Volume 4 | Issue 11 | March 2017
Golden Gloves
SEARCH SOLUTION FOR THE
Vestavia BOE considers options to accommodate rising enrollment
VHHS coach and teacher Leo Harlan’s new passion for boxing creates fundraising opportunity for Relay for Life.
See page A19
Bop to the Top
Local dance group the Magic City Boppers gathers every Wednesday night at Bar 31 to dance the Panama City Bop and the shag.
See page B1
INSIDE Sponsors ......... A4 City ................... A6 Business .........A10 Events .............A15 School House..A17
Camp Guide ...A20 Sports ............... B4 Community .....B14 Medical Guide..B16 Calendar ......... B26
Pizitz Middle School students rush from class to class on Feb. 7, 2017. The Vestavia school board is considering several options to deal with the increasing number of students in the town’s school system. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
By EMILY FEATHERSTON
T
he mantra that emerged out of the Vestavia Hills school system’s most recent strategic planning was “Learning without Limits.” And with multiple Blue Ribbon schools, often-awarded faculty and competitive athletics programs, as well as a veritable laundry list of esteemed programs and academic accomplishments, limits may seem a non-issue.
But with ever-growing enrollment and a city burgeoning with development, there is one limit Vestavia Hills City Schools are having to face head on: space. Over the next few months, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education will make decisions about renovating schools, potential changes to feeder patterns and what to do with the former Berry High School campus, all in order to address the expected continued growth in enrollment. In December, Hoar Program Management
(HPH), along with Lathan Associates Architects, presented eight possible facilities options to the BOE, ranging from minor tweaks to major shifts in feeder patterns and building usage.
A TIGHT FIT
The city’s school district has eight school campuses: five elementary, two middle and one high school. The 2016-2017 school year saw a
See SCHOOLS | page A30
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Vestavia’s Walter Thomas honors father’s memory By SAM CHANDLER
Vestavia Hills senior Walter Thomas is one of the state’s best shot put throwers. Photo by Sam Chandler.
Walter Thomas couldn’t believe he was there, standing on the highest step of the podium with a gold medal draped around his neck. “Not a chance,” he said. Yet there he was, the newest king of
Alabama high school shot put. Just a little while before, Thomas had conquered the Class 7A field. His deep, arcing throw of 59 feet, one-half inch had shattered the previous state-meet record by more than eight feet.
See THOMAS | page A28