Shelby County Schools

The future is bright for the Class of 2026 🎓

As graduation season continues across Shelby County Schools, we celebrate all of the hard work, all of the achievements, and all of the memories that brought these students to this moment. Congratulations, graduates!

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Big congratulations to these outstanding students for being named Class of 2026 National Merit Scholars! Their hard work, dedication, and academic excellence continue to shine across Shelby County Schools.

Please join us in celebrating:

Robert Grayson Bou – Oak Mountain High School
Margaret Ann Rodgers – Oak Mountain High School
Connor M. Wright – Helena High School

We are incredibly proud of these students and the journey that brought them to this incredible achievement. The future is bright!

#ShelbyCountySchools #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence #PreparedForTheJourney #NationalMeritScholar

Jay McGaughy will serve as the next Transportation Coordinator for Shelby County Schools.

Mr. McGaughy has over 25 years of experience in education. He began his career with Shelby County Schools as an educator, teaching World History, coaching various sports, and serving as athletic director.

He then served as an Assistant Principal at Oak Mountain Middle School. Since 2023, he has
served as Transportation Supervisor.

Mrs. Carlyn Duncan has been named principal of Forest Oaks Elementary. Mrs. Duncan has over 23 years of experience as an educator in Shelby County Schools.

She began her career as a first-grade teacher in 2003 before transitioning into instructional
coaching and district-level instructional support. Most recently, she has served for the past seven years as the assistant principal at Forest Oaks Elementary School.

Grace Hemmer, a Social Studies teacher at Chelsea Middle School, and Molly Reynolds, a 1st-grade teacher at Chelsea Park Elementary School, were surprised in their classrooms today by Dr. Brooks with the news that they had been selected as Shelby County Schools' First Year Teachers of the Year.

The excited reactions from their students spoke volumes about the impact these teachers have already made in such a short time. Congratulations to Ms. Hemmer and Ms. Reynolds on this well-deserved recognition!

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Our students had an incredible time at Oak Mountain State Park for the annual Exceptional Anglers "Gone Fishin', Not Just Wishin'" event. From learning basic fishing skills to exploring wildlife and water safety, it was a day filled with smiles and big catches! 🎣

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who make this inclusive outdoor experience possible!

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

This National Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re celebrating the incredible people who make our schools a place where students love to learn.

Thank you, teachers, for an unforgettable year!

Due to the threat of inclement weather later this afternoon, all after-school activities, including After School Care, are canceled. Schools will dismiss at the normal time.

Today on #SchoolNurseDay, we celebrate the professionals who keep students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

Engineering students from Oak Mountain High School recently presented the details of a NASA TechRise project that will take flight this summer. OMHS was one of 60 schools selected to participate in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge. Students from Paula Hughes' class have been working with the NASA TechRise team to design and build an experiment for a Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceship test flight, which is scheduled to fly sometime this summer. The experiment, "Creating Gravity With Centrifugal Force," will simulate gravity using centrifugal force in an anti-gravitational environment.

Today, we celebrate the leaders who shape the culture, vision, and success of our schools.

Our principals wear many hats - mentor, problem-solver, encourager, etc. - and they do it all with a commitment to students, staff, and their communities.

We are grateful for the impact they make each and every day.

Happy National Principals' Day.

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Congratulations to all of our nominees who were recognized yesterday at the 2025-2026 Shelby County Chamber's Student & Educator of the Year Awards Luncheon.

We are proud to be represented by some of the very best of Shelby County Schools.

A special congratulations to Mr. Derek Dupuis, who was named High School Educator of the Year, and to our student honorees - Jackson Toney (Calera High School), Natalie Bevilacqua (Shelby County High School), Joseph Alonzo Cardoza (Oak Mountain High School), and Andrew Blackmon (Oak Mountain High School) - for being selected as winners among an outstanding group of nominees.

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Our Edtech team and students from Chelsea Park Elementary and Chelsea High School recently traveled to Montgomery for the 2026 Computer Science Summit. During this event, students competed in the final round of the Governor's App Challenge, a statewide computer programming competition for Alabama students.

Chelsea High School students Chase Diamond and Landon Hartline received first place in the high school division! Their app, "College Education & Navigation" (C.E.A.N.), allows high school students to effortlessly explore college options, calculate GPA, and even find potential roommates. They were awarded by State Superintendent Dr. Mackey and had a chance to speak with him about their app.

Chelsea Park Elementary students Kenia Bravo, Logan Dobson, and Hudson Harris were selected as state finalists for the Elementary division. Their app, Monkey Math, aims to help students develop math fact fluency in a fun and engaging way.

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

Congratulations to the Chelsea High School and Shelby County High School bands for representing Shelby County Schools at the Fiesta Flambeau Parade in San Antonio, Texas - the world's largest nighttime illuminated parade.

Performing in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators and millions more watching live, these students showcased their talent, dedication, and school pride in a special way. We are very proud of how they represented our district!

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Shelby County Schools and the Addiction Prevention Coalition worked in partnership on Friday, April 24th to have all SCS nurses trained in the Youth Mental Health First Aid course. Our SCS school nurses are frontline responders for student wellness. School nurses are often one of the first trusted adults students turn to when they are struggling. This comprehensive training teaches staff how to recognize warning signs, respond effectively, and connect students struggling with mental health issues to the right supports to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Having SCS staff members trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid strengthens SCS' multi-tiered approach to supporting student mental health. We are grateful to the Addiction Prevention Coalition and our other community partners that support this initiative.

#DoGreatThings #PreparedForTheJourney #EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence

Congratulations to the following fine arts teachers for being recipients of the Alabama Arts of Education Grant:
Lilly Langford (Elvin Hill Elementary), Kymberlee Lewis (Montevallo High School), Marjorie Eubanks (Shelby County High School , Garrett Lindsey (Shelby County High School ) and Katie Justice (Calera Middle School ) recently attended the Alabama Arts Conference to receive this award.

We are so proud of our teachers of the arts for investing time to write grants that will give our students new equipment along with supporting fine arts instruction and programs. We look forward to seeing your projects come to fruition!

Shelby County Schools has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) Award from the NAMM Foundation for outstanding support and commitment to music education. Now in its 27th year, the awards program continues to spotlight and celebrate school districts and individual schools across the United Sates for their exemplary dedication to music education and ongoing efforts to ensure access to music learning as part of a well-rounded education.

The award reaches K-12 communities nationwide, offering both recognition and momentum to strengthen and expand music education programs. In 2026, more than 1,000 school districts and schools have been recognized for outstanding achievement in providing access to high-quality music education. Shelby County Schools is one of nine school districts in Alabama to be honored with the award.

Recipients of the 2026 BCME Awards were selected through a comprehensive application and review process that evaluates key indicators, including funding, instructional time, participation rates, facilities, and community support. To uphold the program's rigor and credibility, all applications were independently reviewed and verified by WolfBrown, a leading research and evaluation firm specializing in education and the arts.

The NAMM Foundation is the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants.

Students and staff have recently enjoyed farm-fresh strawberries as part of the Child Nutrition Program's Farm to School program. These beautiful berries came from Josh Jones from C & J Farms. Our CNP staff have added them to the menu as fresh fruit options and have also made delicious desserts like Strawberry Shortcake. YUM!

April 20-24 is National Home Visiting Week. We want to send a special thank you to our HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) team - Kerri McGaughy, Phyllis Peterson, and Arletth Patino-Peña. Every lesson taught, every word of encouragement, and every extra effort you give makes a lasting difference in the lives of your students and our community.