Read more...]
Hoover, Homewood Teachers of the Year Share Their View of Education During a Pandemic
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw The 2020-21 school year has been colored completely by the pandemic, with educators working on the frontline and adapting their methods to continue to educate children. In the Over the Mountain area alone, teachers, school staff and administrators sprang into action, adapting to virtual learning and navigating safe ways to reintroduce children … [Read more...]
Healthier Social Media Habits: Altamont Student Founds Global Social-Media-Concious Organization, Log Off
Altamont School senior Emma Lembke is asking her peers to log off. She isn’t so much asking her fellow students to log off the internet as to rethink the way they use social media. Through the global movement Log Off, Lembke seeks to start a conversation to help other kids like her navigate both the positives and negatives of the social media realm. The first iteration of Log … [Read more...]
You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile: Mountain Brook Teen Creates Buttons for O’Neal Cancer Center Staff
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw A seemingly simple gesture can have a big impact, especially during a pandemic. It’s something 16-year-old Emily Straughn accomplished during the fall as she created buttons for staff members at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Straughn, a Mountain Brook High School student, is the daughter of UAB Medicine gynecologic oncologist Dr. … [Read more...]