Julian Harris Elementary School's 2015 Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Jessica Lindsey

Julian Harris Elementary School is proud to announce that Mrs. Jessica Lindsey is their 2015 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Lindsey is a graduate of Athens State University. She graduated in the spring of 2003 and began teaching at Julian Harris Elementary where she still works as an integral part of her students’ lives. She has always had the desire to be a teacher, “It’s just who I am and what I’ve always wanted to be” said Mrs. Lindsey. In college she worked at a day care and instantly connected with the older elementary children. It was then that she knew she wanted to teach fourth or fifth grade. Throughout her career at Julian Harris she has had the opportunity to teach both fourth and fifth grade. She credits her inspiration and passion for teaching to her mother. Mrs. Lindsey said her mother is her example of patience, consistency, innovation, and a loving attitude. Congratulations Mrs. Lindsey on earning Teacher of the Year at Julian Harris Elementary!

Cedar Ridge Middle School's 2015 Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Tammy Pickens

Mrs. Tammy Pickens was ecstatic when she heard the news she had been named the 2015 Teacher of the Year for Cedar Ridge Middle School. Mrs. Pickens teachers sixth grade science. She has been teaching for 23 years between Jefferson County, Decatur City Schools, a short break with AMSTI, and finally “back home” (as she said) with Decatur City Schools. Mrs. Pickens has been teaching since her childhood - being the oldest of four children. She would come home from school and teach her younger brother what she had learned in school that day. all the time! Mrs. Pickens majored in elementary education and originally did not want to teach sixth grade. Of course, the first job she got teaching was sixth grade and she has loved it ever since! Throughout her teaching career Pickens has taught third through sixth grade and has enjoyed each level for various different reasons. The teacher who Mrs. Pickens got her inspiration from was her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Holland. Mrs. Holland was always kind and caring to her students and eventually later became Mrs. Pickens Sunday School teacher. When asked about a different career, Mrs. Pickens knew it would have to involve problem solving. Her other two choices were becoming a mystery writer or an investigator! Decatur City Schools would again like to congratulate Mrs. Pickens on this honor.

Decatur High School's "Best Kept Secret"

          On Wednesday, April 2nd, a group of 40 engineering technology students arrived at Decatur High School around 6:30 AM, loaded projects and luggage onto a charter bus and departed with Tuscaloosa, AL as their destination. These students, along with over 600 others from around Alabama, competed at the 35th annual Alabama Technology Student Association(TSA) State Competition. Decatur High School's TSA chapter is lead by Career Technology teacher, Paul Allen, and attends this conference every year. They are known state-wide through TSA for taking first place overall nearly every year. Allen refers to the DHS TSA chapter as "Decatur High School's best kept secret" due to their plethora of awards with limited recognition.
          TSA is the only student organization devoted exclusively to students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It is only open to students enrolled in or who have completed a technology education course. It's membership includes over 200,000 middle and high school students in over 2,000 schools spanning 49 states.


Decatur High and Oak Park Middle School's TSA students

          This year's group was especially exceptional because it consisted of both middle and high school students. Paul Allen dedicated himself to starting the very first Oak Park Middle School TSA Chapter earlier this year, and gave them the opportunity to compete at this year's state conference. The two schools joined together to represent Decatur City Schools competing over the 2-day period in several different competitions from flight endurance and VEX robotics to photographic technology and graphic design.
          Oak Park Middle School students placed extremely well for their first time at this conference, placing in third overall for the middle school division. The individual awards are as follows:

Christian Castenada
     Problem Solving 8th Place
     Safety Illustration 7th Place
     Structural Engineering 3rd Place
Haley Fitzgerald
     Dragster Design 2nd Place
Alex Hurst
     Safety Illustration 2nd Place
     Structural Engineering 1st Place
Mac Johnson
     Safety Illustration 5th Place
     Problem Solving 8th Place
     Structural Engineering 1st Place
Annabelle May
     State Pin 1st Place
     State T-shirt 1st Place
Cole McCormick
     Dragster Design 3rd Place
     Structural Engineering 3rd Place
John Mobes
     Dragster Design 1st Place
Logan Roberts
     Structural Engineering 2nd Place
Trent Underwood
     Structural Engineering 2nd Place

          Decatur High School continued their tradition of excellence by placing first overall for the high school division. Mr. Paul Allen was also awarded the Michael Bradford TSA Advisor of the Year Award for the High School division. The individual awards are as follows:

Madelyn Hoffmann
Career Preparations - 5th place
Brian Zhang
Computer aided Design 2D Architecture - 3rd place
VEX - 1st place  
Davis Earley
VEX - 2nd place 

Computer Aided Design 3D Engineering - 2nd place
Desktop Publishing - 1st place
Erin McKee
TSA Creed - 1st place
Promotional Graphics - 2nd place
Shivam Patel
Dragster Design - 3rd place
Safety Illustration - 1st place
VEX - 1st place 
Hughston May
State Pin - 1st place
Dragster Design - 1st place
Digital Video Production - 3rd place
Photographic Technology - 2nd place
Promotional Graphics - 4th Place
T-shirt Design - 1st place
Jesus Alverez
State T-Shirt Design - 3rd place
Digital Video Production - 3rd place
George Brown
Digital Video Production - 3rd place
Technology Bowl - 4th place
Hunter Lee
Digital Video Production - 3rd place
Manufacturing Prototype - 4th place
Promotional Graphics - 3rd place
VEX - 3rd place
TJ Romine
Extemporaneous Presentation - 10th place
Daniel Cater
Flight Endurance - 5th place
VEX - 3rd place
Jakob Breuers
Manufacturing Prototype - 4th place
Extemporaneous Presentation - 6th place
Wiley Irish
Safety Illustration - 3rd place

Manufacturing Prototype - 4th place
VEX - 1st place  
Austin Rodgers
Dragster Design - 2nd place
Structural Engineering - 1st place
Manufacturing Prototype - 4th place
Tech Problem Solving - 4th place
Tyler Moore
Manufacturing Prototype - 4th place
State Pin - 4th place
Flight Endurance - 2nd place
Logan Batchelor
Tech Problem Solving - 1st place

Structural Engineering - 3rd place
Brett Drake
Structural Engineering - 3rd place
Dock Hunter
Structural Engineering - 1st place
Tech Problem Solving - 4th place
VEX - 1st place 
Will Hall
Technology Bowl - 4th place
Safety Illustration - 2nd place
State Pin - 3rd place
State T-shirt - 2nd place
Peter Neil
Technology Bowl - 4th place
John David Kennedy
Technology Problem Solving - 8th place
Structural Engineering - 2nd place
Dylan Osborn
Technology Problem Solving - 8th place
VEX - 2nd place
Alex Peterson
Computer aided Design 2D Architecture - 4th place
VEX - 3rd place
Eli Carle
Flight Endurance - 4th place
Photographic Technology - 1st place
Jessica Coffey
Structural Engineering - 2nd place
Briley Uptain
Structural Engineering - 1st place
Ezequiel Gonzalez
VEX - 3rd place
Jay Hoffmann
VEX - 2nd place
Rian Silvestri
VEX - 2nd place

          Decatur City Schools is so proud of the Decatur High School and Oak Park Middle School TSA Chapter and their many accomplishments.

The 8th Grade Raft Race!

     The 8th Grade Raft Race begins at 8:00 AM on Friday, April 26th, 2013, at Wilson Morgan Park.    Students must remember to bring their raft race scrapbook to the park for judges' review, along with a life jacket for each student riding on the team's raft, and 2 paddles.  Additionally, a tow rope should be attached to the front of each raft for use by the Morgan County Rescue Squad in towing the raft, if needed.  Thanks to GE for providing the judges for this event; thanks to the Morgan County Rescue Squad for insuring students' safety and for directing the race; and thanks to Parks and Rec for allowing us to use the park.  Thanks also to the many parents who have supported this fun, extracurricular learning opportunity for their children!   Dr. Gillespie and Ms. Winton will be supervising the raft race.  Parents are invited to bring a chair and join Mr. McIntyre on the shoreline as he cheers on the race participants. Students may bring snacks and a canned drink, plus a chair or towel to sit on as they observe other rafts traveling around the race course. 

Congratulations Decatur High School TSA!!

On March 12-13 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, approximately 560 middle and high school students met at the Bryant Conference Center to take part in the 34th Annual Technology Student Association State Conference. The two day event featured 43 different competitive events that range from engineering design to photographic technology. The theme for the 2012-2013 conference was A Tradition of Excellence, and Decatur High School is a great living example of this. Paul Allen, DHS chapter Advisor, led his students to victory winning an award for most individual members and placing 1st overall high school. Decatur High had two students recieve the honor of being elected to State Office for the 2013-2014 school year. Austin Rodgers, former TSA State Seargent at Arms, was elected State Vice President. Jessica Cofffey was also elected State Reporter, an office formerly held by Hughston May of Decatur High. 

Below are the awards given to the talented students of the Decatur High School TSA. These students will get a chance to compete at the National TSA conference held in Orlando, Florida from June 28 to July 2, 2013.

Career Comparison

4^th Hadden Kershaw

7^th TJ Romine

Computer Aided Design 2D Architecture

3^rd Rowe Price

Computer Aided Design 3D Engineering

2^nd Jacob Farris

5^th Tyler Moore

Creed

3^rd Davis Earley

Desktop Publishing

5^th Shivam Patel

Dragster Design

1^st Davis Earley

2^nd Daniel Cater

3^rd Austin Rogers

Essays on Technology

2^nd Josh Echols

Extemporaneous Presentations

5^th Jakob Breuer

7^th TJ Romine

Flight Endurance

1^st Connor Rawlings

2^nd John David Kennedy

3^rd Mason Kennedy

Manufacturing Prototypes

1^st Bobby Doyle, Tyler Moore, Connor Rawlings

Photographic Technology

1^st Hughston May

5^th Mimi Walker

Prepared Presentation

7^th Jessica Coffey

Promotional Graphics

5^th Hughston May

6^th Austin Rodgers

Safety Illustration

1^st Austin Rodgers

2^nd Mason Kennedy

3^rd Josh Echols

State Pin Design

1^st Austin Rodgers

2^nd Ethan Paradise

3^rd Saul Becerra

State T-Shirt Design

1^st Hughston May

2^nd Mason Kennedy

3^rd Austin Rodgers

Structural Engineering

1^st Logan Batchelor & Hadden Kershaw

2^nd Bobby Doyle & Ethan Paradise

3^rd Jessica Coffey & Austin Rodgers

Technology Bowl

5^th Saul Becerra, Jessica Coffey, Peter Neil

Technology Problem Solving

5^th Bobby Doyle & Ethan Paradise

6^th Dock Hunter & David Petersen

10^th Mason Kennedy & Briley Uptain

VEX Robotics

3^rd David Petersen, Jay Hoffmann, Dustin Seal, Davis Earley

Congratulations DHS TSA! You have made us proud!

Congratulations to the Oak Park JUNA team!

Congratulations to the Oak Park JUNA team!  At the recent Junior United Nations Assembly held at Birmingham Southern College on January 31-February, 1, Oak Park students collected a lot of prestigious awards!  Madelyn Hoffman won the Erin McPherson Outstanding Leadership award.  Cayla Riehl and Madelyn Hoffman each received a trophy for Outstanding Girl Delegate (two winners from one school has never been achieved before at JUNA!), Beau Claborne and Stuart Thornton won a blue ribbon for outstanding display, Sanders White won $50.00 for a mini-grant proposal that will help a child in Ghana to have a save haven and an education. Sixth-graders Kira Williams and Raegan McNeil contributed research articles to support the team's written resolution which received an Honorable Mention Award.  Finally, Sadie Casteel did an excellent job as the team photographer!  Thanks to all the parents, teachers, and administrators who made this fabulous learning experience possible!  Great job Dr. Robin Gillespie and JUNA team.

The Doctors and Nurses of Tomorrow

Austin High School offers an excellent medical program. The program, taught by Mrs. Heather Tucker, is made up of three courses: Medical Professions 1, Medical Professions 2, and Medical Professions 3. The program gives students a solid background in medical technology, including anatomy, physical medical terms, career exploration, hands-on skills, CPR, and first aid. Third year students have the opportunity to shadow professionals in the medical field. This wonderful experience gives students actual hands-on experience, showing them the in's and out's of being a health care professional. The medical program can help save money for students who are considering a degree in the medical field by giving them the opportunity to see what the field is like before attending college. 

Last year, 100 percent of Austin graduates, who went through the program, went on to attend college to pursue a degree related to the medical field. Most of these students will eventually acquire a four year degree.  If the student decides that being a nurse or doctor does not suit them, they will have saved money that would be spent on another year of college, changing their major.

Mrs. Tucker says she enjoys teaching these classes, because she is a nurse with a love for teaching high school students. She also stated that the health care field is continuing to grow, and many career opportunities can be found in health care, making it a great path for students to consider.

Congratulations to the Decatur High winners of the Southeast Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards!

 Scholastic Gold Key                                                                                                                           

Warm by Emily Lepper   

                                                                                                                                            

Congratulations to the Decatur High winners of the Southeast Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards! Approximately 10% of submissions attain the Gold Key status and 20% attain Silver Key status. Portfolios and individual art submissions that earn Gold Keys will advance to the National level of the competition. DHS had both Gold Key and Silver Key winners. Two seniors earned Gold Key art portfolios. Jonathan Caldwell earned a Gold key Portfolio in 2D and another Gold Key portfolio in photography. Janessa Myers earned a Gold Key portfolio in 2D. These two seniors also earned Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention designations in drawing, painting, and photography. Senior Emily Lepper earned two Gold Keys for her conte' drawings. Junior Hannah Clemons earned Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions for her drawings and paintings. Sophomore Will Hall earned a Gold, Silver, and Honorable Mention in the drawing and painting categories. Collectively, DHS students earned 12 'gold key' artworks, 5 'silver key' artworks, and 6 received an honorable mention.  Congratulations students!

Scholastic Honorable Mention
Breaking Chains by Jonathan Caldwell

Decatur Pedestrian Bridge - Beginning Phase

 Mrs. Alesia Doran curriculum engineering class is developing a Pedestrian Crossover Bridge with Rick Paylor, Director of Downtown Redevelopment Authority Partnership, Blake Mcannally, Donnie Lane, and many more. BP has also gracefully donated a good amount of money towards this excellent project. BP, Decatur City Schools, and the community is extremely proud of this project. Look for our monthly blog reporting the progression of this exciting project.

Safety Matters at DCS

Supervisor of School Safety, Dwight Satterfield

Decatur City Schools takes safety seriously! One way that we take care of schools is through the Safe Schools Decatur Tip Line; the Tip Line, (256) 227-8514, takes calls and text messages and is monitored at all times by our SRO officers. This has been an amazing tool in helping keep our schools safe. 

Dwight Satterfield, the Supervisor of School Safety, sends local and national reports weekly about the latest news in school safety from  to all principals in the DCS school system. His department works diligently to make sure all schools within the Decatur City system are safe and secure. Currently, new systems and procedures are being tested in different schools to improve safety including buzz-in procedures at Woodmeade and Brookhaven.

Parents should recognize that society is changing.  Threats and violent behavior in school offices will not be taken lightly. New procedures regarding transportation have been put into place recently including transportation.  If a parent wishes to talk to a bus driver, they should walk around to the driver's side and speak with the driver through the window.  Parents and care givers are no longer allowed to enter a bus.  

The DCS system creates a safe learning environment for all of our students and faculty. For more information on safety in the Decatur City schools, check out: http://www.dcs.edu/departments.cfm?subpage=109255

Oak Park Introduces a New Robotics Program

Oak Park Introduces a New Robotics Program

The days of using LEGOs for instruction of advanced robotics students may be

numbered in middle and high schools! Oak Park Middle School is leading the way

with a new advanced robotics effort for the 6

th-8th grade Talented and  Gifted (TAG) program. All of it was made possible through a recent collaboration

between Dr. Robin Gillespie of Oak Park and Dr. John D. Williams, a Decatur resident

and Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UAHuntsville. Dr.

Williams volunteered time, money, and graduate students to develop and teach a

series of custom lesson plans that introduce microcontroller driven robots using a C

based programming language and student assembled electronic circuits. The

concepts applied at Oak Park are very similar to college level projects but do not

include high temperature soldering of electronic circuit boards. Instead, students

are learning to build circuits on breadboards that they can modify over time as their

robot becomes more and more complex.

Over an eight-week period, students explored general concepts in robotics such as

the physics of a DC motor and how solar energy can be harnessed to power

electronics. They were then introduced to an Arduino electronic controller package

that is used to program and control an ATMEGA328 microcontroller. The class of

21 was then tasked to write programs that control light emitting diodes (LEDs),

light dependent resistors (LDRs), DC motors, servos, and various sensor and

actuator mechanisms that can all be controlled by their Arduino electronics board.

In conjunction with the programming effort, students worked in teams of three to

build their own robots using kits designed and purchased for Oak Park. Each

student demonstrated a basic understanding of the assembly and programing of DC

motor driven robots with active sensing and control mechanisms.

This is just the beginning of the partnership between UAH and the Oak Park TAG

program. In the spring, Dr. Williams will return to continue the robotics effort and

the mentoring of a Destination Imagination team involved with exploration of

propulsion systems. He will also assist Dr. Gillespie, Ms. Winton, and Ms. Millwood

with the expansion of the annual Oak Park Raft Race into the eighth-grade honors

science classes.

Drs. Williams and Gillespie would like to thank Nucor and local vendors, including

Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, and Metal Fastener Supply Company, for their help in

making this project possible.

    



  

Miss Alabama

     Congratulations to former Decatur High School graduate, Anna Laura Bryan, Miss Hoover and now Miss Alabama 2012. She will represent our state throughout the year and compete in the 2013 Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. The finals will be on ABC Saturday, January 12, 2013. The  pageant's mission is to help educate young women in Alabama by providing scholarships for their college education. The Miss Alabama Pageant, Inc. awarded approximately $105,000 in scholarships at the 2012 pageant to colleges and universities throughout Alabama.

Vote for Miss Alabama 2012 Anna Laura Bryan

     The Miss America Organization is proud to announce your opportunity to vote for a finalist at the 2013 Miss America Competition, broadcast live from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 12, 2013 on ABC. Watch this video to learn more about our very own Anna Laura Bryan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwEoKqxcJt4

To cast your vote, click the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/MissAmericaOrganization#!/MissAmericaOrganization/app_128953167177144

Parade With A Purpose

     Decatur High School's Homecoming Parade wasn't just any ole parade. It was a "Parade With A Purpose!" This year the parade was in honor of Ethan LyBrand, who has been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Our student marketing team had the honor of interviewing Ethan's parents, Josh and Jordan LyBrand. We put together a set of questions and these were their answers:
  
Q.   When was Ethan first diagnosed with MD and what started the process of testing to see what was wrong?

 A.   Ethan was first diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy on June 8, 2011.  We had done several tests to see why Ethan was not gaining weight, literally only gained one pound in a year.  We had an upper scope, CF, and allergy test which all came back normal.  Our previous doctor decided that he was just small (like his father) and it was nothing to worry about.  My mom and I took Ethan and Chloe to the park one day where we met up with one of his day care friends.  It was really at that point that I knew something wasn't right.  I was literally chasing him around making sure he was not going to fall when his friend, who is three months younger, was running and jumping over everything when Ethan couldn't even climb over the park barrier independently.  I immediately changed doctors when I heard that Dr. Khouri was accepting new patients again.  He immediately started running tests on Ethan.  His blood work came back and showed elevated liver enzymes.  He decided to send us to a gastroenterologist who ran some tests to see why the liver enzymes were elevated and explained to us that this could be coming from a liver problem or a muscle problem.  Two days later he called us back and said that Ethan had some form of Muscular Dystrophy and they knew this because of the very high CK levels and that further testing would tell which type he had.  We were sent to a neurologist at Children’s and this is when he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.


Q.   What changes has this brought to your family?

A.   Thus far, the only change that this has brought to our family is the thought about what the future may hold for us.  Right now he is a perfectly happy and healthy three year old little boy.  He has been in physical therapy and occupational therapy since July 2011.  Literally the only change right now is the anticipation of what statistics show his life will be like.  Today we live life to the fullest and make sure we give him every opportunity to do the things he is able to do and try not to think about what he may not be able to do one day.


Q.   How has the community supported you through this?

A.   The community has been amazing through all of this.  We have held the Ethan LyBrand March to benefit the MDA for two years now and both years we have had overwhelming turnout and support and have cleared over $10,000 each year.  Josh and I are so thankful for the love and support of the community, friends, schools, and family, we would not be able to get through this without everyone.


Q.   How did Ethan feel about being the Grand Marshal in the "Parade With A Purpose?"

A.   Ethan was so excited about being the Grand Marshal of the parade.  Although he probably does not realize why he was the Grand Marshal he still thought it was the coolest thing ever to wear his tux and ride in the car!  We have not literally sat him down and tried to explain to him that he has Muscular Dystrophy.

Q.   What were your thoughts about being a huge part in the "Parade With A Purpose?"

A.   When Mrs. Stutts approached me in the hallway and told me a little bit about what they were thinking about doing, it literally took all I had not to just burst into tears.  It meant so much to us and is an amazing event in his life that we will never forget.  I am so happy for DHS to be supporting so many causes and especially making the homecoming parade a “Parade With A Purpose."  Our niece, Ava Campbell, who has leukemia, was also in the parade as the “Pop Tab Princess” because DHS is trying to raise one million pop tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald house in her name.  I think it is amazing how the students rally together and support different causes and it teaches them really amazing things!


Q.   Do you have any idea how much money the students raised for this purpose?

A.   The students raised $1,000!!!!!!

Calhoun's Aviation Program

calhoun Community College’s aviation class is now offered through a grant at no charge to high school juniors & seniors.  This program focuses on airframe technology, powerplant technology and avionics. Recently our Decatur City Schools’ Student Marketing Team visited with Mr. Cook, an instructor for the class. The curriculum has ten classes that must be completed to earn an Airframe and Powerplant certification (A & P). Across the nation, the Department of Labor (2010) indicates that the projected employment for aircraft and avionics mechanics and service technicians will increase by 9,800 technicians by the year 2018.

A View From the Top

It was like riding a hot air balloon in a tornado. That’s how Dr. Ed Nichols describes his first few months as superintendent of Decatur City Schools. His day is full from the beginning of the day to the end, with very few moments to stop and sit.

Nichols is developing a strategic plan that will be set by the end of this year. The plan will be influenced by an analysis of the DCS facilities, resources, and finances.

But the work evaluating the status and needs of the school system began before he even had the job.

“Before being interviewed I was given the opportunity to evaluate our school district. I tried to take it from the standpoint as if I was interviewing for a school district other than Decatur. I thought, what would you do for a school district that you didn’t know. You would research the district, test scores, and programs. I looked at it from the outside looking in as if I had never been to this school district. I spent a lot of time researching my own school district.”

So, what did he learn from himself and Decatur City Schools through the process?

“I think through the process, I learned why I stayed here for 25 years. When I came here as a young man, I didn’t expect to stay here, but there is just something about Decatur and the community. You learn a lot about the people who support and care about you during a process like that. I realized, whether I got the job or not I was committed to being in Decatur in whatever role I was supposed to play. The thing I learned the most was that I didn’t have to be the superintendent, I had a good job, and just working here in Decatur was good enough for me.”

Dr. Nichols previously served as band director and later principal of Austin High School. For the past 9 years he was the assistant superintendent for Sam Houston.

Our new superintendent has big expectations for our school system. He takes pride in our schools, and encourages us to be competitive in what we do as students individually and for our schools.

DECATUR CITY SCHOOL'S AMY CLARK NAMED THE 2012 ALABAMA CONSERVATION EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and First Lady Dianne
celebrate with Amy Clark, from Austinville Elementary School,
Alabama's 2012 Conservation Educator of the Year.

       On August 3, 2012, Amy Clark was named the 2012 Conservation Educator of the Year by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and the Alabama Wildlife Federation.  Clark, who holds a Bachelor's Degree from Lipscomb University and a Master's Degree from the University of North Alabama, has taught at Austinville Elementary School, part of the Decatur City School System, since 1979.

         Amy was one of 14 individuals who received Conservation Achievement Awards at a formal banquet held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at Capitol Hill in Montgomery, Alabama.  Award categories included Conservation Educator, Youth Conservationist, Hunter Safety Instructor, Judicial Conservationist, Legislative Conservationist, Forest Conservationist, and others.  

        A number of dignitaries joined the Governor at the awards banquet, including N. Gunter Guy, Jr., Alabama's Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Tim Gothard, Executive Director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

        In receiving the award, Clark said, "the outdoor classroom has truly been a journey for our school and our students.  I'm grateful for our outstanding sponsors and volunteers who have made the project possible and for our strong relationship with the Alabama Wildlife Federation."

        Amy's passion for conservation education stems from her time spent outdoors growing up in Fayetteville and Lincoln County, Tennessee.  Teaching at an urban elementary school in Decatur, Alabama, Amy found that most of her students lacked the opportunity to experience nature and the outdoors firsthand.  She became inspired to work with her principal, Beth Hales, and fellow teachers to turn a small courtyard area into an outdoor classroom where students could explore nature and observe wildlife in a natural habitat.

        In 2007, Amy organized community volunteers to build their first outdoor learning station - an aquatic habitat area where students study a wide variety of wildlife, including fish, frogs, and dragonflies.  She also established bird feeder stations, which led to an unexpected experience for the children to witness the food chain firsthand: a kestrel set up its home near the school so it could prey on birds that were visiting the feeders.  Amy brought in experts to talk with the students about "Birds of Alabama," including raptors such as the kestrel.  

        To increase her students' exposure to conservation, she also brought in a forester to teach the children about forest management practices. For the past three years, students have been able to take home tree seedlings donated by the Alabama Forestry Commission.

        Over the years, through Amy's diligence and fundraising prowess, she and her students have been able to add a variety of learning stations to their outdoor classroom.  They converted a concrete koi pond into a turtle habitat, constructed raised bed gardens to plant seeds and watch them grow, and installed a birdhouse with a remote camera which allows the students to watch bluebirds raise their brood each year.

        Through Amy’s leadership, Austinville Elementary School has turned an area that used to be the home of the "portable trailer classroom" into an oasis for wildlife where students not only get to observe nature, they get to experience it firsthand.

         For her untiring efforts for conservation education and for being the "cool" teacher every kid wants, Amy was awarded the 2012 Conservation Educator of the Year for the state of Alabama.

       "The journey we began in 2007 continues today," Clark said.  "From a classroom window, I can watch kindergarten students planting seeds and placing pots in the greenhouse.  Older students test water temperatures in the koi and turtle ponds and examine water samples under a microscope.  Art students sketch flora and fauna throughout the year.  The entire outdoor classroom is a place of learning and enjoyment for everyone who attends, works in, and visits our school.  I cannot help but smile.  Our students' love for nature and the environment is evident, and I truly believe our mission is well on its way."

Old Decatur, New Opportunities

“I have a love for creating, organizing, and thinking outside the box...” Or, in Christopher Adams’ case, thinking outside the standard 5x7 photo frame. Adams, a junior at Austin High School, has displayed an in-depth interest for the arts and an aptitude for seeing the world from a different angle. He is taking fundamental and advanced classes available to him through Decatur City School’s course offerings. Art II, taught by Beth Bachuss, and photography, taught by Warren McLemore, will help gain experience toward the goal of becoming a successful Graphic Designer. As Christopher plans his senior curriculum, Advanced Placement Art, Advanced Placement Art History, and Computer Animation courses are sure to further hone his skills. He wishes to attend the developing North Alabama Center for the Visual Arts located in Downtown Decatur, which will be shared by Calhoun Community College and Athens State University. The art center is expected to open in the fall of 2013. When asked, “Why would you like to stay in Decatur?” His reply was, “I love this city, and what it’s becoming, it is increasingly growing and has a lot to offer.” While Downtown Decatur begins to flourish with fresh renovations like a well anticipated Mellow Mushroom pizzeria, and a complete landscaping facelift, many like-minded students are sure to follow.

March of the Students

Have you heard? ADT has been traveling around to each individual school in our district in a long caravan of cars. We are doing this to inform you about who we are and what we do. If we have not made it to your school yet, hold your horses we will be there shortly. But, for any extra information you would like know don’t be afraid to email us at: adt@dcs.k12.al.us

Black-Out Grad Exam

When the words “Graduation Exam” are uttered from a teacher’s mouth, a dancing cow and free candy isn’t the first to come to mind. However, these treasured rarities were just a fraction of the goodies bestowed upon Austin High sophomores and juniors at school last Friday. “Black-out the Grad Exam”, was greatly received by the students. Themed by a sea of black t-shirts and a dim auditorium, the room was lit solely by glow sticks and rave-esque stage lighting. “The goal is to motivate students to give their best effort the first time they take the exam,” explains testing coordinator Angie Cushing, who took part in the development of this academic pep rally.

As the students filed inside, the school’s jam band got the party started. Appropriately dignifying the date, Friday the 13^th, they were clad in Halloween masks, and rendered spirit rousing classics like Sweet Home Alabama and, of course, Free Bird. Austin teacher Cheri Paige wasted no time energetically greeting the congregation with an exciting list of rich incentives promised with passing their grad exams. Best case scenario? If a student manages to conquer all five grad exams, their core classes are free to be automatically exempted in May, not including the two exemptions already available to them. As a student and testing disputant myself, I can assure you that the opportunity to excuse virtually all exams is enough to make me jump on a desk and do the hula. Rest assured, no table dancing took place that morning.

The student-led step team, however, got the place roaring. Among that performance was a rain shower of Chick-fil-A coupons, and a series of inspirational messages from successful alumni Churmell Mitchell, D.T. Shakelford, and Courtney Campbell. It’s hard to predict if this freshly conjured motivation will carry over to mid-March when the graduation exams will take place. However, by the enthusiasm gleaming from exiting students, it’s hopeful that Austin High exam-takers will undoubtedly prevail.       

Leader In Me

In between burning multiplication tables in their brains and attempting to make plastic volcanoes convulse, there’s not a lot of room leftover for an elementary student to focus on leading the world. Fortunately, The "Leader In Me" program is taking a smaller approach, and is helping young Decatur City Schools' students become responsible leaders of their own daily lives. Donnie Lane, president, of Enersolv was instrumental in developing the "Leader In Me" program in Decatur. 3M has also been one of the local resources that has helped this program become a reality, having donated $125,000 to ensure every elementary school in the Decatur City Schools’ system could participate in the program. Chestnut Grove Elementary was the first school to pioneer the seven habits in Decatur. The program quickly caught on and Decatur City Schools became the first school system in the world to implement "Leader In Me" in every elementary school - and it is flourishing! Recently, Somerville Road Elementary became a Lighthouse School for their outstanding efforts in the program. Not only is "Leader in Me" effective in the classroom, but the habits that are taught can also blanket the entire community. Skills learned by students don’t just stay in the classroom but are applied in every area of a student’s life including at home, in sports, and in future jobs. "Leader In Me" ultimately creates an opportunity for future success. With the seven habits, students learn how to avoid procrastination, how to get things completed, how to work effectively in teams, and how to stay proactive and prepared for whatever curve balls life is tossing that day. The habits help students set attainable goals, create and meet deadlines for projects, and stay consistent with their efforts. These skills are not strictly limited to a school building. They are also used by adults to help improve the way they control their lives in the office as well as at home. Many of our local employers look for employees that can demonstrate the seven habits because they tend to make stronger team members.

These are the habits that our students are learning to cultivate:

1. Be Proactive - You’re in charge
2. Begin with the End in Mind - Have a plan
3. Put First Things First -Work first, and then play
4. Think. Win-Win. – Find solutions that work for everyone
5. Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood - Listen before you talk
6. Synergize - Together is better
7. Sharpen the Saw - Balance feels best