VHHS Well-Represented in National School Spirit Awards

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According to their website, Varsity Brands, a national company focused on the student experience, “celebrates schools, organizations, and individuals that go above and beyond the call of duty to build school pride, student engagement and community spirit” through the School Spirit Awards.

The annual awards program consists of 25 different categories with thousands of submissions and nominations. In 2020, Vestavia Hills High School presented submissions in four categories and was named as a finalist in all four.

Listed below are excerpts from the required submissions for each category. The last on the list, America’s Most Spirited High School, is the grand prize category. Once finalists for this category are selected, there is a nationwide vote based on videos produced by each school.

Although the voting took place in 2020, the Awards Program was cancelled for the year due to the pandemic without naming the ultimate winners of any category.

Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills for Believe in You Award (The Spirit of Inclusivity Award)

At Vestavia Hills High School, inclusion is a cornerstone of the entire institution, a natural and vital part of the culture. VHHS has a program called Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills (YLVH) that sets it apart from all other high schools. The mission of YLVH is to train student to become leaders who have and show respect for all; who recognize the common ground we share in our humanity, our community, our school; and, who accept and celebrate our differences as strengths in the social fabric of our community. YLVH is open to all students. At any given time in the high school of 2,000, YLVH has more than 700 members we call “change agents” who intentionally and positively affect the culture of their school, making it one of inclusivity, connection, respect, and unity. That number is a critical mass for a culture shift in any setting. For the past 15 years of the program’s existence, our tagline has been Be the Difference. And that is exactly what this program and its students have accomplished. They have been the difference in the daily lives of individual students and, ultimately, in the collective culture of the school. The byproducts of this approach positively affect issues like bullying, mental health, even school violence.

RISE for Best Community Service Project

In the spring of the year, the students of Vestavia Hills High School RISE together for a common cause. RISE is a semester-long, service-learning project for EVERY student. These students latch on to a cause greater than themselves, and they give of themselves in service and in time.  And they do it together – no matter their background,friend group, age, race or religion.

On average, RISE involves 295 student leaders, 20 committees, more than 1,000 students on 60 service teams raising over $250,000 in just 3 months. And they do this year after year. RISE stands for Rebels Impact through Service and Engagement and that impact is personal. Student leaders chose to support the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, one of the nation’s leading research and treatment centers. Specifically, RISE is the sole financial supporter of the new Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program, impacting the students’ peers.

*NOTE: Despite the RISE period being cut by two-thirds of the usual time due to school closings, students raised over $200,000 for the AYA Program in 2020.

Jennifer Greer for Most Spirited Teacher

Jennifer Greer is the ultimate inclusion teacher, the picture of what every teacher should strive to be. Because of Jennifer, her precious and very special students wrestle and play football. They are cheerleaders and band members.They manage the basketball team, participate in the work force, and attend college. When Dr. Seuss wrote of the places you will go, he was surely talking of Mrs. Greer’s students. And they get there, in large part, because of her.

Her official position is special education teacher, but to her students, Jennifer Greer is so much more. She is a coach, an encourager, a safety net, and a rocket launcher. She is both an anchor and the wind. She possesses equal parts compassion, courage, grit, and loveliness. Her smiling face lights up a room, and her tears are of joy that comes from watching her students believe in themselves. She is an innovator who pushes her students to achieve far more than they could ever dream.

Vestavia Hills High School for America’s Most Spirited High School in America

School spirit at Vestavia Hills High School is much more than the sum of its pep rallies, football pageantry, and rich traditions; our school spirit is what we refer to as the Rebel Edge.

The Rebel Edge is that set of shared values and intangible qualities that define what it means to be a Vestavia Hills Rebel. When a new student, freshman or upperclassman, enters the high school, they sign the Pledge Wall located in the heart of the school. The wall states that collectively,

We Rise up as one Rebel.

We Embrace academic achievement.

We Build community through philanthropy and service.

We Extend the legacy of those before us, and

We Lead the march for progress.

We are Excellence

Difference

Grit

Elevation.

We are the Rebel Edge.

Those are the pillars upon which we build our spirit of unity. And because We Are 1Rebel, when you play 1Rebel, you play us all.

Link to full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=wAI3X5F8mjM&feature=emb_title

Submitted by Kym Prewitt.