Photo by Erin Nelson.
Students in Sammy Queen’s P.E. Class play basketball on the new gym floor at the Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus.
Myra Miles came to Vestavia Hills City Schools at a pivotal time in its athletic history.
The school system recently unveiled its strategic plan for the athletics department, a process which began under the leadership of former Athletic Director Jeff Segars, who took a job with the Alabama High School Athletic Association and was finished under Miles’ leadership.
Miles said the goal of the plan is to ensure the athletics department is consistent, and creating fair chances for everyone. It is important to undertake these tasks to make sure those involved with the schools are aware of what they are doing, she said.
“It gives our stakeholders and community a chance to see what our vision is,” Miles said. “I’m really excited about what we can get done here.”
Miles, the former Hoover City Schools AD, who also worked for former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt, came to Vestavia after Segars left for the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
The strategic plan has a myriad of focal points, from facilities to academic excellence to providing professional development opportunities, among other things.
Miles said one of the system’s goals is getting the community more involved, like hosting block parties with Rebel Pals, where older athletes will spend time with younger students.
As important as athletic success is, Miles said academic success has been and always will be important at Vestavia. Miles said system leaders want to make opportunities for student-athletes to succeed in the classroom, including ensuring their athletic schedules do not interfere with their academics.
Vestavia Hills is landlocked, and this is true in the school system as well, Miles said. There are very few green spaces, and there is a need for more storage, along with a new indoor facility. Miles said the plan is to create a two-story building that can serve the purposes of band, football, dance and more. One option is to build a building behind the high school gymnasium, but that would have to be approved by the Board of Education.
“The sweet thing of it is, I’ll be able to be part of the actual build,” Miles said.
Miles said the system also wants to create a better space for the high school band, saying the rooms at Pizitz Middle School are better than the ones at the high school.
“It’s a priority,” Miles said. “We’re not just building athletics.”
One of Miles’ priorities is to build relationships with industries and companies in the city and state that can meet the needs of student-athletes and help fund and otherwise improve the athletics department.
“We’ve got to get the bottom line of what we’re going to do to get that done,” Miles said.
Another emphasis area of the plan is to ensure diversity within the athletics department. While she isn’t aware of any issues with diversity, Miles said the system wants “every student to have every opportunity we can give them.”
As for professional development, Miles said the goal is to increase access to those opportunities for every coach, not just head coaches.
It’s no secret Vestavia Hills faces challenges playing in Class 7A, facing Hoover, Thompson, Oak Mountain, Hewitt-Trussville and Spain Park, among others. Still, Vestavia is “right there with everybody” from a bird’s-eye view of all sports, Miles said. Some sports are further ahead than others, but the hope is that by improving facilities and more, Vestavia will be one of the top schools athletically in the state, she said.
“We may be chasing right now, but we’re not going to chase long,” Miles said.
