Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Erin Moody
Just two weeks after Brooke Dunham was approved as the new principal for Inverness Elementary School, Erin Moody was named as the assistant principal.
Moody has worked in Shelby County Schools for the past 13 years as a second grade teacher at Oak Mountain Elementary and Chelsea Park Elementary. Last year, she held the position of instructional coach at Mt Laurel Elementary.
Moody graduated from UAB with a bachelors in Early Childhood/Elementary Education and from West Alabama with a masters in Elementary Education and an Instructional Leadership certification.
After her approval, she thanked Dr. Brooks, the Shelby County Board of Education and Brooke Dunham.
“I’m so excited about this new opportunity and look forward to serving Inverness Elementary and continuing my many years with Shelby County.
Tracy Whitfield and Shelley Davis with Superintendent Lewis Brooks. Photo courtesy of Cindy Warner.
Journey Shapers
Two Shelby County administrative employees recognized for going above and beyond in their roles were presented with Journey Shaper awards by Superintendent Lewis Brooks during the July 27 Shelby County Board of Education meeting.
“We've created opportunities to recognize people in our district by offering Journey Shapers, and I'm just thrilled to recognize some special people that I feel like really shape the things that we do in our school district,” Brooks said.
He went on to describe central office employees Shelley Davis (Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Administration) and Tracy Whitfield (Chief Clerk, Operations & Executive Assistant to the Board Operations) as true leaders for the district.
“The culture in this office has improved tremendously because of their desire and their efforts to create a family atmosphere,” he said. “When we are shorthanded, they pitch in. When our colleagues are going through difficult circumstances, they are supportive. They are in many respects the front line of a lot of things that happen every day in our school districts and they do it with such grace and positivity. They are focused on what's best for our district.”
New Pre-AP courses
A new initiative in high schools throughout the district is implementing Pre-AP courses.
Kim Brown, the supervisor for Gifted Education and Advanced Programs shared that options will be available in 9th and 10th grade honors English, Honors algebra 2, Pre AP geometry, preAP biology and chemistry.
“We have dropped these master schedules into the honors schedule at all of our high schools,” Brown said. “These courses prepare students in 9th and 10th grade for AP courses they might choose to take in 10th and 11th grade… and prepare them for dual enrollment and any academic endeavors. Hopefully more kids will choose AP courses due to these AP courses.”
The honors courses have not been consistent across the county and the pre-AP classes, and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Dr. Lynn Carroll said the Pre-AP courses will create a more standardized curriculum.
CHHS bleachers
An emergency declaration was approved for temporary bleachers for the Chelsea High School gym.
Assistant Superintendent, Operations David Calhoun said the situation requires immediate attention since the bleachers were scheduled to arrive on July 1. They will arrive in two shipments and have a proposed arrival date from the manufacturer with the floor level arriving around Labor Day and the upper level around the end of September.
“The Chelsea High School gym plan was to do a total renovation from top down which included new LED lighting, ductwork with air conditioning, ceiling tile grid, painted walls, and the gym floor being sanded, restriped and sealed.”
The over 30-year-old bleachers were removed in May at the end of the school year and with the delay, the school board approved for temporary ones to be brought in until the permanent ones arrive.
Also during the meeting, the board approved the 2023-24 academic guide, out of town field trips, and extending TEAMS contracts.
