Holtville’s Futral Alabama principal of the year

Staff Report

Eifert said Wetumpka native Thomas Harris was involved in the planning of the Art Gone Wild exhibit and brought the inspiration to plan the larger event.

The Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) named Holtville High School principal Kyle Futral the 2022 Alabama High School Principal of the Year.

“He was inspired by the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina and the wildlife arts festival in Thomasville,” Eifert said. “He wants that for Wetumpka.” schoolwide assembly at Holtville High School. Elmore County Superintendent Richard Dennis was in attendance for the presentation.

“We will have artists around town,” Eifert said. “We will have the Wildlife Federation out here with their animals. We will have the sporting dogs here. We will have tastings, cooking demonstrations, vendors and food and kids activities.”

Average gasoline prices in Alabama have fallen 5.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.35 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 3,348 stations in Alabama. Prices in Alabama are 15.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 17.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen four cents in the last week and stands at $5.30 per gallon.

The festival is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 and has a multitude of things going on.

“Kyle Futral is an exceptional principal and is very proactive and innovative in his thinking and approaches to managing his school,” Dennis said,

The High School Principal of the Year award was presented to Futral on Friday, Jan. 28 during a

As principal of Holtville High School, Futral has transformed

Alabama Plein Air Artists is a group of artists from all over the state and beyond who love painting outdoors. They will be scattered about the school culture from that of a school struggling with low morale, achievement and attendance to a school that strives for excellence. By collaborating with staff, many of the school’s issues were identified and addressed. Futral’s leadership style of listening, encouraging, supporting, organizing and challenging the staff and students, caused the school culture to shift in a positive direction. The school experienced a 62 percent decrease in discipline referrals, 50 percent decrease in chronic absenteeism, 7 percent increase in the graduation rate, 33 percent increase in CCR rate and a 20 percent increase in ACT proficiency in the last five years. See PRINCIPAL, Page A3

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Alabama was priced at $2.98 per gallon Sunday while the most expensive was $3.89 per gallon, a difference of 91 cents per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 9.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.77 per gallon Monday. The national average is up 10.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and