OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Thursday, March 11, 2021 • 25
SCHOOLS
The College Experience
College Choice Helps Needy Students Prepare for Campus Life “It was magical to see the smiles on these girls when they finished designing their own bed,” she said. For Lowery, the experience hearkens back to her own schooling. She remembers that feeling of defeat when she arrived at her dorm room. “I bought (my bedding) myself and was so proud of it,” she said. “It was reversible and practical. Then my roommate pulled out her beautiful quilt that was all kinds of colors.” Lowery finds many things in common with the students the foundation serves. She, too, grew up in a lowincome household with a single mother, depending on food stamps and school lunches. She was able to obtain a full ride to college with financial aid thanks to her guidance counselor, but times have changed. High school guidance counselors are strained serving hundreds of children. “On a good day they don’t have a lot of time to help kids navigate the college process to the level that we can offer,” Lowery said. “I have so much respect and admiration for guidance counselors because they have way too much on their plate.” The pandemic has thrown in even more obstacles, with students and counselors having to meet virtually. “Our kids are even having meetings to get teacher recommendations
OTM Schools Announce National Merit Finalists
Over the past month, about 15,000 students throughout the country have been receiving word of their status as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.5 million juniors in approximately 21,000 high schools participated in this year’s competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT. The finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships. The goal of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is to recognize the nation’s scholastic champions and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence. Selection of finalists is based on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards. The Altamont School
Hannah Ashraf, Lilla Carroll, Robert Pritchard, Tyler Walley and Maaz Zuberi. Homewood High School
Madeline Garrity, Patrick Harris, Reed Jeffries, Samuel Jones, Caleb McLendon, Robert Merchant, Michael Moorman, Jonathan Parris, Gabriel Quijano, Ayona Roychowdhury, Dani
el Wiesen, Matthew “Hugh” Williams and Jane Wilson. Hoover High School
Cullen Blanton, Luke Clark, Peter Shen, Nathan Williams, Ria Shah, Katie Heglas, Isabella Torres and Srija Vem. Mountain Brook
Matthew Bottcher, Caroline Carwie, Harry Evans, Annya EvansMartinez, Teddy Feig, Lilly Gilbert, Sam Graham, Ellie Hamilton, Laurel Hand, Emma Kao, Ann Carlton Keller, Emily King, Fletcher Nunnelley, Ethan Shunnarah, Theo Simonton and Catherine Taylor. Spain Park High School
Wyatt Williams, John Watson, Samuel Harrison, Adam Ebrahim, Benjamin Deas, Usman Farooqui, John Wilson, Zane Peacock, Megan Amrine, Anna Kate Morris, Kruthika Dheeravath, Amy Yang and Advaith Vadlakonda. Vestavia Hills High School
Katy Chen, Ricky Dong, Sarah Katherine Gray, Jason Han, Cecilia Kong, Esther Lee, Leighton Reese, Raleigh Robinson, Dylan Shi, Alex Stern and Grant Uldrich.
from people and their guidance counselor forms,” she said. “You can’t just walk into their office.”
Need Increases
Lowery said the need for the foundation also has grown significantly over the past year. Two years ago, the foundation had a huge increase in applications when one of its participants got into Yale University and it took on an unprecedented 21 students. “The COVID-19 hit, and we had over 100 applicants last year,” Lowery said. “Some of the applications were delayed (by) the pandemic. But, in the end, we took on 54 kids.” Over time, the services the foundation provides have expanded, as well. They don’t simply help a student get into college, they help them get there and get through. If a student needs help paying for a flight home for major life event, the foundation is there. A growing need has been to ease the participants’ transitions from their home life to their new normal living on their own. “When you are a black student going to a predominantly white school up North, there are so many challenges you are already overcoming,” she said. “So, we try to relieve as many barriers as we can.”
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
A shopping spree is the stuff of dreams, something only for lucky people who win a contest or participate on a game show. On Feb. 28, a shopping spree was a dream come true for 34 of the College Choice Foundation’s participants at Dorm Decor Birmingham, an interior decor store focused on stocking designer products for dorm rooms. The Homewood-based foundation was established by Homewood parents who saw a need to provide lowincome students with a road map to navigate the college application process. “They opened their arms and their doors to make our girls feel like princesses,” said College Choice Foundation Executive Director Josephine Lowery. “(Dorm Decor) wanted them to have the same shopping experience as someone in a more affluent family. So, they didn’t even want them wearing name tags. They wanted these girls to feel like they just walked up the street to come shop.” According to Lowery, the store spent countless hours preparing its showroom for the event. Staff removed current designs from the floor to display all of the items up for grabs.
College Choice Foundation Executive Director Josephine Lowery, center, with Dorm Decor’s Carolyn Greene, left, and Martha Elliott, right.
The partnership with Dorm Decor has been a huge step in the right direction, according to Lowery. Foundation staff had previously collected dorm items and bedding for students, but never in such a glamorous fashion. “Dorm Decor is one of the most amazing organizations,” said foundation student Zoe Kagwima. “Allowing us to do a shopping spree for dorm essentials was one of the nicest, easiest and coolest things that someone has ever done for me.” Kagwima is a senior at Homewood High School and will be attending college at the University of Alabama.
In the future, Lowery envisions establishing an ongoing collection of dorm room donations to recreate a similar experience for future participants. “For many of these girls, they have shared a bedroom or shared a bed and never had their own pretty, beautiful bedding like this,” she said. “It also made them realize that this is real. This is really happening. I am going to college.” For more information and ways to support the College Choice Foundation, visit collegechoicefoundation.org.
Mountain Brook Sixth Graders Help Caregivers Feel Special on Valentine’s Day
Caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease often report feeling isolated, and a year of COVID restrictions has left many feeling more alone than ever. Sixth graders at Mountain Brook Elementary decided this was one small void they could fill on at least one important day. They adopted 50 caregivers through Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama’s service programs and prepared them gifts for Valentine’s Day. The students decorated boxes and filled them with candy, socks and other small gifts, along with handwritten cards. The boxes were mailed for receipt just in time for the holiday. One caregiver to her 93-year-old mother said, “You blessed my heart.” Another said that before the package arrived, she had been in a “dark place,” but the package lifted her spirits. Parent Christy Baynes came up with the idea for the “Let Your Love Shine” project. Her son Mason and classmate Maye Morgan Parker were the project’s student leaders and created a video announcing the program.
Photo courtesy Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
Students, including the group above, in all four sixth grade classes at Mountain Brook Elementary gathered donations and decorate boxes filled with candy, socks and other small gifts which were mailed to the caregivers.
Baynes is a past president of the Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama board of directors and remains active in the group. She enlists her family to deliver food and staples for holidays. “Due to COVID restrictions, our team had to create a service project (for which) the children could safely volunteer and still make a difference. The students especially enjoyed hand writing the cards to each of the caregivers,” Baynes said. “Knowing they could
bring a little cheer to families that have lost so much made this project extra special.” The Mountain Brook Elementary 6th Grade Service Project is an annual project in which students help others. Teachers of the classes involved were Lauren Merrill, Bethany Tompkins, Melissa Wright and Natalie Cox. Other parents assisting with the project were Lucy Parker, Bethy Allen, Kate Mather and Hill Weathers.
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