Elmore Education Matters

We are currently in the process of developing our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. A committee of students, teachers, parents, school administrators, board members, county commissioners, and community representatives has already begun its work. The process involves reviewing the district’s mission/purpose statement, “Every Student Empowered ~ Every Student Succeeds,” as well as our existing goals, objectives, and strategies with emphasis on what we know about how students learn and what those learning experiences should include. The committee is focusing on four major areas related to student learning: culture, leadership, engagement, and growth. We recognize that we must endeavor to meet the needs of the whole child before they can experience academic success. The committee has the

challenging task of identifying specific goals

and strategies to foster student success. I am

confident in this committee of stakeholders

who continues to give their time and share their input to help us maximize our capacity for student and adult learning.

The end of the school year is a month away. Our students are preparing for a strong

finish academically as well as enjoying spring

sports and planning for the next school year. State-required spring assessments are completed for students in grades 3-8. These stu-

dents will also take STAR Reading and STAR

Math assessments before the year ends.

Assessment results help us identify specific

areas(s) in which each child needs additional support as well as any curriculum standards that need additional focus in our classrooms. The data also helps us plan professional development activities during the summer and over the course of the school year. The ultimate goal of this work is to maximize our students’ ability to achieve academic success, thus preparing them for success in school and in life.

Spring sports are in full swing with a soccer, softball, and/or baseball game being played around the district several days each week. Track and basketball have just

finished their seasons, and football spring

practice is already underway. Cheerleading tryouts for the 2022-2023 school year have been completed in all four communities, and squads are already preparing for conditioning, practices, and summer camps. Our high schools have recently held their junior-senior proms, a highlight of the year for our oldest students. Finally, high school graduation ceremonies are just over a month away and signal the successful completion of a 13-year long career in public education.

Finally, we are already busy planning for

the 2022-2023 school year. From staffing to

curriculum and professional development, we constantly strive for “Every student empowered ~ every student succeeds!”

Richard Dennis is the Superintendent of Education for Elmore County Schools. He is a 1983 graduate of Holtville High School. He served 21 years as a high school principal at Holtville High, Wetumpka High and most recently, Prattville High. He and wife, Leslie (also an educator) have three sons and a daughter.

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Elmore County Schools

Holtville High Senior Finalist for Military Child of the Year

April is the month of the military child, recognizing and thanking those who are children of servicemembers and veterans. At Holtville High School we showed our gratitude to these awesome children by hosting a “Military Child Day” where everyone was encouraged to wear purple in support, and we also hosted a luncheon for students whose parents are active members of the United States military. While we recognized all the students, one special young lady stands out and she has been selected as a finalist for the Operation Homefront “Military Child of the Year.” Operation Homefront is a national not-for-profit entity, and they “Build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive—not simply struggle to get by—in the communities that they’ve worked so hard to protect.” Brae Lee Morris, a Senior at Holtville High, was chosen out of thousands of students across the nation and was the only student selected to represent Alabama. Brae Lee is the daughter of Air National Guard O5 Lieutenant Colonel Leeann Chavers. Brae Lee is very active at Holtville and goes above and beyond every day. She is the Editor of The Lakusa Yearbook, Student Government President, Senior Class Vice President, she is also active in Junior Civitan, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, National Honor Society, and DECA. We are so proud of you Brae Lee and we wish you all the best while you continue your education at the University of Alabama!

Applications for The Edge Accepted This Month

The Edge will start accepting applications in May 2022 for the 2022-2023 school year. The Edge is a virtual, Cognia Accredited, public school in

Elmore County. The Edge is open to all students K-12 in Alabama. Please see our website for the application as well as FAQ and more information. We are excited to be adopting a new platform for grades K-5 for the 2022-2023 school year. Please visit this website and click on “Explore Our Courses” to see sample Flexpoint lessons: https:// www.flvsglobal.net/school-and-district-solutions/. For grades 6-12, we will continue to use Edgenuity. The Edge Website: https:// theedgeelmoreal.schoolinsites.com/

The Edge Phone Number: 334-514-3931

Elmore County Schools

Wetumpka High Senior Earns Eagle Scout Rank

Wetumpka High School senior Richie Bailey, a member of Boy Scout Troop 13 chartered by First Presbyterian Church of Wetumpka, has recently achieved Eagle rank. Bailey is 18 years old and got his start in Scouting as a founding member of Cub Scout Pack 429 in 2010, chartered at that time by Mulder Church in Wetumpka. While at Pack 429, he earned the God and Me and God and Family religious awards, as well as the Arrow of Light, the highest level of achievement in Cub Scouts. In 2015, Bailey joined Troop 13, where he held a variety of leadership positions through the years, including senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, patrol leader and quartermaster. He has also served as a den chief for Cub Scout Pack 50 in Wetumpka. In 2017, Bailey completed his Order of the Arrow (National Scouting Honor Society) Ordeal with Alibamu Lodge 179 and became a Brotherhood member in 2021. In 2018 he completed National Youth Leadership Training and this past summer served as a camp staff member at Tukabatchee. At the end of 2021, Bailey received the prestigious Bryan Valliere Scout of the Year award from Troop 13. As an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wetumpka, Bailey chose a landscaping project that he hoped would help the church attract a new priest, since Trinity’s former priest had retired and the church was actively recruiting new clergy.

EWA-C3 Industry Tour

Representatives from Elmore County Schools participated in industry tours through Central AlabamaWorks during March where they visited Hyundai MOBIS, STERIS, and Premier Tech. While touring Premier Tech, they met with a former ECTC student, Trey Gober (Holtville High 2019 graduate), in the Electrical program who is on their engineering design team.

ECTC Fire Truck-Push In

Students in the Public Safety & Law program at the Elmore County Technical Center recently received a fire truck from the Wetumpka Fire Department and conducted a traditional push-in ceremony in the apparatus bay at ECTC’s new facility.

Student from The Edge Selected for Space Academy

One of our very own students from The Edge, Sydney Biernesser, was selected to attend Space Academy for Leading Students in Alabama at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center! Congratulations Sydney!

Send Your School News by the 12th of each month to: editor@riverregionparents.com.

A Special April at The Edge

ECTC Ribbon Cutting

The Elmore County Technical Center recently moved in the newly constructed wing on campus. This facility houses 8 of ECTC’s 13 programs in expanded and upgraded classroom and lab spaces including a hanger for Aviation. Staff invited board members as well as community and industry partners to the ribbon cutting ceremony during March. Currently, the rest of the ECTC campus is undergoing renovations and reconstruction to improve the learning spaces for the other 5 programs and provide space to grow new programs.

Gangsters and Flappers Invade Homeschool Co-Op

Charlie Chaplin and Charles Lindbergh join flappers, gangsters, bank robbers, newsboys and Prohibition agents at Academy Days Co-op’s Roaring ‘20s Feast recently. These are the costume contest winners from each history class. During the feast, homeschoolers and their parents enjoyed sampling a variety of signature dishes from the 1920s, such as deviled eggs, Waldorf salad, red velvet cake and pineapple upside-down cake. The feast culminated weeks of study on the 1920s period of U.S. history. The Academy Days Co-op, held weekly during the school year at Eastmont Baptist Church in Montgomery, is designed for kindergarten through high school students to learn subjects difficult to teach at home or best taught in group settings. For more information about the co-op, visit www.AcademyDays.com.