Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Ashlee Elliott, left, and Jayla Coleman accept their Journey Shaper Awards from Superintendent Lewis Brooks.
The Shelby County Schools Journey Shaper awards are given to individuals in the district who have gone above and beyond to serve students.
Instructional Technology Resource coach Ashlee Elliott and Chelsea High School senior Jayla Coleman were recently recognized as Journey Shapers for their work in writing and illustrating a book, titled “The ABCs of Computer Science.”
“It’s really a great collaboration, and we will be using the book for digital literacy within the schools,” Superintendent Lewis Brooks said while presenting the award at the Aug. 24 Shelby County Board of Education meeting.
In September 2022, Elliott said she started to work toward a longtime dream of publishing a children’s book. She had tucked the dream away many times, she said, because she lacked both drawing skills and an idea for the book’s subject.
While working on a project with elementary computer science teachers to implement digital literacy and computer science standards, Elliott said she saw a collective need to understand computer science vocabulary.
“This was my newfound vision for a children’s book, and I immediately got to work on the content, the book. I then began to ponder ideas for an illustrator, and the idea I came up with is probably my favorite part of the entire project,” she said.
She wanted to find a student to illustrate the book and launched a district-wide illustration contest for 11th and 12th graders. Those who entered were provided with a page of the book and manuscript and asked to create an illustration that would relate to children.
“It was evident from the start that I had found a gem,” Elliott said. “Upon meeting Jayla, I found out it was her career ambition to illustrate children’s books.”
After seven months of working together, the dream became a reality.
“Her innovation and creativity truly set this book apart, but more importantly, her dedication to the project spoke volumes to her character,” Elliott said of Coleman, adding that the book “will forever remind me of the beauty of collaboration and the impact of empowering students to do great things.”
All proceeds from “The ABCs of Computer Science” will go to the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation to fund a computer science classroom grant.
Technology innovation award presented
Three teachers received the Owens-Young Technology Innovation Award at the Aug. 24 meeting: Angela Mitchell of Vincent Elementary, Whitney Howton of Oak Mountain Middle and John Milton of Oak Mountain High.
The award was developed in honor of two former members of the SCS technology department: Denise Owens, a technology resource teacher, and Michael Young, a technician. Both passed away several years ago, and the award recognizes teachers who are innovative with technology in their classrooms.
New assistant principal named for Chelsea High
Monica Hubbard was approved as a new assistant principal at Chelsea High School. Hubbard has 20 years of experience in public education and previously taught 6th- through 12th-grade English. She has spent the last 13 years at New Directions.
“It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very excited about joining the CHS leadership team,” Hubbard said. “I will miss my people at New Directions, but at the same time I want to thank the administration who have led me on this journey for so many years. I look forward to making a difference at CHS.”
