As we approach the end of 2024, we’re taking the time to highlight the best 24 photos that appeared in the Vestavia Voice this year—hoping to illustrate how vibrant life was in Vestavia Hills this year along the way.
#24:
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Beverly Brasell, a former English, Speece and Drama teacher at Vestavia Hills High School from 1974 to 2007, sits at her kitchen table Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, with programs from dozens of musicals she directed during her tenure at VHHS. Brasell is one of 5 inductees to the 2024 Vestavia Hills City Schools Hall of Fame.
In January, 5 educators were inducted into the Vestavia Hills City Schools Hall of Fame in honor of their service to the school district. Educators inducted this year included former Vestavia Hills High School English, speech and drama teacher Beverly Brasell, VHCS’s first superintendent William “Bill” Clark, former Pizitz Middle and VHHS special education teacher Jennifer Greer, former English and leadership teacher and school board member Kym Prewitt and former Vestavia Hills Elementary East principal Jim Williams.
Read the full article here.
#23:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Vestavia Hills celebrates match win and advances to the final four during the Elight Eight Class 7A State volleyball tournament at the Birmingham Crossplex on Oct. 29, 2024.
The Vestavia Hills High School Volleyball team had an outstanding 2024 season, making their second appearance in the past five years at the state tournament in October. While the Rebels didn’t nab the state title, they advanced to the semifinals in the state tournament and finished their season with a 31-15 record.
Read the full article here.
#22:
Photo by David Leong
Vestavia Hills offensive lineman Landon Page (64) celebrates a touchdown during a game between Vestavia Hills and Tuscaloosa County on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, at Thompson Reynolds Stadium in Vestavia Hills, Ala.
After a grueling start to the season, the Vestavia Hills High School football team got down to business on the gridiron—turning their season around in time to qualify for the playoffs. The Rebels made it to the second round of the state playoffs, ending their season with a tough loss to Central-Phenix City on the road. Regardless, the Rebels ended the season with a 6-6 season and a lot to hang their hat on.
#21:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Miss Alabama 2024 Abbie Stockard selects dresses at the Clothes Tree in Hoover on Oct. 18, 2024. Stockard will be competing at the Miss America's Teen pageant in Orlando at the turn of the new year.
Abbie Stockard, a Vestavia Hills resident, was crowned Miss Alabama this June. Stockard, who’s also a student at Auburn University, has spent the following months making routine appearances at events throughout the state and raising awareness about cystic fibrosis—partnering with the Alabama Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise more than $100,000 in donations. Stockard will take on the competition for Miss America at the turn of the new year.
Read the full article here.
#20:
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Children and their parents watch Toy Story 4 during the Moonlight Movies event at the Vestavia City Center on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
This summer at the Vestavia City Center, families gathered for movie nights under the moon, as the shopping center screened movies on the green at the center of the center. Features this year included “Toy Story 4” and “Ratatouille.”
#19:
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Vestavia Hills firefighter Jonathan Vickery talks cuts trim on the back porch of his home as he continues to work on the rebuild in McCalla on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Vickery’s home burned in a house fire in October 2022.
Vestavia Hills firefighter Jonathan Vickery and his family have been continuing to rebuild this year, after a fire gutted his own home in McCalla in October 2022. Vickery has been completing as much of the construction himself as possible, while also receiving some help from his crew at the Vestavia Hills Fire Department.
Read the full article here.
#18:
Photo by Richard Force
The Vestavia Marching Band performs during a game between Oak Mountain and Vestavia on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Heardmont Park.
The Vestavia Hills High School football team weren’t the only students who shone on the gridiron this fall. The school’s marching band brought their a-game to field, performing each halftime and bringing pep in the stands.
#17:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Owner of The Blue Willow in Vestavia Hills playfully dressed up two stuffed owls to display her seasonal baby clothes on Sept. 20, 2024. The store, owned by Lynda Stout, sells holiday goods, gifts, clothes, and decorations.
Small businesses around Vestavia Hills spent the fall preparing for the holiday shopping season—a shopping season that is expected to still be strong, despite the economic pressures of inflation on consumers. The Blue Willow, whose wares are pictured here and which marked its fifth anniversary in business the summer, was one of these busy businesses.
Read the full article here.
#16:
Photo by Tim Stephens
Members of Girl Scout Troop 26239 of Vestavia Hills pose for a photo after an afternoon of S'mores during the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama's attempt to set a world record for most people making S'mores at one time on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at the Girl Scouts DreamLab in Vestavia Hills. Shown from left to right are: Anne Clare Jackson, Ellie Weldon, Isla Drace, Adeline Pasion, Sam Braden, Harper King, Mykha Jerez, Hana Abouelkassem and Megan White. Also shown are leaders Jenn White (back row, left) and Jenn White.
In October, Girl Scouts from Vestavia Hills and across central Alabama gathered at the Girl Scouts DreamLab in Vestavia Hills to attempt to break a world record: most people simultaneously preparing s’mores. Local Girl Scout troops partnered with other troops from the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama and the Girls Scouts of Southern Alabama in attempts to break this record.
Read the full article here.
#15:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Holguer Pimiento plays a Brazillian song in front of Santos Coffee in Hoover on Nov. 5, 2024. Pimiento was born in Colombia and enjoys playing Latin music to share his culture with others.
Holguer Pimiento loves to bring his love of traditional Spanish and Latin music to Vestavia Hills. While Pimiento moved from Colombia more than 20 years ago, he remains close to his Columbian culture through music and loves to share it with others as well.
#14:
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Fourth graders Aarav Shaw, left, Carter Steineker, Cate Gasparetto and Raleigh Sawyer mix soil in one of the annual gardens as students prepare the soil for plants in the new outdoor classroom at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
In April, students at Dolly Ridge Elementary School took full advantage of the spring weather, using the school’s outdoor classroom to get some gardening lessons in. In this picture, at-the-time fourth grade students Aarav Shaw, Carter Steineker, Cate Gasparetto and Raleigh Sawyer mixed soil in one of the annual gardens as students prepared the soil for plants.
#13:
Photo courtesy of Deanna Lucas
Colleen Hayes and her husband Kenneth. The Hayes celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in July.
In July, Vestavia Hills residents Kenneth and Colleen Hayes celebrated their 75th anniversary with a party at the Cahaba Ridge Retirement Community. The couple met in the 1940s and got married while they were still teenagers, keeping it a secret from their families.
Read the full article here.
#12:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Chuck Turnbough of Vestavia Hills points to his signature shirts created in 2014 to help bring back UAB football after the program was killed. As a professor of microbiology at UAB, he leads the tailgates for the science department.
In October, the Vestavia Voice met Vestavia Hills Chuck Turnbough, a scientist and UAB football superfan. Turnbough has been a professor of microbiology at UAB since 1980, and, when UAB disassembled its football program in 2014, he helped lead the charge against it by printing protest t-shirts with the slogan, “We’ll be back.”
Read the full article here.
#11:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Santa walks down to the Christmas tree at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center during the annual tree lighting on Dec. 3, 2024.
At the beginning of December, Vestavia Hills hosted a holiday spectacular for its Christmas tree lighting at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center. The night featured performances from choirs, dancer and, of course, a visit from St. Nick himself.
Read the full article here.
#10:
Vestavia Hills native Isabella Marie Gordon puts makeup on the face of Sam Jays as part of a creative personal makeup project she was undertaking. Gordon also for the second year was chosen to do makeup for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood this year.
A Vestavia Hills native, Isabella Marie Gordon, played a role in one of the country’s biggest Halloween celebrations this year. Gordon was a make-up artist involved with Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror News—putting scary faces on the actors for the event. Gordon credits her time being involved with Vestavia Hills High School theatre as a teenager as helping get into make-up artistry.
Read the full article here.
#9:
Vestavia Hills native John Murch spent the first half of 2024 gracing the stages of London while studying at the Royal Ballet Upper School, a prestigious three-year program run by the University of Roehampton. Murch graduated from the program in July, embarking on his next chapter as a dancer.
Read the full article here.
#8:
Photo by David Leong
The Vestavia Hills sideline cheers after a scored basket during an AHSAA Class 7A girls Northwest Regional semifinal game between the Vestavia Hills Rebels and Bob Jones Patriots in Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.
The Vestavia Hills High School girls basketball team capped off a successful season this February with an appearance in the Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinals. The Lady Rebels fell to Bob Jones 40-37 at the tournament, but gave their opponents a tough battle.
Read the full article here.
#7:
Principals in new positions for Vestavia Hills City Schools for the 2024-25 school year include, from top left, Blair Inabinet at Vestavia Hills High School, Lauren Dressback at the Vestavia Hills Alternative School and Dori Hardee at Liberty Park Middle School, and, bottom row from left, Kim Polson at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, Susan McCall at Vestavia Hills Elementary West and Cindy Echols at Vestavia Hills Elementary East.
The Vestavia Hills school system welcomed a wave of new principals this year. Seven new principals were instated for the 2024-2025 school year: Blair Inabinet at Vestavia Hills High School, Lauren Dressback at Vestavia Hills Alternative School, Dori Hardee at Liberty Park Middle School, Kim Polson at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights Susan McCall at Vestavia Hills Elementary West, Cindy Echols at Vestavia Hills Elementary East and Lorie Belski at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge.
Read the full article here.
#6:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
The first place professional gingerbread house at the Gingerbread Jam contest presented by the Megan Montgomery Foundation at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center on Dec. 14, 2024.
The third annual Gingerbread Jam brought both amateurs and professional bakers and gingerbread house-constructors to the Vestavia Hills Civic Center to raise funds for the Megan Montgomery Foundation—a local nonprofit focused on preventing domestic violence. Pamela Gibson, whose creation is pictured here, won first place in the professional category.
Read the full article here.
#5:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Rockettes and Santa surround the Christmas tree at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center during the annual tree lighting on Dec. 3, 2024.
At the beginning of December, Vestavia Hills hosted a holiday spectacular for its Christmas tree lighting at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center. The night featured performances from choirs, dancers, a visit from Santa Claus and, of course, the celebratory lighting of the city’s Christmas tree.
Read the full article here.
#4:
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletic Communications
Vestavia Hills native Ethan Strand put his name in the record books on Dec. 7, 2024. At the University of North Carolina’s first indoor track and field meet of the season, Strand set an NCAA record in the 3,000-meter race, setting the new standard at 7 minutes, 30.15 seconds.
This year, Vestavia Hills native Ethan Strand set a NCAA record for the fastest time in the 3,000-meter race at 7 minutes, and 15 seconds. Strand, who runs for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, broke the previous record by six seconds.
Read the full article here.
#3:
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Rin Glover, a barista at Cala Coffee in Cahaba Heights, prepares an Autummatcha, one of Cala Coffee’s seasonal drink that features matcha, milk and autumn spice syrup.
If you stopped by Cala Coffee in Vestavia Hills this year, you may have met barista Rin Glover. Glover has been working at the coffee shop since April, and sees the cafe as a third place space where people can be productive while also being surrounded by good company.
Read the full article here.
#2:
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Vestavia Hills High School awarded 525 diplomas to the Rebels Class of 2024 during commencement at Samford University’s Pete Hanna Center on Monday, May 20, 2024.
In October, two Vestavia Hills firefighters, Ana Ruezevic and Dextor Harris, qualified for the Firefighter Challenge World Championship. The Firefighter Challenge is an event where firefighters compete against each other while completing the physical challenges demanded by real-life firefighting. Ruezevic and Harris qualified after competing in the national competition in Hoover.
Read the full article here.
#1:
Vestavia Hills firefighters Ana Ruzevic and Dextor Harris at the U.S. National Firefighter Challenge Championships at Hoover 2024 Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. Ruzevic placed on two national championship teams and was second individually among women under age 40.
In May, graduates from Vestavia Hills High School walked the stage at Samford’s Pete Hanna Center to receive their diplomas. 525 graduates received their diplomas at the commencement ceremony.
Read the full article here.
