Spain Park Weekly eNews
Spain Park High School 02/21/20
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents,
Even though this was a three day week, we had a lot of activities for our faculty, staff, and students. Monday and Tuesday, our faculty and staff attended valuable professional development, ranging from teaching strategies, content information, and safety training provided by the Hoover Police and Fire Departments. I believe Hoover City Schools sets itself apart from other school systems by tapping into our community resources for safety and investing in our teachers’ professional development.
While our teachers were learning, our students were involved in many competitive activities. Our Cheerleaders participated in a National Competition in Orlando, Florida, and represented us well. Our Band also represented Spain Park well in Disney World. Our debate team had a great showing this past weekend at the 12th Annual University of Alabama Model United Nations conference. Our students represented two nations and multiple special interests in various historical, fictional, and current crisis scenarios. We had five students recognized at the awards ceremony for their work. Our wrestling team competed in the State Championships, and Jaxon Bast is the first multi-time State Champion for Spain Park since 2004 and was awarded the Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler. Also, JohnRobert Thompson was state runner-up in his weight class. The overall team placed sixth in the state. Our Girls’ softball opened their season with three consecutive wins, and our Varsity Baseball Team opened their season with wins over Prattville, Chelsea, and James Clemens. Our Boys and Girls Golf Teams also started their competitive seasons this week.
A Special shout out to our Boys and Girls basketball teams for playing in the Regional State Championships. The boys are regional runner-ups, and by defeating Vestavia High School, the girls are regional champs. The girls will now compete in the Final Four on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at the BJCC, game time 12:oo pm.
Another big shout out to our DECA club who competed at the state level this week. Spain Park had 62% of our students earn a place at some level in this competition--one of the largest percentages in our school's history! A big thank you to Mrs. Jane Bruce, Mrs. Jill Bertella and Mr. Chris Wood for their hard work in preparing these students for competition.
And finally, our theater program is putting the finishing touches on their Winter Production, Peer Gynt, with the production starting next Thursday. Click HERE for showtimes.
As always, I am available to hear your feedback on how we can make SPHS a great place to be.
Respectfully,
Peter L. Giangrosso
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Black History Month
Honoring the past, inspiring the future
English Department Focus on BHM
The 9th grade English classes are reading the book March by John Lewis.
Here's a blurb about it: March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
11th Grade English:
Watching "The Danger of a Single Story" TED talk and had students reflect on a time they only had a single story and they learned more through an experience. Then they will read "Food that Pleases, Food to Take Home" and talk about the various social issues presented in the short story, the primary being the Civil Rights Movement.
From these activities, students are writing a research paper on social issues, and some classes will start reading Just Mercy and listening to season 2, episodes 1-4 of In the Dark Podcast.
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A Note from the SPHS Band Director
Here’s a beautiful picture of your band representing our school and community with Class and Distinction! We couldn’t be prouder of how they have carried themselves and served as ambassadors for Spain Park. Thank you for allowing us to spread the good news about Spain Park HS with others.
Chris Neugent
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Debate Team Wins!
Congratulations!
Kyle Fox - Most Outstanding Delegate in the Black Hand Crisis Scenario
Preston Kennedy - Representing Germany - Most Outstanding Delegate in the United Nations Security Council
Camila Lopez - Most Outstanding Delegate on the International Criminal Court of Justice
Advaith Vadlakonda - Representing Japan - Honorable Mention in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue
Adam Ebrahim - Representing Alejandro Ball - Verbal Commendation on the Ad Hoc Crisis Committee.
Go Jag Debate!
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Wrestling Team Places Sixth in the State
Cheerleaders in action!
Girls' Basketball Team Going to Final Four!
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DECA State Development Conference
The following students competed in the DECA State Development Conference in various business areas and most will have the opportunity to compete at the international level in Nashville in April:
1st Place- Olivia Mardis, John Watson, Khushi Valliani, Samantha Horne, Trey Elliott, Carson Conner, Joseph Kim, Tucker Steed, Ben Baum, Carson Ray, JR Lambert, Conner Eberhardt, Ben Deas, Dare Adams, Connor May, Catherine Stark, Conner Godwin, Kate Clifford, John White, Ava Bierley
2nd Place- Taylor Moore, Jay Agarwal, Jeremiah Myers, Elijah Johnson, Jackson O'Bryant, Brand Ahrens
3rd Place- Howie Berke, Harrison Holcomb, Siddarth Karra
Our DECA Chapter had 62% of its competitors place at State! We are so proud of their hard work preparing papers, marketing visuals, and presentations!
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Responding to the 2020 Census will help our school!
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2020-2021 STUDENT AIDE APPLICATIONS
Student Aide applications for the 2020-2021 school year are available in room 123. All applications must be turned in by February 28th.
Be a part of Kindness Week
Pink Shirt Day is coming up on February 26th! You can order your t-shirts through MySchoolFees starting the week of Jan. 20th. Both short sleeve and long sleeve options are available. Pink Shirt Day is part of Kindness Week, aiming to prevent bullying by spreading kindness throughout our school and community. All orders must be made by Tuesday, Feb. 4th. #BeKind #pinkoutSPHS
In celebration of Be Kind Week, come enjoy a meal between 5-7 p.m. on February 26th, Pink Shirt Day, at one of the following Chick-fil-a locations:
Chick-fil-a at Patton Creek
Chick-fil-a at Hoover Commons
Chick-fil-a at The Grove
Chick-fil-a at Greystone
A portion of the proceeds will benefit HCS Student Services.
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PROM is April 24, 2020
Attention Juniors and Seniors! This year's prom will be on Friday, April 24th. The event is at the Finley Center from 8 pm until 11 pm. You won't want to miss it! Go ahead and purchase your prom ticket on the MySchoolFees website.
Please note: Ticket prices will increase as we get closer to the event date! Don't wait!
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Scoliosis Screening for Freshmen
The Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama Department of Public Health require that school districts in Alabama offer and provide scoliosis screening for male and female students in grades 5 through 9.
Screening is performed by observing the uncovered spine, viewing the student from the back, side, and with the student bending forward. If a spinal problem is suspected, the child will be rechecked at a second screening. Parents of students found to have signs of possible spinal abnormality will be asked to see their own physicians for further evaluation.
Girls and boys will be screened separately to ensure privacy. They can wear gym clothes or other clothing that may be removed easily. If your child is currently under treatment for a spinal deformity, please let us know and your child will be exempt from the screening process.
This year it is scheduled for 3/11/2020 as an opt-in instead of an opt-out program. See the form below that must be returned to the nurse in order for your student to be screened.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11hR3ntBdcFGHystSNfVK_yT8ceJz7Jdi/view?usp=sharing
Announcements
Now is the time to sign up for ACT Prep with Henson Test Prep. They have an upcoming class specifically for the March 10th, in-school ACT test. This class begins on Sunday, February 23rd, and will fill quickly so please register now. For more information and registration, visit hensontestprep.com. If you have further questions, contact Amy Henson at (205) 862-6004.
Class of 2023 T-Shirts are on sale in room 231. They are $15 cash or check. Get one now before they run out!
Spain Park High School
Email: hcsnotices@hoover.k12.al.us
Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/sphs
Location: 4700 Jaguar Drive, Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone: 205-439-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpainParkHS/
Twitter: @SpainPark