Autauga County Schools

New Classification, Same Outcome for PCA’s Lady Panthers

The Prattville Christian Lady Panthers recently won their third consecutive state championship title, but this year the well-known blue map state trophy looks different for PCA by changing the classification from “3A” to “4A.”

In March of 2022, the Alabama High School Athletic Association confirmed the shift of alignments regarding classifications, causing PCA to move up a class into the 4A. While this could have been a daunting obstacle for the Lady Panthers, they shifted their mindset to be grateful for the opportunity to play against new opponents.

“We’re going to embrace that. We’re going to use anyone, anywhere, it doesn’t matter what classification we play in, it doesn’t matter who or where we play, we will do the best we can,” Roberson said.

This change to compete in 4A would bring new teams and new mental and physical challenges to overcome; however, the team stayed focused on fulfilling the New Testament command of using every opportunity to show God to others, including to the new teams they would get to face.

Before taking the court in Legacy Arena to face Priceville in the 4A State Championship game, Coach Roberson led a prayer surro by teammates, coaches and staff. A few hours later, PCA made history in Legacy Arena in their defeat over Priceville 76-59. The 20222023 State Championship team is the first in PCA History to complete a 3-peat in girls basketball and the school’s first state title in 4A. These accomplishments are especially ones in which seniors Hannah Jones and CoCo Thomas played a significant role.

We recently hosted our third annual Ability Games at the Wetumpka Sports Complex football stadium.

Macon East Students Participate in AISA All-Star Football

Pest Control. CB&S Bank, Guardian Credit Union, American Fidelity, City of Wetumpka, and Kingdom Dough. The day was a huge success, and we are excited to be able to provide this event for our students.

Macon East Fourth Graders Enjoy Field Trip

One hundred fifty students in our special needs program from kindergarten through twelfth grade participated along with 102 volunteers from Stanhope Elmore Beta Club and Wetumpka High School Beta Club and JROTC. We were especially honored to have Gov. Kay Ivey and Senator Clyde Chambliss in attendance and to hear inspiring opening remarks from Gov. Ivey.

The event consisted of 18 different stations for students to play games, dance to music, and take photos. Closing ceremonies were held at the conclusion of the event, and all participants received a medal. We are grateful to our sponsors who made the event possible: First Community Bank, Cintas, LifeTouch, Dominos, State Farm-Ken Owen, Zap

Ms. Johnson’s fourth grade class enjoyed an educational field trip this past Friday that goes along with their study of Alabama State History. The students were able to tour Alabama’s historic Capitol. They were able to view the beautiful rotunda, the spiral staircase, the Avenue of Flags, and the portraits of the former governors. The students also enjoyed touring The First White House of the Confederacy and The Alabama Department of Archives and History. Their special treat added to an already fun-filled day was eating lunch at Chris’ Famous Hot Dogs. Special thanks to Mrs. Custard and her daughter for taking time to guide us and give their expertise at all these historic places.

The end of the school year is a month away. Our students are preparing for a strong academic finish, enjoying spring sports, and planning for the next school year. State-required spring assessments are completed for students in grades 3-8. These students 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.

Eight Macon East student-athletes were honored to participate in the 2022 AISA All-Star Football game held December 2 at Cramton Bowl. Deonte Powell, Sanders Manning, Gabe Spencer and Hunter Tillman all represented Macon East for the East team. Gabe Spencer was honored as Most Outstanding Offensive Back for the East team. Madison May, Ar’monni Payne, Hannah Kate Hodges and Mikalah Belser cheered the East team on from the sidelines as part of the all-star cheerleading squad. The participants enjoyed a few days of practice with their fellow AISA teammates. The East team beat the West team this year 36-22.

Spring sports are in full swing, with soccer, softball, and/or baseball games being played around the district several days weekly. Track and basketball have just finished their seasons, and football spring practice is already underway. All four communities have completed cheerleading tryouts for the 2023-2024 school year, and squads are already preparing for conditioning, practices, and summer camps.

Our high schools recently held their junior-senior proms, a year’s highlight for our oldest students, and 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 2023-2024 school year. From staffing to curriculum and professional development, we constantly strive for “Every student empowered ~ every student succeeds!”

Pike Road High School Leo Club Collects Chrismtas Toys for Kids

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.

Our Leo club did a great job collecting toys to help make Christmas merry and bright for lots of children!

Jackson Hospital Nurses Teach Med Science Students at ECTC

The Medical Sciences classes at the Elmore County Technical Center were led by several nurses from Jackson Hospital who shared trauma skills with the classes.

Wetumpka High Student Competes with ECTC at State Conference

Olivia Giddens (Wetumpka

High), a secondyear student the Elmore County Technical Cen ter’s Teaching & Training pro gram, competed in a STAR Event at the FCCLA State Conference in March.

ECTC Student Elected to State Board of Future Teachers

Lea Melton (Elmore County High), a secondyear student in the Elmore County Technical Center’s Teaching & Training program, was elected a state board member of the Future Teachers of Alabama organization.

Elmore County Schools

Homeschoolers Go International

From the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil to a huge koala bear from Australia, and from to an Amazon River tour guide to a Canadian lumberjack, local homeschoolers recently represented countries in the Americas, Oceania and the Middle East at the World Geography Feast at Academy Days Co-op. Pictured are the male and female costume contest winners from each world geography class. In addition to wearing national costumes, the homeschoolers and their parents sampled a broad assortment of native dishes as a culmination of their studies on these countries.

Baptist Church in Montgomery, is designed for preschool through high school

Stanhope Elmore Student Selected for ASF Young Southern Writer’s Project

Congratulations to Aaron Rudnick selected as one of the 10 high school and college students that get to participate in Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Young Southern Writers Project. He got to work with playwrights, college professors, and resident staff at ASF. He wrote a 10-minute play that was performed. His play is titled: “Til Death Do Us Part,” and is about a forbidden love between a young Nazi soldier and a young Jewish girl trying to overcome the social injustices of Hitler’s reign of Europe. Congratulations, Aaron. We are so proud of you!

Redland Shows Support for Ability Games

The students and faculty of RES showed their support of our students who participated in the ability games today with a wonderful good luck send off!

Please send School News to: deanne@ riverregionparents.com by the 15th of the month.

ECTC Med Science Students

Discover Baptist Volunteer Program

Medical Sciences students learned more about Baptist Health’s Volunteer Program from coordinator Valla Furr during their classes at the Elmore County Technical Center.

There are few events bigger in a kid’s life than starting college. For most kids, it’s the first time they get to experience real independence from their parents. How do you prepare your kids for all the academic and social challenges of college?

Here’s what the experts say:

Visit A College

The first thing you should do as you’re getting your high-schoolers ready for college, Gen and Kelly Tanabe, the authors of more than a dozen books on college planning, say is simply to visit one: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a future prospective college or just the one nearest to your home. Walking on a campus, absorbing the environment and maybe even sampling the dining hall food will give your child the reference points needed to make the critical decisions regarding where to apply when he or she is a senior.” So, visiting a college with your high-schooler will show them what to expect and, hopefully, also make them excited about it.

Develop Their Independence

It’s great if your kids are excited about going to college. However, to succeed in college - academically as well as socially - they also need to be independent. Amy Baldwin, a college-readiness expert and co-author of The College Experience, suggests that parents let their high-schoolers take care of such important tasks as making their own doctor’s appointments: “help them develop more confidence by talking through what they need to say and questions they need to ask.”

More generally, Sarah Eustis of Inside Track, a student success coaching company, says that you can make your kids more independent by helping them arrive at their own solutions to problems: “ask your child open-ended questions to help her figure out how to move forward and approach deci- sions as an independent adult. When an issue comes up, support your child in creating - and following through on - her own plans rather than solving the problem yourself.”

Amy Morin, senior expert for Understood, a nonprofit that supports people with thinking and learning differences, agrees that it’s important for budding college students to solve problems on their own: “College students who don’t know what to do when they encounter problems, like struggling with a tough class or not getting along with their roommate, will either avoid the problem altogether or make a snap decision that could be harmful.”

Identify Support Services

College can be tough for even the most independent of kids. Encourage them to familiarize themselves with all the different support services available, including academic advisors, financial aid officers, health and student services, and tutoring and writing services. By doing that, Ms. Eustis says, they become the CEOs of their own college experience: “Successful students proactively address what they need to do to support their college life.” The goal, she says, should be “anticipating potential challenges and putting contingency plans in place.” If they do this before they arrive on campus, they can focus on academics, getting to know the campus, and making new friends.

Manage The Stress

Even with lots of support, college can be stressful because of the high academic expectations, the challenges of being away from home for the first time, and the pressure to make new friends. You can prepare your kids for these and other challenges, Dr. Baldwin says, by talking to them about what stresses them out and how to deal with it; she suggests exercise and meditation. Ms. Morin agrees, recommending stress management techniques like calling a friend, writing in a journal, or engaging in a hobby. “The more your student understands now about causes for their stress and how they can best manage their responses,” Dr. Baldwin says, “the better prepared they’ll be for college.”

Budget Their Expenses

Finally, kids need to know how to budget their expenses. Even with a meal plan, money for books and supplies, and extra spending money, they’ll come running to you for more if they don’t know how to properly budget their money. Dr. Gail Gross, a child psychologist, suggests that parents talk to their kids about budgeting, including sharing their own budgeting tips and stories about mistakes they’ve made. There are also some really good, free budget apps. One of the very best is Mint: Personal Finance & Money. Available on both the Apple Appstore and on Google Play, this popular budget app lets them track their expenses, see the balances on their checking and savings accounts, and create realistic budgets. They can also use the app to pay and track bills and to receive reminders.