Elmore Education

Elmore County students returned for the 2022-2023 school year on Monday, August 8, and all schools reported a smooth opening. The much-anticipated Redland Middle School opened, bringing the total number of schools in the district to 16. In addition, the Elmore County Technical Center has nearly doubled its enrollment over the past several years, with over 1,000 students participating in the 12 Career-Technical Education programs offered on its campus.

We recently passed the two-year mark of the initial wave of pandemic-induced school shutdowns. The effects of the pandemic have been far-reaching. Even after we returned to in-person instruction in August 2020, substantial numbers of families took advantage of the option to continue virtual education for their children for part or all of the 2020-2021 school year. While the 2021-2022 school year opened in the traditional manner, students returned to school far behind where they should have been under normal circumstances. We have spent the last two years mitigating the learning declines of disrupted in-person instruction. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds provided by the American Rescue Plan have allowed us to offer afterschool and summer programs to address learning loss, as well as address other COVID-19 related needs.

Other issues resulted from the disruption caused by the pandemic. We were faced with staff shortages, high rates of absenteeism and discipline issues, mental health challenges, and ongoing concerns regarding lost instructional time. While quality instruction is a priority, we also must focus on nurturing the whole child. Being at school, interacting with peers, and participating in activities can bolster the social-emotional health of our students.

Our theme for the 2022-2023 school year is “re-rigging the ship.” One definition of rigging a boat or ship is to adjust the rigging to improve the crew’s efficiency and cohesiveness. Our goal is to reflect on our experiences throughout the pandemic, identifying what worked well and what did not, to help us improve all aspects of our schools for the benefit of our students.

We must meet our students where they are and do everything we can to support their academic, social, emotional, and physical needs because in Elmore County, we believe “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.

Elmore County High’s First Day of School

Students at Elmore County High School enjoyed a “Getting to Know Me” activity on the first day of school in Mrs. Hines’ class.

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Area Homeschoolers Cheer Their “Can-Do” Attitude

Several Academy Days Co-op students cheer over the 256 canned goods they have recently collected for Millbrook’s Welcome Inc., a food pantry which serves West Elmore County families in need. Pictured are (front) Zelda Senn and Braxton Davis of Millbrook, Levi and Landon Baughcum of Deatsville, and Layla Sanders of Millbrook; (back) Isabelle Baughcum of Deatsville, Mady Segrest of Montgomery, Kyler Abrams of Deatsville, Sebastian and Julia Pope of Deatsville, and Noah Wintle of Elmore. The homeschoolers represent 61 families in the tri-county area who participate in the weekly co-op held at Eastmont Baptist Church during the school year. Academy Days Co-op offers preschool through high school classes in subjects difficult to teach at home or best taught in group settings, such as science labs, photography, foreign language, computer programming, literature, and P.E. Visit www.AcademyDays.com for more information about the co-op or homeschooling.

Sydney

Cancer Survivor

Inspiration happens

Sydney was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 13 years old. Through her treatment and recovery, she bonded with the doctors and nurses saying, “they became like family to me.” She was so inspired by her care team, she decided to become a doctor and help other children going through a scary and similar situation. She also wanted to show that people with physical challenges can and should pursue medicine, too. She believes her journey to becoming a doctor was inspired as a patient here at Children’s of Alabama.

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