In the Loop

More than 100 people were on hand Thursday, April 28, for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of Trussville City Schools' new Central Office. Many dignitaries took part in the ceremony, including Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey. The ceremony capped off more than a year's worth of construction on the new facility, which broke ground on January 8, 2021, and received a final inspection/certificate of occupancy on April 14, 2021. See more details and a photo gallery of this event on the district website.

At its April meeting, the TCS Board of Education voted to extend Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill's contract by two years to 2026. Neill's contract was set to be completed in 2024. Board of Education President Mrs. Kathy Brown noted Neill's positive evaluations, the district's positive trajectories with regard to academics and athletics, and other positive achievements - such as the recent, successful tax referendum - as reasons to extend Neill's contract.

"It has been an honor to lead Trussville City Schools in times of joy and in times of crisis. I am honored to work here and continue the goal to maintain excellence and status as one of the best school systems in the state of Alabama," Neill said. "Thank you for your vote of confidence in this contract extension. I accept it wholeheartedly and I will pledge to continue our excellent status in academic and athletic rankings as well as continue to be part of the economic engine that helps our city grow in meaningful ways for our families and our community. We are blessed in Trussville and I am honored to serve with the outstanding members assembled on this school board and on our administrative team."

See the full Board of Education meeting on the TCS YouTube Channel.

Trussville City Schools ties Mountain Brook City Schools in terms of top teacher retention rates (74%) among Metro Birmingham school systems. TCS Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill made note of this important achievement at the April Board of Education meeting, specifically noting Trussville City Schools' Teacher Mentoring Program. That program, led by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Lisa Berry, pairs new teachers with veteran teachers. See the full report on Alabama teacher retention rates on AL.com.

The true value of teachers stands as one of the chief lessons learned during the pandemic. Though we recognize the contributions of educators every day of the year, Teacher Appreciation Week provides an extra opportunity for us to highlight all the ways educators enhance society. Teacher Appreciation Week occurs the first full week each May - making this year's celebration May 2-6, 2022. Whether you have a teacher, know a teacher, or are a teacher, there are endless ways to give a little extra support to teachers and teacher organizations. Teaching is known to be a time-consuming and challenging profession, and we want everyone to take a moment during Teacher Appreciation Week to let our TCS teachers know how much they mean to their schools, our system - and most importantly, our students.

Hewitt-Trussville High School (HTHS) has been ranked among Alabama's Top 20 High Schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2022 Best High Schools rankings. HTHS was noted for having a high Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation rate, a high graduation rate (97%), and admirable rankings in mathematics, reading, and science proficiencies. U.S. News & World Report gave HTHS an overall score of 91.02 out of 100. See more on the rankings.

Upcoming Cahaba Elementary School kindergarten students and parents are invited to attend kindergarten orientation Thursday, May 5th. Parents may choose one of three sessions at their convenience. These sessions are offered at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. Please join us and experience the fun that awaits your family at Cahaba Elementary. -Submitted

Trussville City Schools student artists were well-represented in the 2022 Visual Arts Achievement Program (VAAP). Two high school students, senior Isabella Dailey and freshman Corinne Caprara joined 7th grader Farley Rother as finalists in the VAAP reception at the State Capitol in Montgomery. VAAP provides local and state recognition for student achievement in the visual arts. The program is designed to offer encouragement to young artists, showcase their work and offer opportunities for advanced training beyond high school. More than 60 middle and high school students from across the state submitted, with 96 moving on to the state level. A total of twenty-six student artists won at the state level.

Congratulations goes out to the Hewitt-Trussville Electrical Construction Academy, led by George Logan. Logan recently led his team of students to some impressive top accolades at the recent SkillsUSA Electrical Construction Wiring Competition. Luke Golden took home Gold in his second consecutive state championship. Andrew Colburn earned Silver and second place overall in this statewide competition.

"Words cannot describe how I feel right now. I'm one proud instructor," George Logan said. "I'm so proud of all three of my students. They took home Gold and Silver and were really close to a clean sweep. Now we prepare for Nationals. Atlanta - here comes HTHS!"

SkillsUSA will host its National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta June 20-24, 2022.

Paine Elementary School teacher Penny Moore has been honored as an Alexander Shunnarah Teacher of the Month because of her proven commitment and dedication to her students’ future. The Birmingham-based personal injury law firm, known for the eye-catching billboards across the state, launched a nationwide campaign spotlighting K-12 teachers throughout the United States for their work and commitment to impacting their students’ lives. See more on Moore's accolade and program details in The Tribune.

Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Teacher/Coach Logan Cornutt was honored this week as the 2021-2022 Metro South Conference Boys Track Coach of the Year. The accolade came soon after the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Athletics Program captured its first-ever Metro South Championship Title for Boys Outdoor Track & Field. A Computer Science at HTMS, Cornutt is in his 9th year of teaching and coaching. He previously taught at Albertville High School (four years) and Ashville High School (four years). He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Collaborative Education and his Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership from Jacksonville State University. Prior to attending JSU, Cornutt ran track collegiately at Shorter College in Rome, GA, where he was a Mid-South Academic All-Conference athlete, Mid-South All Conference in the 800m run, and an NAIA All-American as a member of the indoor school record setting 4x800m relay. See stats from this year's Metro South Championship via this "heat sheet."

The Trussville Daybreak Rotary Club named its Don Haisten Student and Teacher of the Month for April 2022. Krish Patel is a 9th grade student at Hewitt-Trussville High School. Krish. Krish chose math teacher Katy Hogan as his Teacher of the Month.

Congratulations to both Krish and Ms. Hogan! Both are pictured with Rotary President Greg Carroll.

• Baseball to Host Hoover in First Round of Playoffs
  
• Boys Soccer Qualifies for Playoffs
  
• Softball Beats Spain Park to Win Regular Season Area Title
  
• HT Boys, HT Girls Take 1st Place at Hewitt-Trussville Invitational
  
• HTMS/HTHS Tryout Info - Various Sports
• More!

See all the latest news in this edition of Tracking the Huskies!

The newly-formed Leadership Trussville seeks applicants for its inaugural class. Those interested in learning more about the application process and all the time commitments Leadership Trussville entails may visit Leadership Trussville's official website. According to its mission statement, "Leadership Trussville [exists] to encourage and educate an annual class of qualified and highly motivated individuals who want to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their sense of civic involvement, and be more involved with ideas and initiatives to better our community while learning first-hand about the issues and needs in Trussville." Leadership Trussville is a non-political, non-governmental, independent 501(c)3 nonprofit governed by a Board of Directors. Jason Gaston, Public Relations Supervisor for Trussville City Schools, serves as Vice-President for Leadership Trussville on the Board of Directors.

Leadership Hewitt-Trussville is a yearlong, collaborative course with the City of Trussville, Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Hewitt-Trussville High School. In Leadership Hewitt-Trussville, the goal is to connect the school to the community. This award link is to nominate and honor the loyal businesses of Trussville. Three businesses will be selected and awarded the Emerging, Growing, and Legacy Community Impact Award at the May Trussville Area Chamber Luncheon. We appreciate all who support Leadership HT and our local businesses. Nominations can be submitted until May 1st. -Submitted

Hewitt-Trussville High School Theatre proudly presents its 2022 Spring Musical - Mamma Mia! Everyone is invited to come see this fun, energetic musical and sing along to some of the best-known songs in music history. Students have been practicing for months on this performance, which will be staged in the school theatre (6450 Husky Parkway 35173) on April 28-30 (all nights at 7:00 pm) and again on May 1 (3:00 pm). Tickets may be purchased via this link.

YMCA Afterschool Childcare Program registration for the 2022-23 School Year opened on April 18. The YMCA of Greater Birmingham offers its Afterschool Childcare Program on-site at all TCS elementary schools. Details and contact information for the program are listed below. The YMCA Afterschool Childcare program is designed to help children succeed developmentally and academically. At the Y, children cultivate the values, skills, and relationships that lead to better achievement in the classroom, positive behaviors, and enhanced social skills. Learn more about the YMCA's Afterschool program on this website. For more information on specific sites and programs, please see the following:

Cahaba: Elizabeth Robertson | Site Director | erobertson@ymcabham.org

Magnolia: Fred Hatcher | Site Director | fhatcher@ymcabham.org

Paine: Jailyn Hale | Site Director | jhale@ymcabham.org

Briana Williams | Area Director | bwilliams@ymcabham.org

Ben Moffatt | Associate Executive Director | bmoffatt@ymcabham.org

Billing & Online Account Questions | childcare@ymcabham.org

General questions? childcare@ymcabham.org

May 5, 6-8pm Parents only- Jermaine Wall, LICSW, Clinical Therapist for Children's Hospital PIRC will discuss the challenges we are facing in the mental health parts of parenting. The struggle is real! Let's talk about it. Info on the Trussville Public Library website.

May 12, 6-8pm Teens only - We will watch a NAMI presentation called "Ending the Silence" and then counselor Christa McCrorie will talk with us about stress management and mental health in general. Info on the Trussville Public Library website. Check our events calendar on our website for further details. -Submitted by Trussville Public Library

2022 Youth Football Camp – Monday, July 25th – Wednesday, July 27th

The Hewitt-Trussville Youth Football Camp is a three (3) day camp. It will be divided into groups by grade to receive as much individual instruction as possible. Designed for kids to improve in the fundamentals of their position and have fun! All kids entering K – 6th are welcome. Cost is $110/camper paid online ONLY using link provided on this registration form. https://forms.gle/beLRjgqqd38zq4a3A

2022 Elite Passing Academy - Monday, June 20th – Wednesday, June 22nd

The Elite Passing Academy is designed to give athletes the opportunity to work with coaches who have expertise in their position. We will work on fundamentals for each position in the passing game – Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, and Tight Ends. All kids entering 4th – 8th grades are welcome. Cost is $110/camper paid online ONLY using link provided on this registration form.

https://forms.gle/pAwud6AdBpiVDQiD6

Visit this PDF link for more information on how to become involved in Trussville Parks and Recreation's 2022 Summer Tennis Evening Clinics, in partnership with the Trussville Racquet Club.

Here are a few shortcuts to important resources listed on the TCS District website:

• TCS Bullying Reporting Form
• Special Education - Parent Rights (Section 504)
• TCS Character Education Program - P.A.C.E.

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