Shelby County Schools

"October is #NationalPrincipalsMonth! Today, we recognize these four fabulous leaders of our Calera schools! Thank you for empowering and inspiring our students and staff to achieve excellence each and every day! We are grateful for your dedication and leadership. 👏💙 #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence

Congratulations to Chelsea High School which was named to the 2023 AP School Honor Roll! The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose Advanced Placement programs are delivering results and broadening access for students. Schools can earn the Honor Roll recognition annually based on their ability to increase their school’s college-going culture, provide opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximize college readiness. The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Chelsea High School is a Silver member of the Honor Roll. Chelsea had 55 percent of seniors who took at least one AP exam during high school, 33 percent of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam, and 18 percent of seniors who took five or more AP exams. Chelsea was also recognized with the AP Access Award for ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students no matter their backgrounds.

Congratulations to Helena High School which was named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll, which recognizes schools whose Advanced Placement programs are delivering results and broadening access for students. Schools can earn the Honor Roll recognition annually based on their ability to increase their school’s college-going culture, provide opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximize college readiness. The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Helena High is a Silver member of the Honor Roll. Helena had 54 percent of seniors who took at least one AP exam during high school, 35 percent of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam, and 8 percent of seniors who took five or more AP exams. Helena High was also recognized with the AP Access Award for ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students no matter their backgrounds.

Congratulations to Oak Mountain High School which was named to the 2024 AP Honor Roll! The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results and broadening access for students. Schools can earn the Honor Roll recognition annually based on their ability to increase their school’s college-going culture, provide opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximize college readiness. The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Oak Mountain High is a Gold member of the Honor Roll. Oak Mountain had 68 percent of seniors who took at least one AP exam during high school, 48 percent of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam, and 13 percent of seniors who took five or more AP exams!

"October is #NationalPrincipalsMonth! Today, we continue the celebration by recognizing the outstanding leaders in our Montevallo schools. Thank you for empowering and inspiring our students and staff to achieve excellence both inside and outside of the classroom! We are grateful for your dedication and leadership. 👏💙 #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence

"October is #NationalPrincipalsMonth! Today, we are celebrating the amazing leaders in the Chelsea school zone. Thank you for empowering and inspiring our students and staff to achieve excellence every day! We are grateful for your dedication and leadership. 👏💙 #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence

"October is #NationalPrincipalsMonth! Today, we want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible leaders at our schools. Our principals empower, inspire, support, and guide our students, teachers, and staff every day - making a lasting impact on education and the community. We will highlight different school communities throughout the month, but today we start with these incredible leaders of our three Centralized Schools. Thank you for your dedication and leadership! 👏💙 #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence

Happy #NationalCustodiansDay! 🧹✨ Today, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of our amazing custodial staff who keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming for students and staff every day. Thank you for all you do to create a positive learning environment! #ThankACustodian #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence

The Shelby County Board of Education has approved Jennifer McCaleb to serve as the next principal of Calera High. McCaleb has over 20 years of education experience and recently served as the interim principal at CAHS. Before that, she served as the assistant principal.

Shelby County Schools leaders, administrators, teachers, and parents spent the past two days in CSI (Continuous School Improvement) meetings where they dug into data, learned how to build a positive school culture, developed strategies for helping students who have experienced trauma, and honed their skills to build better relationships with students with behavior issues. Dr. Lewis Brooks and other district leaders also updated parents on the components of the new Empowering and Inspiring Excellence Strategic Plan. They also answered questions regarding various topics such as school safety, capital improvement plans in high-growth areas, and effective home/school communication strategies.

A blazing sunset provided the backdrop for the annual Showcase of Bands event, held September 10 at Heardmont Park. All seven of the district's high school bands performed their halftime shows before taking the field together for a mass band performance of "America the Beautiful. "

Billy Holliday was sworn in today as the newest Shelby County Board of Education member after being appointed to serve the remainder of the late Brian Boatman’s term. Boatman took office for a six-year term in December of 2022. He died in early August after a courageous battle against ALS leaving four years remaining on his term in office. By law, the Board of Education can appoint someone to fill a vacancy for the remainder of an unexpired term. The position will go back up for election in 2028. Holliday is a native of Hueytown but now resides in Shelby, Alabama. He has been employed as the facilities and purchasing manager for American Metal Group in Sylacauga for the past seven years having also served in the same role with Vulcan Steel for 11 years. He was also the former operations manager for Controlled Maintenance Systems in Birmingham and is the former owner and operator of Home Plate Diner in Hueytown. “I think Billy is going to be a wonderful addition to the board,” said Dr. Lewis Brooks, superintendent of education. “He will bring a lot of experience from workforce development and understands the importance of parent and community partners. He is practical, trustworthy, and a proven leader. He understands the vast economic differences that exist throughout our county and the school district’s efforts to support every community so that our students can be successful.” Holliday and his wife, Leslie, were actively involved as volunteers when their children, Sarah and Adam, attended schools in the Chelsea school zone. Holliday specifically served as president of the Chelsea High School Athletic Booster Club for 10 years. During his tenure as booster club president, he led the efforts to build a visitor's football locker room and public restrooms on the Chelsea High School campus.

The Shelby Chamber of Commerce held its annual State of Our Schools Showcase luncheon today featuring all four school districts in the county. The new format of the meeting featured video highlights of each school district and three different panel discussions that showcased students and teachers. Shelby County Schools was represented by Blakelyn Burns, a fifth-grade student from Helena Intermediate, Aiden Poe, a senior at Vincent High, and Anna McEntire, a teacher at Calera High.

The American Heart Association recognized three Shelby County Schools at the August 22 board meeting for their successful fundraising efforts through the Kids Heart Challenge, which is held nationwide. The program focuses on whole-body well-being, helping students improve their health and character while raising life-saving donations for the American Heart Association to help kids with special hearts. Congratulations to Chelsea Park Elementary, which raised $6,712.72, Mt Laurel Elementary who raised $8,712.61, and Montevallo Elementary, who raised $11,235

Aiden Poe, a standout student athlete from VMHS, was the featured student speaker at today's Leadership Shelby County kickoff breakfast. Poe, who has committed to play baseball at the Air Force Academy next year, was a member of last year's Youth Leadership class.

#ThrowbackThursday to last Thursday and the first day of school!

The first day of the 2024-2025 school year is finally here, and our halls were buzzing with excitement all day! Our students and teachers are ready to make this year one to remember. Here's to new beginnings, fresh starts, and a year of learning and growth. Let's make it amazing together! 🌟 #ShelbyFirstDay #EmpoweringandInspiringExcellence #PreparedForTheJourney

New teachers in Shelby County Schools received a visit from various district leaders today with a welcome note to encourage them on their first day of the 24-25 school year! We hope you have an epic year! #empoweringandinspiringexcellence

Today, we honor the life of Shelby County Schools Board Member Brian Boatman who passed away Saturday after a courageous battle against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Please join us in praying for Mr. Boatman's family and friends in the coming days.

It's going to be a great year! Today Shelby County Schools brought the entire family together for IGNITE 2024, hosted at the University of Montevallo. We want to extend a great thanks to our keynote speaker, Damon West, and to all the student leaders involved in today's kickoff event. We are so excited for another academic year, and welcome the challenge and opportunity to empower and inspire our students daily! hashtag#DoGreatThings hashtag#EmpoweringAndInspiringExcellence