Photo by James Nicholas
Vestavia Hills Football
Despite being under heavy coverage Vestavia Hills wide receiver Cole Turner. (22) out jumped the Gadsden City defender to make the touchdown catch during a game between Vestavia Hills and Gadsden City on Friday, October. 22, 2021, at Vestavia Hills High School - Thompson Reynolds Stadium - Vestavia Hills AL. Photo by James Nicholas.
A new jumbotron and continued renovations to the fieldhouse at Vestavia Hills High School are being designed following the approval of owner-architect agreements by the Vestavia Hills Board of Education on Feb. 28.
The agreement does not approve paying for the actual construction of the project, but authorizes Lathan Associates to prepare design documents, with Lathan receiving a portion of the actual construction cost. All of the money for the two projects will be raised via public donation, Superintendent Todd Freeman said. Athletic Director Myra Miles told the Vestavia Voice the goal is to raise $1 million, and the school system is still raising the money.
According to the agreements, the expected cost for the jumbotron is about $487,000 and the expected cost for fieldhouse renovations is $200,000.
The board also approved paying $140,000 to Musco Sports Lighting for lights and poles at the field at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, while also approving a roughly $82,700 bid for Titan Electric to install those lights and poles.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Antonio Cooper updated the board on efforts to provide more STEM training to Vestavia students. The state of Alabama now mandates computer science instruction be taught to elementary students during the 2022-23 school year. Cooper said that instruction will come through STEM, and the school’s library media specialists will incorporate computational thinking lessons into their monthly schedules.
Cooper also said health sciences and computer sciences classes are growing in size, becoming very popular. In the 2023-24 school year, the school will offer computer gaming and simulation design. The school system is developing pathways to allow students to begin studying possible career paths in elementary school and continuing through high school, while also partnering with businesses and organizations in the city to provide professional opportunities to students, Cooper said.
“We want to be able to prepare students for advanced courses through high school and college,” Cooper said. “We are preparing students for a future … we all don’t know what it looks like.”
Director of Student Services Jennifer Bailey gave a report on the different organizations the school system partners with to help students in a variety of ways. Those organizations include Samford University Hope Institute, IMPACT Family Counseling, Children’s Hospital, The Amelia Center, Bradford Health Services, The Crisis Center, Neighborhood Bridges, Help the Hills, JBS Mental Health Authority and SafeSchools Safety Reporting.
Bailey also mentioned LifeSkills training, which provides evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs for middle school students. Those skills include self-management skills, general social skills and drug resistance skills. The classes are taught by social studies teachers who are trained in those areas, Bailey said.
Bailey also said herself and Anna Gaston, student assistance counselor, have received “Youth Mental Health First Aid” training, which will allow them to train teachers and staff throughout the system. The program seeks to help school personnel notice the signs of anxiety, depression, substance abuse and other problems students might face and help them. While it does not train anyone to be a full-time counselor, Bailey said it provides immediate help until more highly-trained help can be sought.
In other business, the board approved a correction to Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights Interim Principal Lauren Dressback’s contract to reflect her salary, as well as a budget amendment that includes an increase in revenues and expenditures. Freeman said that follows an increase in revenues that is a “good sign” for the system.
The board also authorized Freeman to sign an attestation affidavit for capital improvements. Freeman said it serves to notify the state the school system is following a new law which allows schools to pay for capital improvement projects less than $500,000, or any maintenance and repair of existing HVAC systems or roofs, without using the Division of Construction Management.
