Hoover Sun February 2024

February 2024 | Volume 12 | Issue 4

Sun HOOVER’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE HOOVERSUN.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM

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STANDING

ALONE Hoover native breaks career NCAA football record

By KYLE PARMLEY

I

t’s understandable if even the most ardent University of Alabama football fans missed the moment that senior placekicker Will Reichard tied the NCAA record for points scored in a career.

That’s because Reichard’s extra point to tie the record came on the heels of one of the most awe-inspiring plays in Iron Bowl history, as Alabama converted on a fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line in the final moments to snatch victory from Auburn in shocking fashion in November.

See STANDING | page A18 Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) kicks the extra point in the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.

Dolan, Kimble celebrated as Hoover’s 2023-24 Teachers of the Year

Allison Dolan, the librarian at Bluff Park Elementary, helps third grader Katherine Deer find a book to check out from the library on Jan. 9. Dolan was named the Elementary Teacher of the Year for Hoover City Schools. Photo

by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

By JON ANDERSON When most people think about Teachers of the Year, they don’t typically think about school librarians.

It’s usually the classroom teachers who win those awards. But this year, Bluff Park Elementary School chose its library media specialist, Allison Dolan, as its Teacher of the Year, and Dolan went on to win Elementary Teacher of the Year for the entire Hoover district, chosen from among 11 Teachers of the Year at each elementary or intermediate school.

INSIDE

Sponsors...........................A4 City.....................................A6

Business............................A8 Community......................A12

Gerri Kimble, a business and marketing teacher at Hoover High School, was named the Secondary Teacher of the Year, chosen from among top teachers at the middle and high schools.

ELEMENTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

For Bluff Park first grade teacher Katie Collins, it makes perfect sense for Dolan to be Teacher of the Year.

Schoolhouse................... A14 Medical Guide................... B1

See TEACHERS | page A16 Events................................B8 Sports.............................. B10 facebook.com/hooversunnews

Music & Joy

Medical Guide

Miss Hoover’s Teen 2024 spreads love of music with special needs students.

Get to know some of the health and wellness providers in the Hoover area.

See page A12

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A2 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A3

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A4 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

About Editor’s Note By Jon Anderson Hoover has a strong history of sending players on to the college level and even into the National Football League.

Former Hoover Bucs Marlon Humphrey, Chad Jackson, George Pickens, Josh Chapman, Jahi Word-Daniels, Shedrick Jackson and Jeremiah Moon all excelled at the college level and made it into the NFL, as did Spain Park Jags Nick Mullens, Michael Jackson and Tyler Grisham and Berry High alums Scott Dill, Mike Kolen and Rob Selby. But one Hoover Buc has made a mark that perhaps no others ever will.

As Hoover Sun Sports Editor Kyle Parmley tells us on the cover of this month’s edition, 2019 Hoover High graduate Will Reichard reached a most remarkable achievement in

December. During the SEC championship game in Atlanta, with a 43-yard field goal, Reichard became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, by surpassing the previous record of 530 points by former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds. And by the

end of the Tide’s season on New Year’s Day, Reichard had capped off his college career with a new NCAA record of 547 points.

Reichard is one of the most reliable placekickers in college football history and finished up at Alabama with 84 field goals and 295 extra points after touchdowns.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Hoover Bucs fan or a Spain Park Jags fan, an Alabama fan or an Auburn fan.

His achievement deserves to be celebrated, and plans are underway to do that here in his hometown, likely in February. Stay tuned.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH A stray cat, nicknamed Hoover by the administrators at Bluff Park Elementary, sits along the walkway at the school Jan. 9. Photo

by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

Sun

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dan@starnesmedia.com Please submit all articles, information and photos to:

Publisher: Dan Starnes Community Editors: Jon Anderson Leah Ingram Eagle Sports Editor: Kyle Parmley Design Editor: Melanie Viering Photo Editor: Erin Nelson Sweeney Page Designer: Ted Perry

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February 2024 • A5

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A6 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

City

City looks for solution to garbage pickup backlog

By JON ANDERSON The city of Hoover is working with its garbage contractor, Amwaste, to figure out a long-term solution to the trash woes that plagued the city over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

An Amwaste official told the Hoover City Council that mechanical issues with garbage trucks were the reason why thousands of residents didn’t get their garbage picked up on schedule between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Amwaste normally has 14 trucks to pick up garbage in Hoover, but a “perfect storm” of problems hit the company all at once, said Rick Sweeney, Amwaste’s vice president over operations in Alabama and Louisiana.

Holidays are always a challenging time because the company doesn’t pick up garbage on holidays, and there are no makeup days in Hoover, Mountain Brook and Pelham because the trucks are on a regular schedule to run six days a week in those cities, Sweeney said.

Normally, the company prepares to handle higher volumes on the second pickup of the week for those houses that had service skipped on the holiday, but this year, some vehicles were stuck at third-party repair shops for warranty maintenance, and a plethora of maintenance issues hit the trucks that were in service, Sweeney said.

Ninety-eight percent of Amwaste’s trucks are less than three years old, but there were just a lot of problems at once, he said. Sweeney apologized for the failure to deliver service as promised and said he understands the frustrations of residents and city officials.

After being flooded with calls about missed service, Mayor Frank Brocato put the one garbage truck the city of Hoover owns into service and called in help from the city of Alabaster,

Garbage cans await pickup in the North Ridge sector of the Trace Crossings community in Hoover on Jan. 3. Photo by Jon Anderson.

which handles its own garbage pickup. Alabaster sent four of its garbage trucks to help, and between the city’s truck, Alabaster’s trucks and Amwaste’s remaining trucks, they worked through New Year’s Day in an effort to get caught up.

The extra trucks from Hoover and Alabaster together picked up garbage from about 3,500 houses, Brocato said.

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Amwaste by Jan. 2 was able to bring in four extra trucks from Georgia to get back to a normal trash pickup schedule, Sweeney said.

Brocato said he’s not trying to make excuses for the failure in service this holiday season, but there are indeed some challenging issues facing the trash industry right now. The city will continue working with Amwaste and the Cahaba Solid Waste Disposal Authority, which

contracted with Amwaste on behalf of the city, to get more efficient in identifying missed houses and using more innovative technology, he said.

There need to be better contingency plans in place for mechanical and personnel issues, Brocato said.

One option being considered as a remedy is to return to regular twice-a-week service on only four days of the week (Monday and Thursday for half the city and Tuesday and Friday for the other half). That would leave Wednesdays and Saturdays as options for makeup days when pickups are missed, Brocato said.

That may require more vehicles, so those costs will need to be analyzed, he said.

Some people are quick to say that Amwaste needs to be replaced with another company, but that’s not practical, Brocato said.

Amwaste is a big company that serves a lot of people, and “we believe they have the desire to get everything corrected,” the mayor said.

“We’re going to work with them to see what we can do.”

Under Amwaste’s contract, the city has the option to issue fines for missed service, but tracking the exact amount of time garbage went without being picked up is a cumbersome process, he said. “I would rather spend my energy and my staff’s energy on getting these things corrected.”

Some residents have complained that the holiday lapse in service is indicative of problems they have been experiencing at other times.

Brocato said this was an unusual situation and noted that Amwaste has 9,000 residential pickups a day in Hoover and has a 99% efficiency rate. The city pays Amwaste about $8.7 million a year for that service, officials said.

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HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A7

HAIR CUTS

Mayor’s Minute

By Frank V. Brocato As we head into the month when love abounds, I wanted to highlight a community within our city that sometimes gets overlooked: our seniors.

I am so proud to say our city has a true gem in our Hoover Senior Center. They truly foster a sense of community and belonging amongst our seasoned residents, while still allowing them to remain active and independent. Last month, the Hoover Senior Center reopened after being closed for a couple of months while the vestibule area got a facelift.

We renovated the front lobby to include a set of double doors that will help with Frank V. Brocato temperature control. We also upgraded the reception area and refreshed various areas of the building with new paint.

I want to say a special thank you to Loree J. Skelton, who donated $50,000 toward the project in memory of her parents, longtime Hoover residents Fred and Rheta Skelton. I’d also like to thank the Hoover Recreation Center, the Hoover Public Library and several local businesses that allowed us to continue programming for our seniors while the center underwent renovations.

Our Senior Center is just one part of our Parks and Recreation Department. Over the years, residents have come to rely on the services it provides for various areas of their families’ lives. But we are always looking to improve. Since December 2022, the city has been developing the Parks, Public Spaces & Recreation Plan with focus areas on the system, blueways and greenways, parks, and programming. We hope to formally adopt the plan in February, and soon after, we’ll begin implementing key segments.

With 32 parks within the city, there will be a variety of activities and events throughout the year for residents to enjoy!

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A8 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Business

Business Happenings NOW OPEN A2 Pharmacy Solutions has opened a pharmacy at 265 Riverchase Parkway East, Suite 102, filling prescriptions and offering wellness screenings and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

205-326-7601, a2pharmacysolutions.com Laila Virani and her daughter, Shaheen Virani, on Dec. 4 opened a new salon called Total Looks in Bluff Park Village at 2146 Tyler Road, Suite 202. The 1,000-square-foot salon offers threading, waxing (face to full body), facials, facial massages, individual and strip lashes, eyebrow and eyelash tinting, eyebrow lamination, eyelash perms, eye boosting and temporary henna tattoos.

205-659-8680, facebook.com/totallooks.

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Night Shift Taxes is a full-service tax firm that offers virtual and in-person consultations for individuals and small businesses during evening hours, 4-10 p.m. Night Shift Taxes is located at 4000 Eagle Point Corporate Drive, Suite 550.

855-387-3453, nightshifttaxes.com

Crave is a full-service salon specializing in cuts, color, specialty styles and more. The salon staff takes pride in providing a comfortable atmosphere with unbeatable salon services. The salon is at 910 Inverness Corners and is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

205-525-8684, cravehairbham.com

COMING SOON Neil Thompson, a former golf instructor at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, plans to open Magic City Indoor Golf at 1218 Alford Ave. in mid-February. The indoor golf studio will feature four golf simulator bays and a putting area for practice. It will offer classes for both juniors and adults, golf bay rentals, birthday parties, corporate events and memberships for individuals, corporations and teams.

205-283-0871 El Jalisco, a Mexican restaurant with locations in Florida and Georgia, plans to open its first Alabama location at 2673 Valleydale Road, in the shopping center with

Business News to Share?

Aqua-Tots Swim School has opened a new location in the Centre at Riverchase shopping center at 1694 Montgomery Highway. The school offers group, private and semi-private swimming lessons for children 4 months old and older.

205-882-7776, aqua-tots.com/hoover

The newly opened Hemp House Smoke Shop is located in the Village at Lee Branch shopping center at 120 Doug Baker Blvd., Suite 110. The business offers a wide range of products that promote wellness, relaxation and enjoyment, including hemp, CBD, vape, delta and other smoking accessories.

205-326-7888

Do you have news to share with the community about a business in Hoover or the greater Birmingham area?

Let us know at starnesmedia.com/ business-happenings

NOT A CAREER POLITICIAN SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN PRIORITIZES SECURING OUR BORDERS STRONG PROPONENT OF TERM LIMITS

THE CONSERVATIVE CHOICE After witnessing the failed policies of career politicians, the overreach of government regulations, the increased tax burden on small businesses, and the attacks on the family by the left, Gerrick Wilkins decided to take up the banner and run for Congress to represent Alabama as a servant leader.

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HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A9

the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Caldwell Mill Road. This is the 16th location of El Jalisco.

205-637-0014, eljalisco.com

RELOCATIONS AND RENOVATIONS

design signage. The dealership was still awaiting a new building sign in January.

205-979-5420, bentonnissanofhoover.com

NEWS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Avadian Credit Union, based in Hoover at 1 Riverchase Parkway South and with branches at 4720 Chace Circle and 420 Old U.S. 280, in December was named by Business Alabama as one of the 40 best companies to work for in Alabama. In addition to comprehensive insurance plans, 401k, medical leave and holiday pay, Avadian offers a student loan repayment program, tuition reimbursement, flexible work hours and a relaxed dress code, the magazine said.

205-985-2828, avadiancu.com

Hendrick Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has completed construction of a new two-story, nearly 21,000-squarefoot building at 1624 Montgomery Highway after tearing down its former building. The new building includes a showroom, sales support offices, a parts boutique, service lounge and an expansion to three service lanes. The dealership also expanded its service bays from 31 to 37 bays.

205-545-8074, hendrickchryslerdodgejeepram.com

The Warren Averett accounting firm, with its Birmingham area office at 2500 Acton Road, Suite 200, was the second-place winner in the large company division of Business Alabama’s list of the 40 best companies to work for in Alabama. According to Business Alabama, collaboration, diversity, integrity and kindness are all held in high regard at Warren Averett. The firm also offers flexible benefits, innovative perks and open communication. In addition, with 10 years of service and every five years thereafter, workers may take a four-week sabbatical.

Off-site time includes no emails, work contact or business phone calls.

205-979-4100, warrenaverett.com

of food and drink items in a drive-in setting.

205-637-6769, sonicdrivein.com Pizza Hut is celebrating its one-year anniversary at its location in the Publix shopping center on Valleydale Road.

The restaurant offers freshly made pizzas for delivery or carry out.

205-778-1905, pizzahut.com

Mavis Tires and Brakes is celebrating its one-year anniversary at its location in Tattersall Park. Mavis specializes in tires, brakes, oil changes and many other auto repair or service needs. You can schedule a service appointment online.

205-408-2720, mavis.com

ANNIVERSARIES Fancy Fur, 5291 Valleydale Road #139, has been providing grooming services for 16 years. The business offers grooming services for all dog breeds. It also carries a wide array of pet apparel and other boutique items.

205-408-1693, fancyfurpets.com

Benton Nissan of Hoover has nearly completed $3 million worth of renovations to its exterior, showroom, offices and service department customer lounge at 1640 Montgomery Highway, along with new Nissan

Sonic Drive-In has been open at its location at 30 Meadowview Drive on U.S. 280 for one year. It is a fast food restaurant offering a wide range

Sherwin-Williams is celebrating its one-year anniversary in its location at 6309 Adena Lane in Tattersall Park. The store carries a wide range of paints, stains and painting supplies for indoor and outdoor projects. The staff will help customers decide the right colors and supplies needed for the job.

205-734-4547, sherwin-williams.com

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A10 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Above: A selection of cookies at the grand opening of Crumbl Cookies in Greystone on Dec. 13. Right: Crumbl Cookies staff pose with owners Rebecca and Jason Dickey. Photos by Sarah Gilliland.

Crumbl Cookies opens Greystone location

By SARAH GILLILAND Jason and Rebecca Dickey are on a roll with the opening of their fourth Crumbl Cookies location in the Birmingham metro area.

Crumbl Cookies Greystone officially opened on Dec. 15, and business has been booming. The Dickeys also own locations in Vestavia Hills, Alabaster and Mountain Brook.

In 2019, the couple began researching jobs for Rebecca as their children were beginning high school and becoming more independent. While they were still considering their options, Rebecca visited the first East Coast location of Crumbl Cookies in Tennessee.

“I went in there and thought, ‘This is it.

This is what I want to do.’ So we began a journey [learning] about how to franchise the Crumbl brand,” she said.

Crumbl started in Utah in 2017 and has since expanded to more than 800 stores in all 50 states and Canada. There are 15 total locations across Alabama.

Crumbl has a signature menu of flavors that rotate weekly, from classics like chocolate chip and pink sugar cookies to specialty flavors like blueberry muffin and Oreo mallow sandwich. They also occasionally partner with film studios like Warner Bros. and Illumination Entertainment to promote recently released movies with special flavors that tie in to the films.

Due to the challenges of the COVID-19

pandemic, building out their first location in Vestavia Hills took a long time. However, about three months after its opening in July 2021, the Dickeys applied to expand the franchise into other Birmingham areas.

Rebecca said that her passion for Crumbl Cookies is not so much about the bakery, but it's really about the business.

“I’ve always loved growing something. To be really great at quality and really great at customer service, and making a difference in our community — that’s what’s really been important to me,” she said.

By corporate mandate, they have to hire more than 70 employees at each location in order to open. Rebecca said that mandate has worked out well for them, and she’s proud

to employ people from the local community.

“I love getting to make a difference in people’s lives and offer jobs. That has been a real big win for me personally — being able to make a difference in employees’ lives and then in the community,” she said.

“It’s [also] important for us to have a family business. All of our kids are involved with us [in some capacity], and that makes us thrilled,” Rebecca added.

Crumbl Cookies Greystone is located at 5403 U.S. 280, between La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and KidStrong fitness center. It is the only one of the Birmingham-area locations to feature a drive-thru. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A11

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A12 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Community Have a community announcement? Email Jon Anderson at janderson@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

Making music with joy Miss Hoover’s Teen 2024 spreads love of music with special needs students

By JON ANDERSON Ali Mims developed a love for music and singing as a toddler, and music has played a big part of her life for all of her nearly 17 years.

And now Mims, who is Miss Hoover’s Teen 2024, is busy not only preparing for the Miss Alabama’s Teen competition coming up in March but also sharing her love of music with special needs children across the state.

Mims created an organization called Joyful Noise several years ago, and last year it became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit. The Joyful Noise Foundation raises money to put musical instruments in special needs classes.

According to Mims, about 75% of schools in Alabama do not offer music education to special needs students.

“That genuinely breaks my heart,” she said.

And she’s doing something about it.

Her foundation has already raised enough money to donate musical instruments for special needs students at more than 20 schools.

Schools file grant applications, and once the money is raised, her foundation provides drums, tambourines, maracas, egg shakers and glockenspiels, she said. She typically sends five to eight of each instrument per school, she said.

She also sends a copy of a book she has written, called “Make Music With Joy;” a coloring book she created called, “Make a Joyful Noise;” and a QR code that links to information on how to use the instruments to play a song she wrote.

Mims, whose middle name is Joy, said she has had a heart for people with special needs ever since she was a little girl. Some of her best friends in elementary school had special needs, and she believes that music can play a part in helping special needs students develop skills they need to succeed in life, she said.

Music therapy and music education have worked in hospitals, she said — not to mention the fact that it just brings a lot of joy.

“You can see the smiles that come over their faces and you can see them just light up when they have an instrument,” she said.

Mims, who is a junior at Chelsea High School, plans to attend Auburn University and major in music education and music therapy.

“I love, love working with children,” she said.

She has already visited Children’s Hospital and schools such as the Linda Nolen Learning Center in Alabaster and introduced the children to various musical instruments. She also enjoys teaching children how to make rhythm with both drums and everyday household items.

Some children who can’t afford instruments can still experience the joy of making music with other items, she said.

Miss Hoover’s Teen Ali Mims performs an aria during the third annual Joyful Noise Talent Show at Double Oak Community Church on Jan. 12.

Proceeds from the talent show benefit bringing music classes and instruments to special needs classrooms in the state of Alabama.

Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

Working with special needs students has truly been a joy for her, Mims said.

“So far, it has been one of the best, most amazing things I’ve done in my entire life,” she said. “That’s what the plan is for the rest of my life.”

Alabama football coach Nick Saban and his wife, Terry, purchased some copies of Mims’ book for the Rise Center at the University of Alabama, which serves students with disabilities, and Terry Saban read the book to students there on Read Across America Day. “I thought that was awesome,” Mims said.

“I was very excited about that.”

Her book was released in October 2022, and her coloring book came out in April of last year.

Both are available on Amazon.

Mims formerly lived in Chelsea and moved to Harpersville about four years ago. She has been a cheerleader since the sixth grade and now is on the varsity cheer squad at Chelsea High School. She also is on the Student Leadership Board and in the Key Club and Future Teachers of America.

This will be her third year to compete in the Miss Alabama’s Teen competition. Two years ago, Mims competed as Miss Shelby County’s Teen, and last year she was Miss Tuscaloosa’s Teen. She made the top 10 in the Miss Alabama’s Teen competition both of those years.

This year, she’s hoping the third time will be the charm.

Mims said she is thankful to be able to

represent Hoover this year. She attends Metropolitan Church of God, which has a lot of people from Hoover, and she sings on the youth worship team there.

Her mother, Haley Houston, is the worship leader and choir director at the church and is a music teacher at Mt Laurel Elementary School, so she has been blessed to essentially have a built-in music teacher at home all her life, Mims said.

Her mother also competed in the Miss Alabama competition for four years, from 1997 to 2000, as Miss Shelby County, Miss Samford University, Miss Magic City and Miss Camellia (in Greenville). She won the Miss Alabama talent competition three of those four years and was among the top five contestants in her final year.

Houston said it has been exciting for her to watch her daughter compete in Miss Alabama’s Teen and work hard to reach her dreams and goals and try to make the world a better place.

“She’s so passionate and wants to do something about it,” Houston said.

Competing in Miss Alabama taught Houston a lot of life skills that she still uses to this day, and she is thrilled to see her daughter develop skills as well, she said.

“Her learning how to form opinions about things at a young age and verbalize it and have confidence to speak up” are all things that are so important, especially for women, Houston said.

For her talent, Mims plans to sing “O Mio

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Babbino Caro,” an opera song about a woman who begs her father to let her marry the love of her life.

“It’s my favorite song to sing,” Mims said.

“I love it.”

Mims has been busy attending various events in Hoover as well, including the Taste of Hoover at Aldridge Gardens, a Hoover City Council meeting, the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Riverchase Galleria, Hay Hoover! at Veterans Park, Ho Ho Hoover at the Hoover-Randle Home & Gardens and the city’s Christmas tree lighting at Hoover City Hall. She also sang the national anthem at the Ady’s Racers event for children with autism at the Barber Motorsports Park.

Mims said she’s grateful for all the support and help she has received from people and businesses in the Hoover community in getting ready for Miss Alabama’s Teen.

“I feel really prepared this year,” she said.

“I am super, super excited. I’m not even really nervous. They’ve done an amazing job supporting me.”

The Miss Alabama’s Teen competition is scheduled for March 9-10 at Thompson High School. Mims will be one of 38 contestants.

She is scheduled to perform her talent at 2 p.m. on March 9 and participate in the evening gown and fitness competitions at 7 p.m.

Then, on March 10 at 2 p.m., the top 15 will be announced, and the field will be narrowed down to the top five, including the winner.

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HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A13

New year. New Hospital.

UAB Medical West, as a community hospital, knows how important it is to have quality care close to home. That’s why we’re thrilled to open our brand new state-of-the-art facility right off of I-459 at Exit 1 this August. In addition to our current services, the new facility will allow us to offer robotic surgery, more beds in our Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room, and the newest state-of-the-art imaging technology including 3-D mammography. It’s just one more way we can continue to bring the highest quality of care to the communities in West Jefferson County. For more information about our services near you, visit us online at medicalwesthospital.org.

A14 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Schoolhouse Have a schoolhouse announcement? Email Jon Anderson at janderson@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

New principal for Briarwood Upper School

By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE

this place: the people interacting with the kids daily love their jobs and love the kids here really well,” Morrissey said. “My focus is doing this position to the best of my ability.”

He realizes there has been a lot of changeover at the Upper School, but he said the other side of the coin in having new leadership is that it’s an opportunity to dig deep and to build on something that’s already been in place in a new direction.

“Gus has great world experience and life experience and can help bring new fresh ideas here,” he said. “I love the freedom he’s bringing to the table, and I think it will be really comforting for our staff to be creative in their own classrooms and still teach through a biblical world lens and be creative to the process.”

Morrissey said one of the things he’s enjoyed most so far is having one-on-one staff meetings and hearing about each of their experiences at Briarwood Christian School, along with what’s going well and what needs work.

“I love being able to have those conversations, I don’t love sitting in my office. I like to be out and see what’s going on and talking to kids,” he said.

Morrissey said it’s felt like the Lord has been preparing him the last few years to get to the place where he was ready to lead a school.

“Nothing is easy about running a school this large and all the things that come with it,” he said. “The Lord has me in this place for a reason now. I want to focus hard on doing this really well. Deep down, I have a lot of loyalist in me.

I like to get my roots in and established and get to know the community and people in it really well. I plan on doing that and being here for a really long time.”

The Briarwood Christian School yearbook sits open on Bo Morrissey’s desk in his new office, almost one month after he began his new role as head of the Upper School.

He spends time each day looking at photos and trying to memorize names.

Morrissey arrived at the upper campus of Briarwood Christian School on Nov. 1 and spent the last few weeks of the first semester getting to know the staff and students.

MOVING AROUND

Having lived in different cities around the South his entire life, this is Morrissey’s third time to live in the Birmingham area.

“I don’t know how to answer when people ask me where I grew up,” he said. “I have lived in Alabama longer than any other state.”

Born in South Carolina, Morrissey and his family moved to Hoover when he was in second grade, where he attended Green Valley Elementary and then Trace Crossings when it opened up during his fifth-grade year. His family then moved to North Carolina during the middle of that school year.

They moved back to Hoover, specifically Riverchase, long enough for Morrissey to attend eighth grade at Simmons Middle School and ninth grade at Hoover High School. He finished his last three years at Lexington High School in South Carolina.

Morrissey chose to attend Auburn University, where he graduated in 2004 with a degree in secondary education (social science). He played on the Auburn Men’s Club soccer team and would later coach that team from 2011 to 2013.

“I knew I wanted to be a history teacher,” he said. “I grew up with a family of educators, as my mom, grandmother, aunt and sister are all teachers. … I was always drawn to history, and three of my grandparents fought in World War II. Growing up listening to their stories and hearing from that greatest generation, I was always fascinated with that. I knew if I was going to teach, that was the subject I’d want to do it in.”

After college, Morrissey was hired at Auburn High School from 2005 to 2014, where he progressed from teaching to serve his last three years as assistant principal. He also coached the school’s soccer team, which in 2012 won the 6A state championship and he was named State Coach of the Year.

FAMILY LIFE

Bo Morrissey, head of the Upper School at Briarwood Christian School. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

he said.

When the Briarwood Christian School Upper School head position became available, Morrissey received a call from a friend about it, encouraging him to apply. He decided to put his name in the running for the position and see what happened.

He visited over Labor Day weekend, had an interview and met with the board members, Superintendent Gus Martin and Lower School Principal Tasha Holliday, and things progressed from there.

“Molly and I kept talking about it,” Morrissey said. “A lot of things need to happen for us to make it happen, her job being one of them, but the Lord just kept opening doors and leading us here.”

‘OPENING DOORS’

Morrissey and his wife, Molly, moved to Franklin, Tennessee for her job in 2017, and he taught Bible classes at Christ Presbyterian Academy for one year before moving to the role of assistant head of the middle school.

“It was a challenge I never really saw coming, and it was awesome and humbling to do that and shepherding kids in eighth grade through that course was a learning experience for me,”

GETTING TO KNOW BRIARWOOD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Morrissey decided to go ahead and start

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before the second semester since the school was down a person, and the stress that put on other administrators to fill the gaps was weighing on his heart.

“Looking at the calendar, if I could get in before Christmas and learn the systems, that might be better than coming in January and starting fresh the second semester,” he said. “Now that I’ve got my feet under me a little bit, I think the second semester will go a bit smoother now that I have an idea of how things work.”

Morrissey said he’s enjoyed spending time with Superintendent Gus Martin, who also started this school year, and said Martin has a great sense of the heartbeat of the school and he’s already learned a lot from him during a short time. Morrissey has also seen how much the staff loves the students, and he knows how important that is.

“As I am having one-on-ones with staff members, it’s easy to see the cornerstone of

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Molly, his wife of 17 years, and their daughters Blakely (10) and Libby (5) stayed behind in Franklin after Morrissey started his new position, so they could sell their house and the kids could finish up at their schools before Christmas break. Meanwhile, Morrissey stayed with a Briarwood family as he worked on closing on a new home for his own family.

During his free time, Morrissey enjoys fly fishing, so much so that while in Nashville, he began his own business as a fly fishing guide.

While he had summers off, he got to teach people how to cast and fish. Though he’s given up the business owner role, he said he does look forward to finding fly fishing spots around his new home, including the Cahaba River and making the drive to the Sipsey River to trout fish.

Although he stopped coaching boys soccer six years ago, Morrissey has spent time coaching his daughters’ team.

Once the family move is complete, Molly will be able to maintain her position with Waste Management and their daughters will attend Briarwood’s lower school campus.

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TEACHERS

CONTINUED from page A1 “Allison is incredible in her craft,” Collins said in a nomination letter.

“Allison is constantly collaborating with teachers, reviewing standards and grade level scopes and sequences to incorporate fresh and new ideas into her library lesson plans that generate a love for all curricula.

“On many occasions, I go to ask Allison for guidance in curating resources for students,” Collins wrote. “Allison always comes through and provides resources that are not only educational, but are engaging for students.”

Dolan actually taught 12 years in a classroom before making a change and becoming a librarian.

She taught fourth and fifth graders at Trace Crossings Elementary School from 2005 to 2011 and then helped open Brock’s Gap Intermediate School in 2011 and taught there for six years.

Dolan said she has a deep love for reading and for children’s literature and is good at finding books that connect with particular children. A colleague once told her she would make a good librarian, and that planted a seed in her heart, she said.

She later decided to make the jump to librarian and went back to school to get her master’s degree in library media, finishing in 2018. She was offered the librarian job at Bluff Park Elementary that same year and made the switch.

Bluff Park is a great fit for her because she grew up in the area and attended Bluff Park Elementary, Simmons Middle School and Hoover High School, she said. She loves the entire Bluff Park community because it’s so supportive, she said.

Every class at Bluff Park Elementary comes to the library at least once a week, she said. She does lessons with the students, reads books aloud to them, talks about different authors, has a visiting author two to three times a year and helps children find books they like.

She remembers story lines and characters well and works hard to get to know students to find out their interests, she said.

She loves seeing children become so engrossed in books that they don’t want to put them down and loves seeing the excitement in a child when they finish their first chapter book, she said.

Her desire is to build a love of reading and learning that continues to grow as they become adults, she said. “I’m trying to prepare them for the real world.”

Dolan said it’s also important to her to make the library a safe and inviting place where children want to come. She also has worked to diversify the literature in the library, so that every child can see themselves in book characters and so that children can be exposed to other cultures.

Collins said Dolan is great at collaborating with teams of teachers.

When the first grade classes did a project on fairy tales, Dolan created a fairy tale slideshow for the students and welcomed the fairy tale ball into the library.

She collaborates with a new classroom for students with disabilities by finding adaptive ways to read, sing and incorporate learning, researching each child’s abilities and purchasing items that might bring them success, Collins wrote.

Last year, she hosted a book club for kids who have a disability or have siblings with a disability.

Dolan said part of what led her into education in the first place is that she has a sister with special needs and grew up with a lifestyle of helping, teaching and being patient.

“It just seemed really natural to me,” she said. “It just brings so much

Above: Gerri Kimble, an International Baccalaureate business and marketing instructor at Hoover High School, reacts as she’s recognized by school and district administrators as the Secondary Teacher of the Year for Hoover City School on Dec. 14. Top: Allison Dolan, the librarian at Bluff Park Elementary, helps third graders Katherine Deer, left, Elizabeth Austin and Lucas Keppley find books on Jan. 9. Dolan was named the Elementary Teacher of the Year for Hoover City Schools. Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

joy, … fills my bucket.”

Dolan also leads weekly Bluff Park Basics classes that focus on character and enhance academic skills that need boosting, collaborating with reading and math coaches to make the classes highly engaging for students, Collins said.

She has book clubs that meet weekly, conducts each class spelling bee and the schoolwide spelling bee, leads a Girls Engaged in Math and Science group and organizes a vocabulary parade day each spring with the reading coach.

Dolan also collaborates with the Hoover Public Library to get children involved in the library’s summer reading program and helped start a summer reading program called Books on the Bluff, which included weekly meetings at a nearby apartment complex with snacks and takehome books.

“The greatest takeaway about Allison Dolan is she is willing to go above and beyond to help our students to grow academically and emotionally,” Collins said.

Dolan last year served as a mentor to a new counselor at the school and this year has done some mentoring with all new staff members to help them feel at home. She also formerly was the diversity and equity committee chairwoman for Bluff Park and served on the school district’s diversity and equity committee for two years.

SECONDARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Kimble didn’t start out as an educator. She received her bachelor’s

degree in computer information systems from Alabama State University in 2004 and worked a year in marketing for a medical supply company before she realized she wanted to be a teacher.

She enrolled at Auburn University to get a master’s degree in business education, and just a few months into the program she was offered a job as a business education teacher at Hoover High.

Her new husband, Danny, had just been hired as a defensive football coach at Hoover, and the school called her while they were on their honeymoon to offer her a job. She took it and now is in her 18th year at Hoover High.

Kimble teaches International Baccalaureate business management, digital marketing and marketing principles for students in grades 10-12.

For more than 10 years, she co-sponsored an award-winning chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America, and now she is one of advisors for Hoover High’s award-winning career and technical education student organization called DECA, which has about 330 members.

She facilitates a team of six business teachers and serves as the group’s liaison with school administrators, and she has served in various school leadership roles focusing on overall school improvement and diversity.

Kimble also has been very active with the Alabama Business Education Association. She was named the group’s Teacher of the Year in 2013 and has served in a variety of

leadership roles, including president in the 2019-20 school year. She also has served on several committees of the National Business Education Association and leads professional development sessions all across the country.

She serves on the educator advisory board for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Global Youth Program and currently is helping the College Board (which oversees the SAT college entrance exam and Advanced Placement program) write a new business course.

Hoover High Principal Jennifer Hogan said Kimble is strong in her content and strong with people skills — someone who just has the “it” factor.

“She builds incredible relationships with her students,” she said.

“Not only does she pull for her students, but she pulls for the adults in the building, too.

“She has a great team around her, and they work really well together.

Together, they have just taken this Business Academy leaps and bounds with what they have done with those students,” Hogan continued.

Kimble said she loves career and technical education classes because they help students learn how to carry the strengths they have in the classroom into the real world and allow students to explore those areas as potential careers.

She took career and technical education classes at Talladega High School and quickly learned that health sciences were not for her after doing an internship in a nursing home.

She loves to teach business and

marketing and wants her students to leave with the ability to build relationships, network and give back to their community, she said.

Most of her students go on to study business in college but some venture into other areas such as science, technology, engineering, medicine or law, she said. She hopes to provide them with a solid foundation.

“Business runs the world, no matter what field you go into,” she said. “Having a business background gives you the competitive advantage.”

Sara Hancock, a four-year member of DECA, said in a nomination letter that of all the high school teachers she has had, Kimble is the most passionate, dedicated and enthusiastic about her work.

“Everyone has a teacher that is fully invested in them, and Mrs. Kimble is that teacher for anyone who has had her. Her compassion and willingness to understand her students shows,” Hancock said.

“She inspires her students to believe in themselves, and she teaches them that their dreams are attainable.”

Becca Mercer, another teacher in the Business Academy, said in a nomination letter that Kimble has been a mentor for her.

“I always joke with her that when I grow up, I want to be her,” Mercer wrote. “She is able to inspire her students to a level of excellence that is awe-inspiring to me. … She has high expectations for each of her students, which in some classrooms can make students feel anxious, but in Gerri's classroom, she has built such positive relationships with each of her students that they know her expectations of them are achievable.

Her students feel motivated to learn because of how much she cares for them, spending time getting to know them and what makes them unique.”

Kimble said the Business Academy’s success at Hoover is due to teamwork of the faculty and dedication of the students. The faculty members have different backgrounds and personalities, “but we work absolute magic together.”

Her students are amazing and keep her going, she said. “They make me laugh. They’re so hard-working. …

They’re impressionable. They want to learn from you. … They bring joy every day.”

HOOVER 2023-24 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR:

► Elementary: Allison Dolan, Bluff Park librarian ► Secondary: Gerri Kimble, Hoover High business & marketing teacher

OTHER TEACHERS OF THE YEAR IN HOOVER SCHOOLS:

► Deer Valley Elementary: Brittany Thomas ► Green Valley Elementary: Nancy Reaves ► Greystone Elementary: Kimberly Carns ► Gwin Elementary: Brittany Smith ► Riverchase Elementary: Brennan Bernard ► Rocky Ridge Elementary: Meredith Barker ► Shades Mountain Elementary: Madison Furio ► South Shades Crest Elementary: Alison York ► Trace Crossings Elementary: Jamisa McCall ► Brock's Gap Intermediate: Ashley Knighton ► Bumpus Middle School: Tramine Pryor ► Berry Middle School: Logan Greene ► Simmons Middle School: Matthew Chambless ► Spain Park High: Danelle Cash ► Riverchase Career Connection Center: Kelli Parramore

HooverSun.com

February 2024 • A17

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STANDING

CONTINUED from page A1 Amidst the mayhem, Reichard tied former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds (201215) with 530 career points. Though that accomplishment was overshadowed, he set a new record the following week in the SEC Championship Game with his first quarter field goal. He capped off a brilliant career with nine points in that game against Georgia and eight more against Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

“It’s still hard to believe,” Reichard said of holding such a prestigious record. “It doesn’t really feel real. After my career is over, I’ll be able to appreciate it a lot more and be really excited about it.”

Reichard admits he knew he was closing in on the mark, but he put it out of his mind throughout the season. The only way one threatens a milestone like that is to play not just for a long time, but to play extremely well for a long time.

The Hoover High School graduate earned a chance to start at Alabama immediately in 2019. As a freshman, he played in five games before being hampered by injuries.

“It was super frustrating,” he said of the injury. “I grew up dreaming about playing at a big-time school and had finally won a starting job. For it to go downhill super fast, I didn’t have much of an opportunity.”

Reichard was able to overcome the injury setback and proceeded to put together brilliant campaigns each of the last four seasons, wrapping up his career as a graduate student in the 2023 season. That time on the shelf gave him a fresh perspective on things, to be certain.

“Sometimes we can get caught up in practice and not wanting to be there or not wanting to lift [weights]. But when you get injured and can’t, you appreciate the opportunity. It helps you appreciate it a lot more,” he said.

As a sophomore in 2020, Reichard was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top field goal kicker.

In 2022, he was named a semifinalist for the same award. Following his senior year, he

Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) in the SEC Championship against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Dec. 2.

Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.

certainly would have had a chance to make it in the professional ranks. But he chose to return to Alabama for one more crack at it.

“I thought I still had room to improve,” he said. “I could improve on different things on field goals and hang time on kickoffs. There’s nothing like college football. The opportunity

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Following the Crimson Tide’s senior day victory over Chattanooga in November, Alabama head coach Nick Saban — who announced his retirement in January — spoke highly of his longtime kicker.

“I don’t know that anyone has had a more productive career relative to what their role is, their job is, what they’re supposed to do, in terms of his consistency, his performance, the way he’s improved through the years, mindset, his leadership and how he affects the other specialists on our team and how he’s

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February 2024 • A19

Above: Alabama kicker Will Reichard walks off the bus as he makes his way to Kyle Field ahead of the Crimson Tide’s game against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 6.

Left: Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban with Reichard (16) and his family on senior day at Bryant-Denny Stadium before a game against UT Chattanooga on Nov. 18.

helped them grow and develop,” Saban said.

“Will’s been a great asset to the organization for a long time and has done his job about as well as anybody could expect anybody to do it.”

Another coach not surprised at all to see Reichard’s success is Josh Niblett, who coached Reichard at Hoover High. Reichard was counted as the top kicker in his class by multiple recruiting services and was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game as a senior.

“Awesome kid. Never a moment too big. I love watching him kick. He’s a competitor,”

Niblett said in 2019.

At Hoover, Reichard converted 27-of-31 field goals, made all 109 of his extra point attempts and sent 99% of his kickoffs for touchback over an exemplary career. He was part of Hoover’s state championship teams in 2016 and 2017, and being part of those teams left no doubt in Niblett’s mind that he could handle the same role in Tuscaloosa.

“He wants to be a guy that does everything because he’s a competitor. That’s what allows him to mentally to be able to kick now for Alabama. You go on the field at Alabama, there’s already some pressure from the last

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seven or eight years. I think he’s doing an awesome job. I think they’ve got a lot of faith and trust in him that’s going to have an unbelievable career,” Niblett said.

Reichard said his time at Hoover prepared him for Alabama, and he compared the two programs’ prestige and the pressure that comes along with that.

“We were a premier program in the state, had a lot of good players and good coaches,” he said. “We knew what the standard was, and that was to try and win state championships.”

Even then, Niblett saw the future potential in Reichard. Now that his college career is

over, he will turn his attention toward the NFL. “I do think that he’ll have an opportunity, if he continues to improve, because he’s got a strong leg, to kick at the next level,” Niblett said.

There are plans to honor Reichard in his hometown at some point in the near future, though those plans have not been finalized.

He takes great pride in remembering where he got his start.

“I have a lot of family and friends [in Hoover] that I still keep up with,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in being from Hoover.”

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UAB returns ‘value’ to participants in All of Us research program

T

ALL OF US UAB RESEARCH PROGRAM

he National Institutes of Health began enrolling participants in its groundbreaking new All of Us Research Program in 2018.

Working with researchers, health providers, community organizations and universities, including The University of Alabama at Birmingham — the NIH hopes to eventually have at least one million Americans volunteer to take part in All of Us, in which participants share their personal health information to help create one of the largest, most diverse health databases in history.

Scientists will use this data to learn how our biology, lifestyle and environment affect us and to find new and better ways to treat and prevent disease.

They also hope to find ways to better customize medical diagnosis and treatment for individual patients.

Researchers at The University of Alabama at Birmingham are playing a big role in All of Us. UAB leads the All of Us Southern Network, composed of more than 10 sites in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Dr. Bruce Korf, chief genomics officer of UAB Medicine and the associate dean for Genomic Medicine, is the contact principal investigator for the Southern Network.

Dr. Korf calls All of Us “a unique opportunity to influence medicine for a long time into the future.”

The program is designed “to generate the data to understand risk factors for disease and outcomes for a diverse population over a period of time, and from that will come new insights for prevention, diagnosis and treatment,” he said.

A program like All of Us would not be nearly as effective without the tremendous advances in recent decades in the speed and capacity of genetic and genomic research. Genomics refers to the mapping of all the DNA in an organism.

The All of Us research program holds out the “possibility of customizing prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of disease to the individual — taking into account what they are specifically at risk for and how they will respond to treatment,” Dr. Korf said. “This will inform precision medicine for generations to come.”

Nearly 36,000 people have signed up for All of Us in the Southern Network so far, and more than 675,000 Americans have signed up nationwide.

And UAB is continuing to seek new participants in the program.

People who take part will answer surveys on different topics and be asked to share their electronic health record, give samples of blood and urine for lab and DNA tests. The health information that participants share with All of Us goes into a secure database.

By participating in All of Us, people receive numerous benefits. First of all, like the researchers themselves, the participants get the chance to be part of a historic research program.

“One of the major reasons they participate is because they want to be part of something important and meaningful that will benefit their families and future generations,” Dr. Korf said.

Participants also receive “a rich return of value” because All of Us is using genomics, which includes genetic sequencing.

They will have the chance to learn more about their ancestry and genetic traits, but researchers also look at “medically significant genes” in participants who opt into this analysis, Dr. Korf explained. These genes could point out risk for such conditions as cancer or heart disease.

“Most people are not going to have a variant in one of those genes that put them at risk for disease, but if they do, they can be provided genetic counseling,” he said. “For a small proportion of people — about 3% — this can be life-changing and even life-saving.”

The All of Us program reached a milestone in

DR. BRUCE KORF ► CALL: 833-JOIN-UAB ► EMAIL: allofus@uabmc.edu ► WEB: allofus.uabmedicine.org or joinallofus.org

December when the NIH began returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 155,000 participants, with reports detailing whether participants have an increased risk for specific health conditions and how their body might process certain medications.

For Dr. Korf, the return of the results to participants “was very exciting.”

The wide diversity of All of Us participants is also very important to the project, Dr. Korf said.

“Historically a lot of the research has been done on people of European ancestry, and we’ve learned a lot, but we’ve also learned that some of the things we found don't apply equally well to people of different ancestries,” he explained. “We want to provide medical care that is broadly applicable and available to people regardless of their background.”

More than 50% of people enrolled in All of Us are from racial and ethnic minorities.

“You’ve got to reach out to diverse communities if, in the long run, you want to serve diverse communities,” he said. The success of the All of Us research program also “requires building trust in communities that historically may have had good reason not to be trustful.”

According to Dr. Korf, community engagement has always been a “cornerstone” of All of Us. However, community engagement “does not mean selling the community on the program,” he said. “It’s learning what’s important to the community and making sure that what you’re doing is sensitive to their needs.”

Community members have been part of All of Us from the beginning and people from diverse communities take part in the leadership groups.

As part of this effort to reach as many people as possible, the All of Us Southern Network has several enrollment sites in Alabama.

Last spring, All of Us opened a new site in Dothan, an area which was previously not well-served by the program, Dr. Korf said.

They also have a mobile unit that travels the state, including areas with poor internet access.

“It brings All of Us to people wherever they may be and offers us a chance to involve people who might not otherwise have the opportunity,” Dr. Korf said.

The lofty goal to enroll at least one million participants in All of Us nationwide is still in reach, despite delays caused by COVID-19, he said.

With the slowing of the pandemic, All of Us is back in “a rapid enrollment phase,” Dr. Korf affirmed. “It’s clear that the goal of at least 1 million participants will be reached.”

U.S. residents ages 18 and older can join the All of Us program.

For details, call 833-JOIN-UAB or go to allofus.uabmedicine.org or joinallofus.org.

2024 SPRING MEDICAL GUIDE

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February 2024 • B3

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B4 • February 2024

2024 SPRING MEDICAL GUIDE

Hoover Sun

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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A: There are several different enrollment periods throughout the year. One overlooked enrollment period (Open Enrollment Period) runs from Jan. 1 through March 31. This period is for a person who needs to change their Medicare Advantage Plan or someone on a Medicare Advantage Plan but would like to return to Original Medicare.

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A: You can schedule a consultation with someone on our team. We can talk over the phone, meet virtually via Zoom, in-person at our local office, at your home, your business or even out at a coffee shop. We teach classes called “Prepare for Medicare” at our Vestavia office. We have lots of fun, and it’s very educational. No specific products are discussed, but it’s a great way to learn the basics of Medicare and get your questions answered. Call us to RSVP.

A better way to navigate Medicare If you are starting to think about retirement or are approaching age 65, you have probably begun trying to learn more about Medicare.

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2024 SPRING MEDICAL GUIDE

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February 2024 • B5

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B6 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

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February 2024 • B7

B8 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Events

Hoover events guide Feb. 3: Fur the Love Gala and Silent Auction.

The second Fur the Love Gala and Silent Auction is being held at the Hoover Country Club on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m.

While the first Fur the Love Gala two years ago benefited the Hand in Paw nonprofit, this year’s event is raising money and awareness for the Roverchase Foundation, which provides professionally trained service dogs to people with disabilities, and the Linda Nolen Learning Center, which provides services for special needs children in Shelby County and will be receiving a dog from Roverchase. This year’s gala will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine, live music by the FM Band, magician and mind reader Alec Dixon and a silent auction, said Ashley Lemley, one of the organizers. The silent auction should include jewelry, artwork, a stay at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, an interior design session, gift baskets from Wrapsody and Tito’s Vodka and gift certificates to boutiques such as Mia Moda and Apricot Lane. Lemley and fellow ARC Realty agent Gina Musser, known as the Address Makeover Gals, are the organizers. The goal is to raise $20,000 for the two benefiting organizations. Tickets cost $100, plus a $6 processing fee, and can be obtained at the-address-makeover-gals.ticketleap.com.

Feb. 9: Spain Park Football Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dance. The Spain Park Gridiron Club is putting on a dance for fathers and their daughters, as well as mothers and their sons, in the school’s upper gym on Friday, Feb. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The dance is designed for elementary school-age children and will have a Candyland theme, with the gym decorated in such a way as to bring the board game to life, said Traci Frazer, the spirit coordinator for the Gridiron Club. Light refreshments will be served, and there will

be a photo area, Frazer said. Tickets are $50 per family pairing, and all proceeds will go to help support the football program, she said. Tickets can be obtained at myschoolshares.com under “Spain Park Athletics and Events.”

Feb. 24: Southern Voices Authors Conference. Authors scheduled to speak at the Hoover Public Library on Feb. 24 are Kate Quinn, Yasmin Angoe, John Archibald, Kim Cross, Kristin Harmel, Daniel Nayeri and Kenan Orhan. The conference is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is sold out, but there is a waiting list for any returned tickets.

Feb. 24: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Kids Marathon. Since the final Mercedes Kids Marathon took place in February 2023, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has agreed to sponsor a new kids marathon this year that follows the same model.

Children from kindergarten to fifth grade can log 25.2 miles incrementally in their physical education class at school or at home with parents and complete the final mile of their marathon at Spain Park High School on Saturday, Feb. 24, along with all the other participants. The final mile of the marathon is scheduled to begin with fifth graders at 11 a.m. and other grades following in 10-minute increments. Late registration is open through Feb. 16. The cost is $30 per child. Register at bcbsalkids marathon.com.

Feb. 18: John Waite in Concert. Power ballad and rock star John Waite will sing in concert at the Hoover Library Theatre on Feb. 18 at 3 and 7 p.m. Both concerts are sold out.

Feb. 20: Artist Reception for Katie Baldwin. Baldwin, an associate professor of art at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, has been an artist in residence in Scotland, Iceland, Nicaragua, Poland, Cuba, Mexico and Japan. Some of her work will be on display at the Hoover Public Library, and she will offer a free lecture on Feb. 20 at 5:45 p.m. A free catered reception will follow. events.hooverlibrary.org/events Feb. 23: An Evening with Elizabeth George. New York Times and internationally bestselling author Elizabeth George is the headline speaker for the 2024 Southern Voices Festival at the Hoover Public Library. Her talk will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the Library Theatre, followed by a reception and book signing. Tickets cost $40 and are available at southernvoices.info.

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B10 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

Sports

Bowen returning home to coach at Jasper

By KYLE PARMLEY The allure of home was simply too much for Kellye Bowen to pass up.

Following a 10-year run as Spain Park High School’s volleyball coach, Bowen is returning to her hometown to lead the Jasper High program.

It’s a move that brings about a heavy mix of emotions for Bowen, who graduated from Curry as a three-sport athlete and still resides in Walker County.

“I’m excited for a new adventure, but very somber in leaving something you helped build,” she said. “I just had a vision and the kids and parents executed. It’s not about me and never was.”

Bowen proved to be the spark the Spain Park program needed when she arrived in 2014. She built the Jags from an afterthought to a powerhouse and led the program to the Class 7A state championship in 2021.

“We started in 2014 from everyone scheduling us for a guaranteed win, to being one of the most resilient programs,” Bowen said.

In 2023, Bowen’s Jags started slow, but the team gradually improved throughout the year and peaked at the end. They ended up winning the Area 6 tournament and ultimately advancing to the state tournament.

“Nobody thought we would do what we did,” Bowen said. “We had just graduated eight seniors and two All-Americans, so this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. I refuse that, because I’m extremely competitive.”

Jasper had become a highly successful program in recent years, winning consecutive Class 5A championships in 2018 and 2019.

“Jasper has a history of winning,” Bowen said. “My whole family lives here. Half the

Kellye Bowen spent 10 years as the head volleyball coach at Spain Park, winning a Class 7A state championship, earning a state runnerup trophy, appearing in three state tournaments and winning four area championships.

She accepted a job at Jasper High in December as head volleyball coach and assistant athletic director.

Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

girls on the team, I knew their parents and families growing up.”

Bowen has every intention of restoring the Vikings to that level as the school now competes in 6A. That competitive edge she possesses will be on display once again, as she encounters another building situation.

“I’m going to schedule the best. If that means we have a losing record, we have a losing record,” she said.

Throughout the decision-making process, the word “family” stuck with Bowen in multiple facets. In many ways, the people in the Spain Park program have become family.

The players she invested so much time in, the

coaches she spent so many hours with and the parents she relied upon for support.

But her family at home is most important to her. Her husband, Ricky, is now the head baseball coach at Sumiton Christian School, and her son is in school at SCS as well.

“I wanted to retire at Spain Park, but I had to put my kid above that,” she said. “You only get to raise your kids once.”

In Bowen’s tenure at Spain Park, the Jags won a state title, finished as the state runner-up, appeared in the state tournament three times and won four area championships.

Prior to arriving at Spain Park, Bowen was the coach at Saint James High School in

Montgomery for two years, leading the Trojans to consecutive state tournament appearances. She played volleyball for three years at Mississippi State University.

She was inducted into the Walker County Hall of Fame in 2018 and has won nearly every coaching award throughout the area in her time at Spain Park.

While leaving Spain Park was a choice she did not take lightly, Bowen is ready for the next challenge.

“Jasper is a great school system with great people,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working in the town that built the foundation of the person I am today.”

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February 2024 • B11

Bucs name Drew Gilmer as next football coach

By KYLE PARMLEY Hoover High School’s football program last reached the state championship game in 2017, and the Bucs believe they have found the man to return the program to those heights.

At a Hoover City Schools board meeting on Jan. 4, Drew Gilmer was approved as the next Hoover football coach. He was formally introduced at a press conference following the meeting.

“We had to get someone to take care of business on the field and uphold the banner, ‘Champions in all we do.’ I think we have somebody that will continue to carry that mantra on into the next several years,” Hoover Athletics Director Harley Lamey said.

Hoover picked someone familiar with the sport’s biggest stage. Gilmer comes from ClayChalkville, a team fresh off its second Class 6A state championship in the last three years.

“This is the place and the program in the state, and the country,” said Gilmer, emphasizing each “the” to indicate his reverence for the Hoover program.

Gilmer has been the head coach at ClayChalkville for the last seven seasons, compiling a record of 81-12. The Cougars posted double-digit wins in six of those years, including the 2023 season, in which they went 14-0 in a campaign that included wins over 7A power Thompson and defending state champ Saraland in the 6A championship game.

“It was a fun year,” Gilmer said of ClayChalkville’s most recent team. “What was fun was that group of seniors that were phenomenal football players, but they are phenomenal human beings.”

Gilmer will take the reins at Hoover following Wade Waldrop, who resigned in December after two years. Waldrop was recently named the new head coach at Orange Beach.

Hoover posted a 5-7 record in 2023, advancing to the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.

In 2022, Waldrop led the Bucs to an 11-2 record,

Drew Gilmer speaks to players, parents and members of the community after being named the new head football coach for the Bucs at Hoover High School on Jan. 4.

Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

a Region 3 championship and a trip to the semifinals in his first season. Waldrop has a combined record of 116-84 over 18 years as a head coach.

Hoover has won 11 state championships since 2000 but has yet to reach the state championship game since finishing off a second straight state title in 2017. The Bucs advanced to the semifinals in the five successive seasons, each time falling to Thompson, a program that has assumed prominence over the past seven years.

“You can do it again. That’s our goal,” Gilmer said. “That’s what we’re trying to achieve, but that doesn’t define who we are.”

At Clay-Chalkville, Gilmer succeeded Jerry

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Hood, who was the most successful coach in program history until Gilmer’s recent run. Hood, now the coach at Leeds, was in attendance at the introduction to support his former assistant.

Gilmer served as an assistant at Clay-Chalkville for seven years before being named Hood’s successor.

“People invested in me growing up. I’ve got one here in Coach Hood. People like that is what this is all about. He took me and raised me up, even when I thought I knew everything,” Gilmer said.

Gilmer graduated from Pinson Valley in 2003, playing on both sides of the ball for the

Indians. He returned to his alma mater following a baseball career at Central Alabama Community College and graduating from the University of Alabama.

Gilmer’s first season at Hoover will also be his first navigating the rigors of Class 7A, Region 3, which now features Thompson, Vestavia Hills, Prattville, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, Hewitt-Trussville and Oak Mountain.

“This can be one of the toughest regions in the state, and that’s fun,” he said. “That’s what high school football is all about, those big-time football games.”

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B12 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

The Metro South seventh grade, left, and eighth grade, right, middle school football teams. Photos courtesy of Barry Stephenson.

2023 Metro South middle school football Players of the Year announced

By KYLE PARMLEY Following the 2023 football season, the Metro South Players of the Year were recognized for their outstanding performances over the seventh and eighth grade football seasons.

Terry Gillespie from Hewitt-Trussville was named the seventh grade Coach of the Year, while Liberty Park’s Brent Brizendine and Hewitt-Trussville’s Scott Bromley earned eighth grade Coach of the Year honors.

BERRY

► 7th: Jameer Hudson, Colton Spencer, Jakobie Bates, Crawford Portera ► 8th: Nicolas McKissic, Wyatt Baty, James Jones, JD Thompson

BRAGG

► 7th: Brooks Beasley, Grayson Burdette, Nathaniel McCloy, Evan Storey ► 8th: Urijah Casey, Cohen Corbell, Mark Moody, Luke Pruitt

BUMPUS

► 7th: Josiah Blair, Tyler Foran, Lake Hendricks, Phillip Maye ► 8th: Jerrell Anthony, Mario Gibbs, Rakaveon Goldsmith, Paxton Weatherly

CHELSEA

► 7th: Bryant Wisdom, Cole Carroll, Aiden Skoglund, Caaleb Thomas ► 8th: Hudson Picklesimer, TJ Spell, Noah Lee, Bronnor Sanders

CLAY-CHALKVILLE

HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE

► 7th: Jack Floyd, Hunter Futrell, Searcy Ellis, Daniel Williams ► 8th: CJ Davis, Deonta Pickett, Michael Ross, Tyler Wilson

HOMEWOOD

► 7th: Andrew Knight, Juda Nix, Mac Abernathy, Jakari Haynes ► 8th: Quincy McGhee, Reid Goldstein, Tate Burdeshaw, Marcus McGhee

LIBERTY PARK

► 7th: Markell Compton, Kaleb Martin, Kobe Booker, Kejuan Pryor ► 8th: Christian Bennett Richardson, Rodriquez Penn, Markell Stephens, Oshea Abercrombie

► 7th: William Dedmon, Caleb Hahn, Davis Heilbron, Grayson Roberts ► 8th: Braxton Hunt, Nick Smith, Finley Williams, Preston Deal

HELENA

► 7th: Braylon Cooley, Brooks Essig, Slade Wood, Sam Young ► 8th: Gray Anderson, Luke Carroll, Robinson Peer, Henry Singley

► 7th: Logan Wormington, Christian Grant, Kellen Schultz, Tra’Veon Salter ► 8th: Brayden Jackson, Emmanuel Compton, Will Tayloe, Maddox Johnson

MOUNTAIN BROOK

OAK MOUNTAIN

► 7th: Angelo Petelos, Sam Zanthos, Silas Allday, Eli Byars ► 8th: Brody Hughes, Clayton Cherry, Tucker Kelly, Eli Ervin

PIZITZ

► 7th: Karter Floyd, Hudson Cearlock, Noland Williamson, Riley Dodd ► 8th: Daniel Holmes, Hudson Mote, Charlie Allen, Lawson Manown

SIMMONS

► 7th: Briggs Patterson, Ian Maxwell, Harrison Swiney, Elijah Foster ► 8th: Jamal Jones, Andrew Thompson, Alex Frymark, Jordon Ward

THOMPSON

► 7th: Bralen Coleman, Isaiah Henley, Kingston Myers, Eli Ogles ► 8th: Whit Goodwin, Dedrick Kimbrough, Maleek Billingsley, Mehkii Billingsley Jason Watson contributed to this report.

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February 2024 • B13

The 2023 All-Over the Mountain flag football team. Photo courtesy of Scott Butler.

All-OTM flag football team named

By KYLE PARMLEY Coaches from many of the local high school girls flag football teams put together an AllOver-the-Mountain team, recognizing the top players in the area for outstanding seasons.

Vestavia Hills was the top team in the area, as the Rebels finished as the state runner-up in the Class 6A-7A division.

Flag football has been offered the last three years as an emerging sport in the state. It will become fully sanctioned by the Alabama High School Athletic Association next fall, meaning a championship program will be in place and state titles recognized at the end of the season.

1ST TEAM

► McKenzie Stribling, Hoover ► Taylor Kindred, Hoover ► Mallory Ogle, John Carroll ► Emily Stricklin, Spain Park ► Zyian Heligar, Spain Park ► Chenell Hunter, Spain Park ► Christiana Belcher, Vestavia Hills ► Layne Turner, Vestavia Hills

► River Riley, Vestavia Hills ► Emily Spooner, Vestavia Hills ► Julia Rose, Vestavia Hills ► Lindsay Green, Vestavia Hills

2ND TEAM

► Reece Unnoppet, Helena ► Liesel Kellen, Homewood ► Sadie Busbee, Homewood ► Bella Paradise, Hoover ► Hadley Williams, Hoover ► Cecilia Jehu, John Carroll ► Eliza Jehu, John Carroll ► Anna Grace Fuller, John Carroll ► Emily Williams, John Carroll ► Ella Holt, Oak Mountain ► Rory Payton, Spain Park ► Holland Warren, Vestavia Hills

HONORABLE MENTION

► Edison Williams, Homewood ► Ky’ara Walker, Homewood ► Meghan Donahue, Mountain Brook ► Samantha Bennett, Oak Mountain ► Irene Kihara, Spain Park

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B14 • February 2024

Hoover Sun

A Spain Park cheerleader during a game between Chelsea and Spain Park on Oct. 13, at Jaguar Stadium in Hoover.

Photo by Todd Lester

Sports Editor’s Note By Kyle Parmley

Where to for the Super 7?

AHSAA reclassification: Jags drop to 6A

By KYLE PARMLEY The Alabama High School Athletic Association released its new classifications for the next two school years on Dec. 18, following approval by the Central Board of Control.

The AHSAA reclassifies its member schools every two years based on enrollment data for public and private schools across the state. The period announced will be in effect for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

Class 7A contains the 32 largest schools in the state, while the other six classes have roughly twice that many schools in each one.

Locally, Spain Park and Chelsea will drop from 7A to 6A, beginning next school year. Replacing them in football’s Region 3 will be Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa — which jumps from 6A to 7A — and Prattville.

Hillcrest and Prattville will join a football region with Hewitt-Trussville, Hoover, Oak Mountain, Thompson, Vestavia Hills and Tuscaloosa County.

Spain Park and Chelsea will be in Region 3 of 6A, with Benjamin Russell, Calera, Chilton County, Helena and Pelham.

As a result of that shakeup, Homewood moves from Region 3 to Region 5, playing against the likes of Parker, Gardendale, Minor, Mortimer

Jordan, Jackson-Olin and Woodlawn.

Mountain Brook remains in 6A as well and heads over to Region 6 with Clay-Chalkville, Huffman, Oxford, Pell City, Pinson Valley and Shades Valley.

Briarwood will return to 5A after four years in 6A. The Lions will slot into Region 5 alongside John Carroll, Center Point, Corner, Carver-Birmingham, Hayden, Ramsay and Wenonah.

The region and area alignments for other fall sports were released as well, including for volleyball, cross-country, flag football and swimming and diving.

In 5A volleyball, John Carroll will be in Area 9 with Northside, Sipsey Valley and Wenonah.

Briarwood will be in Area 8 with Central-Clay County, Shelby County and Sylacauga.

Area 8 of 6A will contain Chelsea, Helena, Pelham and Spain Park. Homewood will headline Area 9 with Parker, Minor and Jackson-Olin.

Mountain Brook will be in Area 10 with Huffman and Woodlawn.

7A volleyball will have a different look as well.

Area 6 will consist of Hillcrest, Hoover, Oak Mountain, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County, while Area 7 will have Hewitt-Trussville, Vestavia Hills, Albertville, Grissom and Huntsville.

The full data can be accessed at ahsaa.com.

There’s plenty to talk more than 47,000 people, about in high school footfirst hosted the Super 7 ball at the moment. in 2021. It is quite a bit We’re not far removed smaller than Jordan-Hare from the completion of Stadium in Auburn and the 2023 season, which Bryant-Denny Stadium saw Central-Phenix City in Tuscaloosa. That made dethrone Thompson for the atmosphere, at least the Class 7A state title and for the 6A and 7A games, Clay-Chalkville defeat pretty electric in my defending champion opinion.

Saraland in a 6A game for So, that leads me to the the ages. question: Where should Parmley In the middle of Decemthe Super 7 be hosted each ber, the Alabama High School Athletic year? On one hand, there is something Association announced its reclassifica- unquantifiable about being able to play in tion and realignment for the following historic venues at Alabama and Auburn. two years. That news immediately sends But those stadiums just seem cavernous, coaches into a frenzy when it comes to even for the 6A and 7A games that bring attempting to fill their schedules. in the biggest crowds.

There is also a change in the College This past season in Tuscaloosa, the Football Playoff structure that could have Super 7 drew a total of 43,014 fans, an effect on the future of the Super 7, the including 11,891 on the opening day, most high school football state championship of those for the 7A contest. Keep in mind, event. The CFP is expanding to 12 teams Bryant-Denny holds over 100,000 people. beginning next season, meaning there is a On the other hand, playing at a smaller realistic opportunity the University of Ala- venue would allow for a more exciting bama and Auburn University could host atmosphere. Think of the last quarterfia quarterfinal game some years. In those nal or semifinal playoff game you went years, there would be no way for the Super to, and how big it felt. Personally, I enjoy 7 to happen at those venues. The Tusca- that the most. loosa News reported the potential future Do you play it at Protective permanently? Perhaps the Cramton Bowl in conflicts of that scenario in December.

Right now, the Super 7 rotates between Montgomery should be considered.

Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Birmingham Everyone has their own opinion, and it (Protective Stadium) in a contract that makes for great offseason fodder. runs through 2032. Will there be changes Let me know what you think by reaching made to the contract in order to ensure that out to me on Twitter at @KyleParmley or the Super 7 still has a solid venue each via email at kparmley@starnesmedia.com. season? I imagine so.

Protective Stadium, which opened in Kyle Parmley is the sports editor at 2021 in downtown Birmingham and holds Starnes Media.

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HooverSun.com

February 2024 • B15

Real Estate

By the numbers: December 2022 vs. 2023

35216 35216 35226 3522635216

35

35226

35242 35244 35244

35022 35022 35080 35022 35080

35226

35242 35242

65 65

35022

35244

65

35080

Note: Real estate data is by zip code, but some parts of these zip codes are outside the city limits. Data provided by the Greater Alabama Multiple Listing Service on Jan. 5, 2024

Recently sold homes in Hoover

► ADDRESS: 2912 Glenstone Circle ► BED/BATH: 5/4.5 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 4,439 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: Inverness ► SALE PRICE: $694,500

► ADDRESS: 1417 Falliston Way ► BED/BATH: 4/3.5 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,144 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: Lake Wilborn ► SALE PRICE: $675,000

► ADDRESS: 1115 Haven Road ► BED/BATH: 4/2.5 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,387 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: Greystone Legacy ► SALE PRICE: $600,000

► ADDRESS: 728 Preserve Way ► BED/BATH: 3/2 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 1,866 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: The Preserve ► SALE PRICE: $600,000

► ADDRESS: 4236 Cahaba Lake Drive ► BED/BATH: 3/2 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 1,875 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: Bent River ► SALE PRICE: $400,000

► ADDRESS: 509 Oak Glen Trace ► BED/BATH: 3/2.5 ► SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,124 sq. ft. ► NEIGHBORHOOD: Heatherwood ► SALE PRICE: $365,000 SOURCE: GREATER ALABAMA MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE

35080

H H H

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