Shelby County Schools

Due to the threat of winter weather and extreme temperatures, all Shelby County Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 16, and students will transition to remote learning. All after-school activities are also canceled. We are also monitoring the weather for Wednesday morning and will announce school delays or closures as we receive more detailed weather information.

Due to the threat of severe weather, specifically straight-line winds causing downed trees and powerlines on Friday, January 12, all Shelby County Schools will be closed and students will transition to remote learning. All after-school activities are also canceled. Schools will be closed on Monday, January 15 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. We are also monitoring the weather for Tuesday morning and will announce school delays or closures as we receive more detailed weather information.

Author and Certified Financial Planner Dale Alexander spoke to seniors from Montevallo, Vincent, and Shelby County high schools this morning about financial literacy. Alexander shared how making wise financial decisions when they are young and starting their very first jobs can lead to financial freedom when they are older. Alexander will share with seniors from Oak Mountain and Chelsea on January 10, followed by Calera and Helena on January 11.

Shelby County Schools is excited to announce the addition of a new facility dog thanks to a partnership with the Roverchase Foundation. The new dog, which is still in training, will be primarily housed at the Linda Nolen Learning Center, but will also travel to other schools. Realtors Ashley Lemley, a former Shelby County Schools teacher, and Gina Musser have organized the second annual "Fur The Love" gala and silent auction to raise money for the Roverchase Foundation and the Linda Nolen Learning Center. LNLC will use its proceeds for ongoing costs associated with the facility dog such as food, veterinarian care, grooming, etc... The first gala planned by the Realtors, who call their team "The Address Makeover Gals", raised over $15,000 to benefit animal-assisted therapy programs in the Birmingham area.

Author Dale Alexander, best known for his insightful book "The Talk (about money)” is visiting Shelby County high schools in January to share insights with students eager to learn about financial literacy and responsible money management. Alexander, a seasoned expert in personal finance, has dedicated his career to empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for financial success. His latest book, "The Talk (about money)," has gained widespread acclaim for its practical advice and easy-to-understand insights into the world of finance. Alexander is set to speak to students from Montevallo High, Shelby County High, and Vincent High on January 9 from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. at the Grande Hall at Shelby County Arts Council. A free community event will also be on January 9 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the same location. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the book. Alexander will travel to Oak Mountain High and Chelsea High on January 10, followed by Calera High and Helena High on January 11. The speaking engagements will provide students with a unique opportunity to engage directly with Alexander. The author will share anecdotes from his journey, discuss key concepts from his book, and offer valuable tips on budgeting, saving, and making informed financial decisions.

Registration for the Shelby County First Class Pre-K Program will be held January 15, 2024.

Shelby County Schools is pleased to announce that we scored an A on the state report card! The district score is based on the individual scores from schools in the system. The report card grade considers student achievement, academic growth, college and career readiness as well as chronic absenteeism for students in each school. State report card information will be released this week and we are proud to say our district received an A! The district score is based on the individual scores from schools in the system. The report card grade considers student achievement, academic growth, college and career readiness as well as chronic absenteeism for students in each school. The best news is that in the category of Academic Growth, our district received an indicator score of 100, meaning that all students are progressing! We are proud of our students, teachers, and administrators.

Shelby County is implementing Rooms - a two-way messaging tool that will integrate with our new district/school app.

Congratulations to Gretchen Luenberger, interventionist at Oak Mountain Middle, for being named a Journey Shaper by Dr. Lewis Brooks. Luenberger recently helped OMMS make their Toys for Tots goal by donating $1,400 worth of Hot Wheels and other toys from her toy collections.

Molly Parks will serve as Shelby County Schools' next Special Education Supervisor. Parks began her teaching career atHoover High School as an inclusion teacher before joining the staff at McAdory Elementary as lead Special Education teacher. She served as assistant principal at both Chalkville Elementary and Linda Nolen Learning Center.Parks received her bachelor’s in Special Education from Ole Miss, a master’s in Reading Education from Auburn University, and Educational Leadership certification from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Lynne Hanson will serve as Shelby County School's Payroll Supervisor. Hanson has worked for Shelby County Schools for 14 years. She previously worked at Columbiana Middle and Montevallo High as a secretary, office manager, and bookkeeper. She most recently worked in the Payroll Department as a staff accountant. She earned her degree in Business Administration/Management from the University of Montevallo.

25 Chelsea High School Healthcare Academy - Surgical Tech Program students passed the National Healthcareer Association Certified Patient Care Technician exam, exceeding the national exam pass rate and earning their first set of healthcare credentials. They are now certified PCTs and are prepared to start hands-on patient care clinical internship rotations at Shelby Baptist Medical Center and Heart South Cardiovascular Group next semester. Their post-secondary educational interests include labor and delivery nursing, hospital human resources and administration, nurse anesthesia, physical therapy, radiology, veterinary science, forensic pathology, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and pediatric transplant surgery.

Congratulations to Olivia Carroll, a teacher from Helena Middle School, for receiving The ABCs of Computer Science K-12 grant. This $500 grant is made possible through the publication of the book, The ABCs of Computer Science, and a partnership with the Shelby County Education Foundation. The grant is designed to increase the integration of Computer Science in the K-12 learning space. Olivia plans to purchase Dash and Dot robots to implement into her classroom instruction. Congratulations again!

Congratulations to our High School Teachers of the Year!

Calera High School recently celebrated the completion of a new Medical Diagnostics learning lab that will provide real-world learning and mimics a diagnostic healthcare facility. The program is a three-course pathway that provides opportunities for students' career exploration and exposes them to a variety of healthcare fields. This pathway culminates with an internship during their senior year with clinical rotations. Students will have an opportunity to take credentials that will better prepare them for a healthcare career.

Congratulations to our Middle School Teachers of the Year!

Congratulations to our Elementary School Teachers of the Year!

Winners of the Digital Citizenship Poster Contest were honored by the Shelby County Board of Education on November 16. The contest was sponsored by Shelby County Schools EdTech Department as part of Digital Citizenship Week October 16-20. As part of that celebration, students were invited to design a digital poster about "What Makes A Good Citizen?". The K-2 winners were Pam Clay's entire class who worked in collaboration to design a poster. Mrs. Clay's class was not in attendance at the board meeting but will be getting a visit soon from Dr. Lewis Brooks and the EdTech team to celebrate their winning poster. Eli Miller from Chelsea Park Elementary was the winner for grades 3-5. Isabella Stevens from Helena Middle was the winner for grades 6-8 and Kaitlyn Banks from Calera High was the winner for grades 9-12.

The Shelby County Board of Education held yearly elections for officers at the November 16 meeting. Congratulations to David Bobo, who was re-elected to serve as Board President, and Jimmy Bice, who was elected to serve as Vice-President.

Congratulations to Shelby County students who were honored as Character In Action Award winners for the 2023-2024 school year. The award ceremony was held on November 17 at the American Village. These students have been selected by teachers, counselors, and administrators for displaying respect, courage, responsibility, friendship, and kindness toward others. The award also honors the parents and caregivers who have raised these students and who continue to work hard to support their success. The Character in Action Award program is a joint partnership among local school systems, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, District Court Judge Erin Wellborn, and the Children’s Policy Council. Pelham’s American Legion Post 555 also awards the American Legion Achievement Award to the students. Students honored were: Adalynn Winterbottom, Calera Elementary; Martin Moreno, Calera Intermediate; Laila Wilson, Calera Middle; Kayla Banks, Calera High; Peyton Davis, Career Technical Educational Center; Han Doan, Chelsea Park Elementary; Laney Marshall, Chelsea Middle; John-Edward “Riku” Gallagher, Chelsea High; Josie Payne, Columbiana Middle; Gunner Smith, Elvin Hill Elementary; Bailey-Drew Joseph, Forest Oaks Elementary; Charlotte Festavan, Helena Elementary; Coleman Burkhalter, Helena Intermediate; Brewer Jones, Helena Middle; Mackenzie Meyers, Helena High, Isla Clay Melton, Inverness Elementary; Rashad Hunt, Linda Nolen Learning Center; Kolin Brantley-Anfield, Montevallo Elementary; Atticus Plott, Montevallo Middle; Jordan Gaines, Montevallo High School; Aaron Ramirez-Olvera, Mt Laurel Elementary; McKenzie Ray, Oak Mountain Elementary; Christian Lewis, Oak Mountain Intermediate; Jillian Linda, Oak Mountain Middle; Bebe Moore, Oak Mountain High; Emily Vansant, Shelby Elementary; Sarah Elizabeth Shelton, Shelby County High; Amber Isbell, Success; Gabriel Bristow, Vincent Elementary; Sophie Fields, Vincent Middle; Chloe Abrams, Vincent High; and Julie Portillo Vizueth, Wilsonville Elementary.