The Shelby County Schools (SCS) Board of Education hosted a vibrant celebration of student creativity on January 22, 2024, at The Shelby Room, located within the Shelby County Schools Instructional Services Center in Alabaster, Alabama. The event showcased artwork from students across the district as part of the annual Superintendent’s Art Show, culminating in the announcement of competition winners.
Allison Campbell, the supervisor of fine arts for Shelby County Schools, praised the event for allowing the community to appreciate the “creativity and hard work” of students. The show featured various categories for different grade levels, with winners recognized for their artistic talents.
In the Kindergarten through third grade category, the top honors went to:
– First place: Oliver Quinn, Oak Mountain Elementary School
– Second place: Rosie Paul, Oak Mountain Elementary School
– Third place: Samantha Portillo, Vincent Elementary School
– Fourth place: Ben Renno, Inverness Elementary School
– Fifth place: Clara Deal, Helena Elementary School
For fourth through sixth graders, the winners included:
– First place: Evelyn Bush, Oak Mountain Intermediate School
– Second place: Addilyn Rose, Shelby Elementary School
– Third place: Nevaeh Know, Vincent Elementary School
– Fourth place: Avery Green, Oak Mountain Intermediate School
– Fifth place: Emily Martinez, Montevallo Middle School
Seventh and eighth grade participants saw Deniz Altinel from Oak Mountain Middle School take first place, while Grant Smith from Columbiana Middle School secured second place. Alexa Gutierrez from Montevallo Middle School received an honorable mention.
In the ninth and tenth grade, two categories were recognized. In Category 1, the winners were:
– First place: Darah Gomez, Oak Mountain High School
– Second place: Autumn Wojtkielewicz, Montevallo High School
– Honorable mention: Kinley Bolton, Helena High School
For Category 2, Jackson Hall and Curt Cashion, both from Chelsea High School, secured first and second places, respectively.
In the 11th through 12th grade category, the top honors were awarded to:
– First place: Victoria Nguyen, Chelsea High School
– Second place: Glory Strickland, Helena High School, who received an honorable mention.
A total of 18 artworks, comprising 10 from elementary students and eight from secondary students, will advance to state-level competition. Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks expressed gratitude to the art teachers for their commitment to nurturing student talent. He stated, “We’re just so grateful for each of you and how you cultivate the talent that we have in our school district.”
Alongside the competition winners, the event highlighted the recipients of the Superintendent’s Choice Award, personally selected by Dr. Brooks. The awardees included:
– Oliver Quinn, Oak Mountain Elementary School
– Mattie Scoggins, Elvin Hill Elementary School
– Connor Crossland, Oak Mountain Middle School
In other developments, the Board of Education approved minutes from its previous meeting on December 16, 2023, sanctioned an out-of-state field trip, and received a management report from John Gwin. They also approved payroll and monthly expenditures for December 2023, alongside TEAMS contracts and several personnel actions.
The board plans to reconvene for its next regularly scheduled meeting on February 19, 2024. This meeting will take place in The Shelby Room at the SCISC, starting at 17:00 local time.
