EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATORS

Vestavia Hills City Schools honors teachers of the year

By NEAL EMBRY

Nine Vestavia Hills City Schools teachers have been honored as representing the best at their respective campuses and named the 2022-23 “Teachers of the Year” throughout the district.

In addition, Amanda Jordan, a teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, was named the secondary teacher of the year, while Megan Humphries at Vestavia Hills Elementary West was named the elementary teacher of the year.

The other teachers of the year include:

► Carmen Sullivan, Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights

► Kellie Miller, Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge

► Meg Walker, Vestavia Hills Elementary East

► Kalyn Randolph, Vestavia Hills Liberty Park

► Amy Woodard, Liberty Park Middle School

► Michaela Spence, Pizitz Middle School

► Emily Hall, Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus

By DANIEL PINHEIRO

In recent years, the community at the Shallowford Circle neighborhood in Vestavia Hills has been struggling with the impacts of flooding from Little Shades Creek, which runs parallel to Shallowford Circle.

Excessive stormwater has damaged the neighborhood’s homes and eroded the surrounding land.

But with the creek being located on private land and the identity of its owner unknown, city leaders have said they are unable to alleviate all of the problems.

Danny Barrett has been a resident of Shallowford Circle for 13 years. He said that stormwater rising from the creek accumulates to the point that the creek’s 18-inch drainage pipes cannot keep up.

“It backs up because down on Rocky Ridge Road, there is a wall there and big round pipes that go under

Rocky Ridge Road that will not handle the flow of the water,” Barrett said. “So, the water hits it, backs up, floods the park, floods the neighborhood, floods the streets, backs up inside of cars and inside of houses.”

Although flooding has affected the Shallowford community for the past 15 years, Barrett notes that it has gotten significantly worse since 2021.

The major storm that hit Vestavia on Oct. 6, 2021, commonly referred to as “the rain of the century,” hit Shallowford Circle particularly hard, damaging several homes. About 6 inches of water seeped into Barrett’s home, causing an estimated $61,000 worth of property damage. Although Barrett was able to afford flood insurance, other residents were not as lucky.

From Arkansas with Love

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More about the GMC Yukon

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For every ride there’s Royal.

Royal Buick GMC (205) 778-3721 RoyalBuickGMC.net At the Corner of I-65 and Highway 31 | 3010 Columbiana Road, Vestavia Hills