In the Loop
June 11, 2020
Trussville City Schools
(205) 228-3000
Email Sandra Vernon for assistance
Contract Extension Approved for Superintendent
The Trussville City Board of Education is pleased to announce a two year contract extension for TCS Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill. Dr. Neill's contract was set to expire July 30, 2022. The new contract extension extends the contract to July 30, 2024.
Board President Kathy Brown stated, "I am thankful for Dr. Neill and the leadership she provides for our school system. I'm pleased that Dr. Neill will continue her work in Trussville as we continue to grow in many positive directions under her leadership. The contract extension will allow Dr. Neill to continue to build on the excellence of Trussville City Schools."
Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill thanked the Board Members for the 2 year time extension of her contract and the confidence they have placed in her to lead the school system. "We have so much work in front of us that includes 4 immediate goals: 1) updating our strategic plan and capital plan, 2) Cognia re-accreditation and STEM accreditation, 3) strategies related to promoting race relations and equity based on the racial injustices that have occurred in our country, and 4) reopening school inside of a global coronavirus pandemic. I am honored to be part of this outstanding Board, TCS employees and this growing community for four more years.
City Council School Liaison Jef Freeman said, "I think people are moving to Trussville because of our school system. We are fortunate to have a well-run school system and city. The administration of our school system just couldn't be any better and that is the reason the achievements of our schools have been so great. I am absolutely delighted Dr. Neill's contract was extended tonight. She has put together a great team and we still have some things to accomplish. This will be wonderful for our school system."
All provisions of the Employment Contract dated March 21, 2016 remain in effect and there were no changes to the contract other than the extension of time.
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New HTHS Band Director Named.....Mr. Michael Guzman
At the June 11, 2020 TCS Board Meeting, Mr. Michael Guzman was approved as the new Band Director for Hewitt-Trussville High School. Mr. Guzman comes to HTHS from Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama where he has been Director of Bands since 2017.
Principal Tim Salem welcomed the new HTHS Band Director and said, “ Mr. Guzman’s various band experiences in South Florida and Alabama will be fantastic additions to HTHS fine arts.”
Mr. Guzman has a Master of Music: Conducting, from Florida International University in Miami, FL and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education/Tuba Performance: Music Education K-12 from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.
Additional experience includes Conductor/Artistic Director for the Black Warrior Winds from 2012 to present, Jupiter Band Instruments/KHA American Educational Artistes 2019 to present and Adjunct Faculty for Stillman College 2018-2020. Mr. Guzman served as a Graduate Assistant for Florida International University while serving as Director of Bands for Southwest Miami High School from 2008 – 2011.
Mr. Guzman said, "I am excited to join the great team of educators of the Hewitt-Trussville High School Band program and contribute to the great success of this storied program. It's great to be a Husky!"
Mr. Guzman is married and has two daughters.
Welcome to Trussville!
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HT Huskies Announce.....
Coach Boyette….Offensive Line Coach
26 Years Coaching Experience at High School and College Level
2018 MHSAA Class 6A State Champions, Horn Lake High School
2019 MAC Class 6A Coach of the Year
Welcome Coach Boyette!
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Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Summer Reading Information
HTMS Summer Reading Information: Upcoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will all read ONE BOOK that they have not read before from our list of 10 titles. Students should take good notes about the characters, setting, plot, surprising parts, and favorite parts! We will join book studies when we return to demonstrate our knowledge about the books. Find the books and all the details here: https://sites.google.com/trussvillecityschools.org/htms-summer-reading-2020-2021/home
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Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Awarded 2020 Promising Practice
Trussville City Schools received a national award for our Character Education program, discovery clubs at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School. This is a vital part of our middle school program as it allows students in our toughest age group a chance to choose several personal interests such as fishing, photography, etc and attend a series of club sessions during school hours to see if they really enjoy or have talent in that area! HTMS Club Days are some of the highest student attendance at HTMS compared to any other day.
From Character.org, "Your Promising Practice demonstrated significant impact and is fully aligned with one or more of Character.org’s 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character."
Winners for our state are listed below:
Barkley Bridge Elementary School, Cornerstone Schools of Alabama, Holt Elementary School of Tuscaloosa County, Mountain Brook Elementary School, Hewitt Trussville Middle School, and Vestavia Hills Elementary West
Trussville City Schools has been invited to showcase our "Promising Practice" at the Character.org National Forum in Washington D.C in early March 2021.
Way to go HTMS!
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Coach David Dobbs named by AHSAA for 2020 Making a Difference Award
Congratulations to Coach David Dobbs named by Alabama High School Athletic Association for the 2020 Making a Difference Award. AHSAA announced seven individuals, one from each section, who has made an impact and served as exemplary role models for student athletes.
Coach Dobbs will be recognized during the fall at a special presentation at our school. A video presentation will also be produced by the AHSAA TV Network for release later this summer.
AHSAA wrote, “The recipients in this 2020 Making a Difference class are excellent examples of men and women who take their positions as role models for their students, faculty and community very seriously and have shown extraordinary determination in faces the challenges each has faced, said AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese. Each has had a major positive impact in their communities and schools and across the state and are excellent choices for what this award stands for. This award is the most important honor a professional educator in our state can receive. Characteristics considered for this prestigious award include the recipient’s character, integrity, determination and service, all of which have enabled these individuals to have a life-changing impact on the community orschool where they serve.”
CLASS 7A
Coach Dobbs AHSAA article award:
DAVID DOBBS, HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE TRACK AND CROSS COUNTRY COACH: Hewitt-Trussville High School’s track and cross country coach began his teaching and coaching career at Hewitt in 1990 and has spent the last 30 years teaching and coaching the Huskies’ boys and girls. He recently announced he was stepping down as head track coach but plans to continue coaching the cross country teams and serve as an assistant for the indoor and outdoor track squads. Dobbs began his career teaching Physical Education at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School; then taught science at Hewitt-Trussville Middle, Junior High, and High School. He retired from teaching in May 2019.
He has had an impressive record of success over the last three decades with more than 80 of his student-athletes earningcollege scholarships. His 1999 girls’ team won the AHSAA Class 6A indoor state championship and completed the sweep by winning the outdoor title in the spring. The Huskies’ boys finished second in 2011 in the outdoor competition and second in the indoor state meet in 2017. His program has produced five sectional titles and 12 runner-up finishes.
His cross country teams finished runner-up in 2010 and 2011.
“His professional accomplishments are impressive,” said Hewitt-Trussville athletic director Lane Walker. “But the way he makes a difference goes far beyond the track. He is a professional who always has made a difference with the students in the classroom and is a mentor to new coaches – offering his wisdom and advice when requested.”
He builds relationships with his students that allow him to help them deal with the ups and downs they might face. His mentoring does not end when they graduate. He and his wife take a trip every summer to discover more about the U.S. A major component of these trips is reuniting with former students who may have moved away. He stays in contact with them long after their high school careers have ended.
Dobbs also works with homeless shelters and helps distribute food to those who are needy.
Congratulations and a well deserved award for Coach Dobbs!
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HTHS Hospitality and Culinary Academy Win NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge
Students in the HTHS Hospitality and Culinary Academy recently participated in the NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge. High schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) is a STEM outreach effort to bring students new educational experiences with NASA projects.
The challenge was to prepare an ethnic entrée that could be packaged for space flight while also meeting the nutritional requirements of the astronauts. All students in the Culinary II class did extensive research, wrote papers and developed recipes that were judged at the local level. Seniors Lucy Prince, Madeline Curd, Abigail Mitchell, and Kaylie Love were declared the local school winners with their dish, Moroccan Chicken Tangine with Israeli Couscous. This team then advanced to compete against culinary students from across the Southeast at the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center.
In March, the top 10 teams from the nation were announced and HTHS was one of them! Unfortunately, the national in-person competition scheduled to take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, the competition continued in a unique way. Instead of going to the Johnson Space Center to compete in the final round, competitors were required to write a research paper and submit a video cooking demonstration highlighting their recipe. After the challenging process of trying to purchase food and make a cooking video during quarantine, the HTHS team submitted their entry.
We are excited to announce that this week our team was declared the winner of National NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge! The team members will receive full paid scholarships to culinary school and the HTHS Culinary Academy will receive a $2,000 donation from the American Culinary Federation. Possibly the coolest part about winning is that the team’s Moroccan Chicken Tangine will soon be processed for flight and enjoyed by the astronauts in space. The team’s dish will also be featured on the menu at Houston’s Johnson Space Center dining facility.
Check out the winning team!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIizdCYoZgc
Congratulations!