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BIRMINGHAM — United Way of Central Alabama will receive $150,000 to align the community around a plan for improving reading proficiency for Birmingham City Schools elementary students.
Mayor Randall Woodfin, Superintendent Lisa Herring, and UWCA President Drew Langloh will appear together to announce this initiative. UWCA applied for the grant using the strengths of the Bold Goals Coalition of Central Alabama and incorporating key elements from the “The Woodfin Way” transition plan and the priorities that the Birmingham City Schools have identified. This grant commences an intensive six-month effort to streamline and align all stakeholders behind one plan to improve student-centered literacy efforts.
“We know that by aligning all of the community’s resources around an actionable plan that the sky is the limit for children, not only in Birmingham, but throughout Central Alabama,” Langloh said. “The Bold Goals Coalition of Central Alabama convenes partners to make real change happen in Central Alabama, and this grant helps accelerate that change.”
The grant is an award from the Together for Students initiative, created by three national, education-focused nonprofit organizations — the Coalition for Community Schools, Communities In Schools, and StriveTogether — with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Ford Foundation.
Birmingham was one of just ten communities nationwide selected for this grant. Other key local partners in this grant include Birmingham Education Foundation, Norwood Resource Center, and Alabama Possible.
By Gary Lloyd
Educators in Jefferson County, Alabama, have more than sixty-two million reasons to smile.
The graduating seniors from the Class of 2018 from the fourteen Jefferson County Schools high schools earned a total of $62,257,917.50 in scholarships.
That’s enough money to buy sixty-two Manhattan apartments. Or pay LeBron James’ salary for two NBA seasons. But most importantly, it’s enough to impact dozens of lifetimes for these students.
The Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School accounted for more than $13 million in scholarships. Minor High School’s seniors earned more than $8 million, while McAdory earned more than $6 million. Gardendale High finished with a touch more than $4 million in scholarships. Finishing with more than $3 million in scholarship money each were Center Point, Clay-Chalkville, Fultondale, Pinson Valley, and Shades Valley high schools. Corner, Hueytown, Mortimer Jordan, Oak Grove, and Pleasant Grove high schools all earned more than $2 million each in scholarships.
A video tribute to these schools and students is posted on the district’s website, and it ends with writer Henry David Thoreau’s quote: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
Those words are right on the money.
By Gary Lloyd
There are positive stories happening in Birmingham.
Two recently stand out.
A Tarrant High School graduate, Corey Patrick, had been taking a transit bus to school all year, getting up as early as 4:30 a.m. to make the 5:41 a.m. bus. He took the bus to his graduation this month, wearing his cap and gown. Determination. Read about that here.
Radio host Rickey Smiley gave Patrick his own car Friday morning. A graduation party is planned for Patrick on June 23 in Birmingham.
How awesome is that?
In other Birmingham-area uplifting news, a 4-year-old is acting as a superhero by feeding the homeless. His catchphrase? “Don’t forget to show love.” You can read more about Austin Perine and donate to his cause here.
And people think only negative news comes out of Birmingham.
Wrong.
Some views from the 2018 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
Local blood donors saved as many as 225 lives by giving blood during Baldwin EMC’s Spring Into Action drive March 15 in Orange Beach and April 26 in Bay Minette.
The staff from LifeSouth Community Blood Center collected a total of 75 pints of blood, each of which can benefit as many as three people.
The co-op elected to divide the drive between two dates and their two district offices this year in an effort to reach members from the southern and northern parts of their service territory.
“We traditionally host Spring Into Action at our headquarters in Summerdale, which is our most centrally located office,” says Mark Ingram, Baldwin EMC’s vice president of corporate services and public relations. “However, Summerdale is still a bit of a drive from Bay Minette or the beach. Hosting it at our district offices gave our members and residents in those areas an opportunity to donate without distance being a factor.”
In addition to blood donations, non-perishable food was also collected for local distribution.
Ingram says the Spring Into Action drive is a part of Baldwin EMC’s vision to be community involved.
“As a member-owned cooperative, we’re called to do much more for our community than just provide electricity. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for those we serve, and events like this are one of the ways we can do that.”
By Gary Lloyd
Pierce Quick is living up to his last name.
The Hewitt-Trussville (Alabama) offensive lineman was the quickest Class of 2019 player to commit to the University of Alabama, making his pledge in April 2017. He remained the only Class of 2019 player committed to the Crimson Tide until December 2017.
Now, the floodgates are open, and the Tide is rolling in.
Quick, from Trussville, Alabama, is leading the charge for the 2019 recruiting class for the Crimson Tide. As of this post, Alabama holds thirteen commitments and the No. 1 class in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.
“With this 2019 class, I want to build the most well-rounded class Coach (Nick) Saban has ever had,” Quick said. “And I feel like we are on the right track to do it.”
Quick, an avid baseball fan, knows how to build a roster. He has been actively recruiting high school prospects from across Alabama and the country to take their talents to Tuscaloosa. It’s working. Of the thirteen Crimson Tide commitments, three are offensive linemen, two are defensive ends, two are quarterbacks, two are linebackers, two are defensive tackles, one is a cornerback, and one is an athlete. Six of the thirteen hail from Alabama, while the remaining seven commitments come from New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Alabama’s average rating for the 2019 class is 0.9437, better than any other class in Saban’s tenure. Alabama finished first in the 247Sports Composite rankings every year from 2011 through 2017. The Crimson Tide finished sixth in 2018.
“I think in the great classes in the past the reason they were great is because they did have someone recruiting like I am,” Quick said.
Quick is Tweeting at fellow recruits and texting the ones he knows. He may be pestering them as much as college coaches and recruiting reporters, who hound prospects about official visits and commitment timelines.
“I never really had a problem with any reporters through the whole process,” said Quick, who shut down his recruitment in March 2018 to focus on building the 2019 class for Alabama. “I understand it’s their job to try and break stories before anyone else.”
Quick has also mastered the art of the news tease. He recently responded to a recruiting reporter’s Tweet asking for Alabama recruiting questions by posting, “Will Bama fans be as excited as I am about this next commit?”
Quick earned twenty-four scholarship offers during his recruitment. At one point, he was receiving an “unreal” amount of at least twenty letters per day from universities. That is an overflowing mailbox.
“I have a huge box just filled with most of them right now,” he said. “And the phone calls were unreal, too. Some of my friends would always get mad at me because no matter what everywhere we went I was always having to call a coach.”
Despite all those offers, Quick knew that if an offer came from Alabama, he was headed to Tuscaloosa.
“I knew it was Bama just because of the fact that it’s always been a childhood dream of mine to play there,” he said.
Through the recruiting whirlwind, Quick said focusing on his Hewitt-Trussville High School team was easy because of his love for the game. Focusing on school proved difficult, as it does for most teenagers. Quick keeps his priorities straight, though.
“The most important thing to me is my faith and my family because that is what got me where I am,” he said.
Now, he has a senior season to play, on one of likely to be the best Hewitt-Trussville High School teams in school history. This year’s team includes seven players with scholarship offers from Southeastern Conference schools. Three – Quick, quarterback Paul Tyson, and wide receiver Dazalin Worsham – are committed to the Crimson Tide.
It’s hard to go against the Tide.
Gary Lloyd Books 