The Hoover City Schools District Secondary Teacher of the Year, Berry Middle School’s Kevin Pughsley, was named the 2023 State Secondary Teacher of the Year and the Alternate State Teacher of the Year. Pughsley attended a special program on May 10 in Montgomery, where the Alabama State Department of Education announced Oak Mountain Middle School’s Jeffrey L. Norris as the State Teacher of the Year and Pughsley as the Alternate State Teacher of the Year.

Pughsley said, “Seventeen years ago, I made the decision to be a teacher following a calling that I felt God had put on my heart. In those years, there have been many joys, tears, laughter, frustrations, successes, and failures in my attempts to build relationships, connect, engage, and challenge my students. I am grateful and humbled to be recognized amongst 55,000 teachers across our state who work to have daily impacts in and outside the classroom. I was told at one point, "I should never be a teacher; I wouldn't be good at it." I learned from that moment the power of words and became determined to make sure every student who walked in my room felt valued and knew they could conquer any dream they wanted to achieve."

Read the District's full story here.

Before the Board meeting, the HBOE held a reception honoring Mudano for her five years of service to the Board, including two years as vice president.

Mudano received a sweet gift and lots of kind words and good wishes from those in attendance. Her term ends June 1, 2023.

Mudano said, “I’m going to miss you all. It really has been a wonderful five years and a great learning experience. I’ve learned so much about the school system and the people who work here -- and that’s what really makes it a great system. Being able to work with the four people up here has also been a great joy. This is a really good group that has worked hard to make the best possible decisions we could for the teachers, staff, and students.”

You will be missed, and thank you for your service to Hoover City Schools!

Congratulations to Hoover High School’s (HHS) new athletic director, Dr. Harley Lamey!

On Wednesday, May 24, the Hoover Board of Education approved Dr. Lamey, Hoover High’s head wrestling coach for the past two seasons, as athletic director replacing Andy Urban. Urban has accepted a position with Mountain Brook City Schools.

Dr. Lamey said, “I appreciate this opportunity. You start in education and have goals and dreams that you want to reach. I was fortunate enough to fulfill one of those goals, and that was to be the head wrestling coach at Hoover High School. Through that, I got to experience something that many parents don’t get to do - I got to coach my own son. This is like that capstone moment for me. To say I’m the athletic director at Hoover High School is a big deal. I know the gravity of it and the weight of the job, and I know I have a good staff around me that will ensure we’re successful.”

During the Board meeting, HHS Principal John Montgomery said there was a wide search for Urban’s replacement. Montgomery says he’s confident in Dr. Lamey’s leadership ability and looks forward to seeing his accomplishments as a member of the HHS administration. Go BUCS!

Sandy Lee (pictured on the right), Green Valley's Child Nutrition Program manager, said, "We are proud to serve our community by providing healthy food in an exceptionally clean environment. It is our pleasure to keep this tradition going here at Green valley elementary."

The Hoover City Schools District CNP strives to provide students with the best possible nutrients each day for breakfast and lunch under the best health and safety conditions. Children who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their nutritional needs and have improved memory and focus.

Hoover City Schools students had lots of fun at a youth baseball camp on May 22 that kicked off the SEC Baseball Tournament!

Nonprofit Rise 2 Greatness Foundation (formerly Perfect Game Cares) and other partners hosted the free "Grow the Game Youth Baseball Camp" for about 500 Hoover and Birmingham elementary school students in conjunction with the SEC Baseball Tournament.

Former Major Leaguers and local baseball and softball players led various training sessions and drills with the students at the Hoover Met Complex baseball/softball fields. Alan Paquette, vice president of the Hoover Board of Education, was thrilled to be one of the coaches teaching kids how to play the sport he loves!

Paquette said, "Youth sports, in general, teach life lessons that pay off for a lifetime. Baseball challenged me mentally, physically, and emotionally and gave me confidence in other areas of my life. Baseball gave me purpose and direction when I needed it most as an at-risk kid. I hope our time and energy invested in these children inspires many of them to find a sport they love and allow it to be part of their story. It felt great to pay forward a little of what I have received."

All the kids got a free baseball glove, a wiffle ball and bat, an autographed baseball, and other free stuff. Thank you to all of the organizers for providing this exciting experience for our students.

The Hoover City Schools (HCS) District Multilingual Parent Advisory Breakfast was held on May 8 at the Farr Administration Building/central office. English as a Second Language (ESL) Program teachers facilitated discussions with our multilingual families, along with interpreters, to get input about how we can better serve their students.

Natasha Flowers, HCS coordinator of federal programs, testing, and English language services, said, "Hoover City Schools demonstrates its commitment to all students and all families in various ways every day. This meeting was just one such example of this commitment. It shows how much we value parental input and collaboration."

Through this meeting, parents were able to express the successes and concerns they have for their students. Some of the topics include feedback about registration, understanding curriculum and instruction, school sports, and accessing extra-curricular activities and scholarships.

Rebecca Hartley, an ESL teacher at Trace Crossings Elementary School, said, "This event was successful because parents were given unencumbered time to talk. They were able to tell us the things that HCS does well to serve our multilingual community and the things that need improvement. We were able to take notes and reconvene as a team to address some of the areas of concern. It was community and problem-solving at its best."

On Thursday, May 4, students and staff at Bumpus Middle School had a unique opportunity to learn about different cultures, cultural traditions, languages, and customs at its Cultural Expo.

Marva Raby, a Spanish and French teacher at Bumpus Middle, says being an English as a second language teacher inspired her to begin the Cultural Expo at Bumpus more than 20 years ago.

"The Multicultural Expo was successful because of the awesome team that helped to organize it and because it is completely reliant on voluntary student participation," said Raby. "It is never possible to do an event like this without all Bumpus stakeholders: students, parents, teachers, and the business community. It is an amazing feeling to watch this event get better year after year with everyone learning and appreciating each other for what they bring to the table culturally."

More than 75 countries were represented, and many of the exhibits were presented by students alongside their parents.

On Friday, May 19, Hoover High School (HHS) held a ribbon cutting and dedication for its Outdoor Classroom. The Outdoor Classroom project creates a space that fosters students’ appreciation for nature while improving mental health and academic performance. Phase 1 has eight different stations for learning about environmental sustainability and conservation.

The Learning Stations include the following:

• Butterfly Garden
• Frog/Toad Habitat
• Native Pollinator Station
• Songbird Station
• Decomposition Station
• Solar Panel Station
• Sensory Garden for Special Education
• Mindscape Station

Senior Lucy Wills is the co-president of Hoover High’s BioBucs, which led efforts to create the Outdoor Classroom. She hopes it’ll help students with their mental health and says the space provides students with an area to relax and forget about their daily pressures and problems.

Wills said, “In my own life, I often struggle with anxiety and sometimes struggle with my mental health. When I go outside, being in nature is a relief. There are so many people, like my friends, people in the STEM class, principals, and community leaders, who have been so passionate about this project and devoted their time and energy, and have been so encouraging. It’s cool to see how many people have gathered around this project and how it has grown. I’m proud that, even though I won’t be here to use it, it will continue.”

HHS was recognized by the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program for exceptional achievement in educating for sustainability and improving the environmental footprint of the school grounds, facility, and curriculum. Read more here.