HCS Index
February 27, 2023
Hoover City Schools District Highlighted for Promoting Educational Equity
The ELAM Leadership Institute, a national organization focused on addressing equitable student achievement for educational institutions, touts the Hoover City Schools District (HCS) for leading the way in promoting educational equity and improving academic performance for all students. In a news release by EdPower titled: A Journey to Systemic Change in Hoover City Schools, Alabama, the ELAM Leadership Institute shares its experience partnering with HCS and empowering its educators.
HCS began its collaboration with the ELAM Leadership Institute in 2018 to provide equity and inclusion training for HCS administrators and teachers in order to implement equitable best practices in classrooms. As a result, there was an intentional focus in the District on equal educational opportunities for all students, which led to a significant improvement in student achievement and academic performance. The news release describes how comprehensive measures integrated into curriculum and instruction have led to HCS being a model district in the nation for its work to promote educational equity.
HCS Superintendent Dr. Dee O. Fowler said, “As educators, we work hard to ensure that each and every student is prepared to succeed as adults when they leave our schools. In order to achieve that goal, our teachers must reach all students in the classroom regardless of their different experiences and levels of readiness. Collaborating with the ELAM Leadership Institute has provided an invaluable experience for our administrators and teachers, especially post-COVID. Our district’s leaders worked diligently with school principals to focus on analyzing achievement data and empowering teachers to implement proven strategies for addressing educational inequities.”
Read the District's full story here.
2023 Finley Award Winners Announced
Jenny Smith
Green Valley Elementary School, Kindergarten Teacher
KJ Law
Rayshod Burts
The Finley Committee has completed its three rounds of announcements for the 2023 Finley Character Award winners. Each year the committee accepts nominations for a Hoover City Schools District (HCS) faculty member and a senior from each high school to be considered for the Finley Award.
The award is in honor of the late Coach Bob Finley whose legacy of exemplary character lives on in the District for young men and women to emulate. Finley was an educator and coach at W.A. Berry High School from 1963 to 1994. He endeared himself as a gentleman, had a genuine concern for others, was well-respected, and was committed to his faith, family, and professional calling. The Finley Award program was created as a tribute to Coach Finley's character and legacy and as a way to recognize outstanding character found within Hoover schools.
*Green Valley Elementary School Teacher Jenny Smith - HCS Faculty Finley Award Winner
*KJ Law - Hoover High School Senior Finley Award Winner
*Rayshod Burts - Spain Park High School Senior Finley Award Winner
Senior Finley Award nominees from both high schools will be recognized during the Senior Nominee Breakfast on Wednesday, March 1, at 7:30 am at the Finley Center.
The 28th annual Finley Character Awards Recognition program, honoring the Finley Award winners and the District's grade-level Character Award winners, is Thursday, March 23, at 6:00 pm at the Finley Center.
Surprise Magic Moments Reveal for 10-Year-Old with Bone Cancer
Through a school fundraiser, Hoover High School (HHS) raised approximately $5,000 to send 10-year-old Jeremiah Parrish of Sumiton, AL to Disney World! A surprise Magic Moments reveal for Jeremiah was held Monday, February 27, inside the HHS gym. He thought he was invited to be a guest judge for HHS’s “Hoover’s Got Talent Show.” But at the end of the show, it was announced that Jeremiah was the winner, and that’s when he learned he was going on a Magic Moments trip to Disney World!
Jeremiah said, “I’m very thankful that everyone gave me all the donations, and to people who are going through what I’m going through, push through it. Thank you to the people in this school for helping me.”
Jeremiah’s mother, Shaquilla Parrish, said, “It’s very overwhelming, and he’s so excited. Thank you for everything that they did. It’s amazing.”
Jeremiah has Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, which led to the amputation of one of his legs. His mother says he has been very high-spirited through his chemotherapy treatments, and his last treatment is on March 28. We’re praying for you, Jeremiah, and enjoy your trip to Disney!!
Thank you, HHS, for being so generous and caring and raising enough money for Jeremiah’s trip!!
2023 GEMS Expo: GEMS Over the Moon
It was an exciting day of STEM/STEAM education and fun at the 2023 Girls Engaging in Math and Science (GEMS) Expo!! GEMS Over the Moon was this year’s theme. The Hoover City Schools District (HCS) GEMS Expo was held on Saturday, February 4, at Berry Middle School, with nearly 400 students participating.
Dr. Dil Uswatte, principal of Rocky Ridge Elementary School and GEMS Expo organizer, said, “We are so excited by how the GEMS event has grown in Hoover. We started with just over 50 girls nine (9) years ago, and today we’re almost at 400 girls.”
Dr. Jan Davis, a former American astronaut and veteran of three space flights, was the speaker and inspired the girls in attendance.
GEMS is a state-wide program, and HCS started a local District GEMS program nine years ago. The GEMS program seeks to spark interest and excite girls about STEM/STEAM careers.
“I’m interested in this because a lot of people think that engineering and science are made for boys. This is fun because girls can prove that we can do just what they do and most of the time even better than they can do it,” said Ava Parker, 5th grader at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School.
“We’re interested in this because it brings out the inspiration that could help us with anything we want to do in life,” said Ryan Abram, 5th grader at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School.
For the Expo, the girls worked with an HCS STEM teacher to develop a question, complete research, and conduct experiments. All of the girls’ experiments were on display during the GEMS Expo.
Watch the District's highlight video below!
Hoover High School’s Multicultural Expo
For Hoover High School’s (HHS) Multicultural Expo held on Wednesday, February 8, students set up several tables in the practice gym with displays representing many different cultures, ethnicities, and religions- all of which reflect the diverse student population.
Two students with HHS’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program organized the event for a community service project required for the program called Creativity, Activity, and Service or CAS. A similar project was also held last year by IB students.
Junior IB student and co-organizer of the Expo, Surabhi Nebrekar, said, “Hoover High School is one of the most diverse schools in the state. I think it’s really important that people are able to see themselves represented and see other cultures represented, also to appreciate our differences and diversity.”
Jillian Clark-Williamson, junior IB student and co-organizer, was proud of and encouraged by all the students who decided to take time out of their day to participate in the event.
“I wasn’t expecting this many students to come. It’s been a really good event and a good day,” said Clark-Williamson. “It was really important to have a big representation because a lot of students go here from different religions and cultures, so we wanted to have a large representation. We put a lot of planning into this.”
Students Recognized at the Hoover Parent Teacher Council's 2023 City Leaders Breakfast
The Hoover Parent Teacher Council (HPTC) held its annual City Leaders Breakfast on Thursday, February 16, at Discovery United Methodist Church. This event honors Hoover Police Department and Hoover Fire Department members for their service through student essay, poetry, and art contests. Hoover’s city, police, fire, and school leaders attended the Breakfast to recognize the contest winners.
HPTC President Lucas Dorian said, “The City Leader’s Breakfast (CLB) is an opportunity for leadership on every level in Hoover to celebrate our remarkable school system. The CLB provides a platform for not only highlighting the achievement of our award winners but also the success of Hoover City Schools as a whole.”
Shades Mountain Elementary School 3rd-grader Roman Graffeo was honored by the Hoover Fire Department for his poem, which praises the bravery of firefighters. Hoover fire officials also recognized Brock’s Gap Intermediate School student Divya Nayak for her artwork in the department’s annual Fire Prevention Art Contest.
Asher Piennette, a 5th-grader at Deer Valley Elementary School (DVES), was honored by the Hoover Police Department for his essay about police protection, specifically related to the work of School Resource Officers (SROs). Each Hoover school has at least one SRO, and Piennette wrote his essay about the SRO at DVES, CJ Acoff. Piennette read a touching poem about his relationship with Officer Acoff to the audience, which brought people to tears.
Hoover police officials also awarded $500 police department scholarships to Hoover High School senior Jeremy Sigmon and Spain Park High School senior Aidan Blizzard. Both seniors won essay contests about peer pressure. The police department thanked Frank Barefield for providing the college scholarship funds for the students.
Read the District's full story here
Hoover Board of Education Hosts Legislative Breakfast
Thank you to Hoover area legislators for joining the Hoover Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler, and District leaders for a Legislative Delegation Breakfast.
The Breakfast was held on Tuesday, February 7, at Riverchase Career Connection Center (RC3). Culinary and Hospitality Academy students and their Chef served everyone and prepared an excellent breakfast.
Much of the work legislators do involve education, and we thank our Legislative Delegation for what they do for our students and schools. Legislators in attendance were Senator Jabo Waggoner, Representative Susan DuBose, Representative David Faulkner, Representative Leigh Hulsey, and Representative Mike Shaw.
The Hoover City Schools District appreciates all of the legislators who represent our schools and wishes them a productive and successful 2023 legislative session which begins in March.
David Smith Hired as Hoover City Schools District Assistant Director of Operations
Smith's most recent position was facility manager at Jones Lang LaSalle, Incorporated or JLL, a global commercial real estate services company. Smith managed public institutions during his two years with JLL. Prior to that, Smith was with the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) for 24 years in various roles, and finished his career there as assistant director of operations.
Mr. Smith, congratulations and welcome to Hoover City Schools!
District Spotlight: Riverchase Career Connection Center
February is Career and Technical Education Month, hosted by the Association for Career and Technical Education and sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. Career and Technical Education, or CTE, prepares students for high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers.
For CTE Month, the Hoover City Schools District celebrates our career training facility, Riverchase Career Connection Center or RC3, which currently houses five academy programs for Hoover High School, Spain Park High School, and Homewood High School students.
*Culinary and Hospitality Academy
*Cyber Innovation Academy
*Fire and Emergency Services Academy
*Health Science Academy
*Skilled Trades Academy
RC3 is adding a 6th Academy in the fall for Cosmetology and Barbering!
Watch RC3's new recruitment video below!
Registration is Underway for the 2023-2024 School Year
It’s time to register your child/children for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. We strongly recommend completing the registration process now for staffing reasons and teacher placement for your student(s). In addition, registering early gives high schools adequate time to accommodate and schedule requests related to advanced, standard-level, and specialty course sections. For parents of children going to kindergarten next school year, now is the time to register your little ones for a Hoover elementary school!
For important information about new and returning student registration and instructions on registering your student(s), please click here to be redirected to the Enrollment webpage on our website and scroll down to the PowerSchool Enrollment section.
If you’re registering a NEW student, please click on the link provided on the webpage.
For RETURNING students, parents will receive an email with a link to complete their child's registration. Please visit the enrollment webpage for more details.
Pre-Registration for Alabama's First Class Pre-K Programs
First Class Pre-K programs for Hoover City Schools are accepting online pre-registration applications for the 2023-2024 school year. If you need assistance with accessing the online application, contact the local school/program.
The deadline is March 21, 2023. Visit our website for details or click here.
Spain Park High School Dazzlers Make School History!
The Spain Park High School (SPHS) Dazzlers recently competed in the Dance Team Union (DTU) National Dance Team Championships in Orlando, FL and won 4th place for Varsity Pom. This is the highest in school history! They also performed well in the extremely competitive Hip Hop Division and received 12th place.
The young ladies have had an amazing season earning 1st place in Pom at both the National Dance Alliance (NDA) and DTU Regional Competitions naming them Regional Pom Champions.
Congratulations, SPHS Dazzlers!
Congratulations to Hoover City Schools District Show Choirs!
Bravura
Berry Middle School's show choir, Bravura, earned 4th Place in its division at the 2023 Capital City Classic in Montgomery.
In addition, Bravura received 1st Place at Albertville’s Diamond Classic. Bravura swept the middle school solo competitions, with Elijah Blair winning Best Male Soloist and Jada Moultry winning Best Female Soloist.
Cadence
R.F. Bumpus Middle School's show choir Cadence was Grand Champions of the Middle School Division at the 2023 Jasper Foothills Show Choir Classic.
In addition to Grand Champion (1st place), the show choir also won awards for Best Vocals, Best Visuals, Best Soloist in a Show (Nick Stringer), and People's Choice Award.
Cadence also received 2nd place in their division at the 2023 Capital City Classic and placed 4th at Albertville's Diamond Classic.
Synergy
Simmons Middle School's Synergy show choir competed in the 2023 Capital City Classic and finished 1st in their division. Synergy competed against choirs from Alabama and Georgia. Parker Jones was one of four finalists in the solo competition.
Paradigm
Hoover High School’s show choir Paradigm was named champions of their division in the 2023 Capital City Classic. Paradigm competed against choirs from Alabama and Georgia.
In addition to coming in 1st place, they earned awards for Best Vocals and Best Visuals (choreography). Cameron Gray received honors for Best Solo Within a Show. Amilia Daviston earned one of the four finalist awards from a solo competition.
Hoover City Schools
EEOC Notice
Email: hcsnotices@hoover.k12.al.us
Website: hoovercityschools.net
Location: 2810 Metropolitan Way, Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone: 205-439-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/HooverCitySchools
Twitter: @HooverSchools