Photo by Jon Anderson.
Ali Pilcher, a 1998 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School, is running the school system’s 1Legacy campaign to build connections between the school system and community. She also in May will become president of Leadership Vestavia Hills and president of the Vestavia Hills PTO Council.
Ali Pilcher probably could use another head because the woman wears a lot of hats.
In addition to being a wife and mother to two girls, Pilcher in May will take over as president of the Vestavia Hills PTO Council, the umbrella organization for all the PTO groups in Vestavia Hills City Schools. For the past three years, she has served as vice president for community partners (fundraising), and now she’ll be president for the next two years.
Also in May, Pilcher becomes president of the Leadership Vestavia Hills organization. She is a 2023 graduate of Leadership Vestavia Hills and, this past year, has been the class coordinator for the current class, setting agendas and lining up speakers and food for monthly meetings.
On top of that responsibility, Pilcher this past fall was tapped to run the Vestavia Hills school system’s 1Legacy campaign, a program designed to foster better relationships between the school system and the community at large, including alumni. That one is a paid position, with a contract not to exceed $22,500 over the course of the year.
Pilcher said her husband, Chad, told her she needs to understand that “No” is a complete sentence. But she said she enjoys the work too much to say no.
“I absolutely love it,” she said.
She considers it a way to give back to a community that has given so much to her.
Pilcher attended Vestavia Hills City Schools from first through 12th grade, graduating from Vestavia Hills High School in 1998. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Auburn University and later decided to become a teacher. She obtained a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
She taught history — and later psychology — at Hoover High School from 2004 to 2012, when her first daughter was born. She had planned to return to teaching but, after becoming pregnant with her second child, decided to leave the field in 2014 to stay home and raise her daughters.
When the Vestavia Hills school board opened Dolly Ridge Elementary in 2019, Pilcher was asked to become part of the PTO and agreed. She ended up serving as president of Dolly Ridge’s PTO in the 2021-22 school year before joining the PTO Council.
1LEGACY CAMPAIGN
Vestavia Hills schools Superintendent Todd Freeman, whose children attend Dolly Ridge, said Pilcher was the perfect choice to lead the 1Legacy campaign. Not only is she a Vestavia Hills alumna, but she also has a background in education, has been active in the schools, has many connections in the community and has a desire to see the community grow and thrive, he said.
Her parents have also been deeply involved in the Vestavia community, with her father, George Pierce, serving on the City Council and her mother, Kacy Pierce, being a former principal at Liberty Park Middle School.
“They love the school system, and because she’s so well known and, I think, well thought of in the community and has such a passion for the schools, I thought she’d be a great choice to lead this 1Legacy effort,” Freeman said.
“It’s really about making strong connections in the community with alumni and just strengthening the support we have for our schools. I just thought she had the perfect skill set to do it. She understands the education world, understands how to communicate well with people and has a great knowledge of this community.”
Former school board President Jaclyn Hudson came up with the idea for the 1Legacy campaign, and Faith Lenhart, the district’s fine arts director, put the framework together for it. But the system needed someone to actually run it, Freeman said.
Pilcher said it seemed like a natural fit.
“Vestavia Hills is such a special place,” she said. “I feel like we have so many aspects of our community that are huge and important and so, so special, but we’re not really highlighting them.
“We have some really wonderful alumni out there. Let’s find a way to bring those alumni back to our community. … Let’s truly come together as a community.”
One problem, she said, is that many parents whose children graduate from the school system often become disconnected.
“They lose touch and no longer hear about school system happenings, even though many times they want to be informed and stay involved,” she said.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
The idea behind 1Legacy is to encourage people — including grandparents — to sign up for the 1Legacy network so the school system can keep them informed about school events, from sporting events to theater productions and more. Database members will receive a digital magazine quarterly.
The network can also serve as a bridge between the community and students in the system.
One Vestavia Hills resident who heard Pilcher speak about the campaign told her he went to college in Scotland and would love to be a resource for students who may want to do the same.
Another resident, who is a pilot and an advisor for the aviation program at Auburn University, said he would be willing to have conversations with Vestavia Hills students who have an interest in aviation as well, she said.
The 1Legacy network can also shine a light on notable Vestavia Hills alumni.
“You have so many decorated alumni that are all over the country doing great things,” Pilcher said. “We want to highlight what those people are doing.”
Additionally, the network can help keep the community informed about any needs the school system may have, whether financial or otherwise, Pilcher said.
People will soon be able to sign up for the 1Legacy Society and donate to specific schools or programs, including athletic teams, robotics, theater or other initiatives.
“You will be able to select where your money goes,” she said.
However, signing up for the 1Legacy network itself is free, and “there will never be an expectation to give,” she said.
As part of the campaign, people recently had an opportunity through March to purchase $250 engraved bricks for a sidewalk leading to Vestavia Hills High School, with proceeds benefiting the 1Legacy campaign, including graduation and homecoming activities. More opportunities to purchase bricks will be available in the future, Pilcher said.
So far, about 100 people have signed up for the 1Legacy network, and Pilcher said she expects that number to grow as more people learn about it.
To learn more, visit 1legacy.me.
