By Sam Prickett Feb. 14’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was the eighth recorded school shooting of 2018 and, with 17 casualties, among the deadliest high school shootings in American history. It was also the deadliest school shooting overall since 2012’s Sandy Hook elementary massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, which killed 28 … [Read more...]
OTM School Systems Adapt to Growing Student Populations
By Emily Williams Across the Over the Mountain area, public school systems have been taking advantage of the summer season to make improvements on their facilities. Whether renovating existing structures or adding new ones, Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills are making room to accommodate their growing student bodies and faculty. Homewood The Homewood City … [Read more...]
Crossing Lines: The Old Berry School Changes Hands, Now Belongs to Vestavia
By William C. Singleton III The former Berry School property is officially a part of Vestavia Hills now. In recent weeks, the city of Vestavia has annexed the 38.5-acre property off Columbiana Road, and the city school board has closed on the sale of the property for $11 million from the Hoover school system. The property houses a school building, which has been used as a … [Read more...]
Hoover School Rezoning Delayed for a Year to Allow Study
By William C. Singleton III Hoover students expecting to attend new city schools as a result of the latest district rezoning plan will have to wait at least another year. Implementation of the city school system’s rezoning plan has been put off until the 2017-2018 school year at the earliest, the district’s superintendent said. U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala recently … [Read more...]
Berry May Become Rebel Territory: Some Buccaneers Dread Turning Their Alma Mater Over to Rivals
By Sarah Kuper High school rivalries are no trivial matter, especially when it comes to Over the Mountain school districts. For some OTM residents, no rivalry is more dynamic than Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills. That's why some Hoover school system graduates are struggling with the recent announcement that the Vestavia Hills school system plans to buy the former W.A. Berry High … [Read more...]