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AROUND THE AREA
The Alabama Community College System Instructional Leadership Academy is a rigorous, comprehensive, one-year experience for which participants must be determined to complete. The activities are curated not only to develop faculty to become more intentional in many key areas of inspiring and facilitating learning in their classrooms, but also expressly formulated to produce a complete course redesign of the participant’s highest enrolled course.
Central Alabama Community College President Jeff Lynn recognized five of CACC’s faculty members for completing the course.
“I am extremely proud of all five of our instructors who completed the ILA this past year,” Lynn said.
“The ILA is a very comprehensive and intensive academy that demands quite a bit of an instructor’s time. Commitment and dedication are a must and our instructors demonstrated why they are so good in their respective classrooms. They did a great job, all while managing the challenges presented by COVID-19. “I had the honor of presenting each one of them with an ILA lapel pin to recognize their outstanding accomplishment.” ~TPI Staff
Instructional Fortitude
Kathleen Thompson, Vanessa Clark, Kristine Kelley, Nancy Adams and Ben Bailey all participated during the past academic year, with each graduating with at least a 92 percent completion rate.
Kelly and Smith nationals bound
Jackson Kelly and Stihl Smith became the first fishermen in the history of Benjamin Russell high school, and perhaps Tallapoosa County as a whole, to be selected for the Bassmaster High School National Championship fishing tournament this week.
Kelly is a senior and Smith a junior, making this the last tournament the two fish together as they compete for the highest honor available to high school anglers.
“Each year we always talk about trying to improve on where we were the year before,” Williams said. “Whether it’s the way our team finished, overall standings or how we compete in each tournament. Four or five years ago, we didnçt have any trophies ... If we ever get to the point where we’ve got two or three qualifying for nationals, we’re gonna win the state championship that way. That’s just a benchmark that they set for the other ones to look forward to.”
Kelly and Smith’s fishing journey began in 4-H.
The two were mere acquaintances at that time. Then
Kelly invited Smith for a day of fishing on Lake Jordan.
Following that first trip, the duo made an effort to go as often as possible. “We went to Lake Jordan, fished one time – ” Kelly started. “And then it was me begging him to take me ever since then,” Smith said, finishing Kelly’s thought. “Until
I got a boat, it was every weekend, ‘Take me fishing.’” Once Smith did get a watercraft, their weekend trips turned into near-daily occurrences. Soon, they were the top partnership for the Benjamin Russell Anglers. Now they’ll be the first to contend for a national title. Kelly and Smith take to the water in Tennessee July 26 for the first day of pre-fishing before the competition begins July 29. ~Andy Anders
Setting Goals
Kelly and Smith are the first team of Anglers from BRHS to contend for Nationals.
