Chelsea Park selected as an official Alabama Bicentennial School of Excellence
On Sept. 3, Governor Kay Ivey announced that Chelsea Park Elementary School was selected as one of 21 Alabama Bicentennial Schools of Excellence, and one of three in the 6th Congressional District, which also include Vestavia Hills Elementary School and Pinson Valley High School.
The announcement was made at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery with superintendents, principals and teachers from the selected schools in attendance, along with legislators and other dignitaries from across the state.
Each of the schools selected also received a $5,000 Governor’s Award grant to support their continued commitment to student-led community engagement. Launched in December 2017, the Alabama Bicentennial Schools Initiative encouraged all public, private and homeschool students and teachers to participate in the celebration of Alabama’s 200th anniversary of statehood.
In early 2018, all Alabama schools were invited to submit proposals for community service and engagement projects connecting classrooms with their local communities. In August 2018, 200 schools were selected as official Alabama Bicentennial Schools and received $2,000 grants to support the implementation of their projects.
“As Alabama nears 200 years of statehood, it is important to engage our students,” said Gov. Ivey. “They are the future of our state and the ones who will lead generations to come into the next 200 years and beyond. I am proud to award grants to 21 schools to carry out their community service and engagement projects, and I am glad to see our young people taking initiative.”
Brooke Dunham, music teacher at Chelsea Park Elementary said this project has led to a stronger tie between the school and the community, and also created opportunities for our students to lead, in turn, creating future community leaders.
“If they see today how their community loves and supports them, they are more likely to stay in the community as adults, and will become more vested in the quality of the community as a whole,” Dunham said.
CPES Principal Jennifer Galloway said that the students, teachers and community members have worked together to make a positive impact on the Chelsea community.
“I am impressed with the knowledge, skills and values that our students developed as they worked together to make a difference,” Galloway said. “It brings great joy to see our students proud of themselves for the time they invested in making an impact on our community. They were able to learn in our outdoor classroom and sell products grown in the raised garden on campus and donate the profits to a local food bank.”
In addition to receiving the Governor’s Award grants, the Schools of Excellence will be invited to participate in commemoration ceremonies in Montgomery on December 14, 2019, at the culmination of Alabama’s bicentennial.
For a complete list of official Bicentennial Schools or for more information, visit www.alabama200.org.