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Episodes
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2023-24 Teachers of the Year
March 2024 -- March 2024 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools' district Teachers of the Year are featured in a conversation with Brooke and Whit. Guests on this episode include Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park music teacher Melissa McIntyre, and Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus English teacher Kira Aaron.
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I Am Vestavia Week
February 2024 -- Brooke and Whit talk with VHCS Director of Arts Education, Faith Lenhart, about the school system's upcoming celebration of cultural diversity.
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AP with WE Service
December 2023 -- Vestavia Hills High School AP U.S. History teachers Amy Maddox and Zach Morgan stop by to discuss how their students are giving back to communities in need through a program called "AP with WE Service."
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Mental Health Supports in VHCS
November 2023 -- Brooke and Whit talk with VHCS Director of Student Services, Jennifer Bailey, and Student Assistance Counselor, Anna Gaston, about the many ways the school system provides support for the wellbeing of our students and staff.
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VHHS Career and Technical Education
October 2023 -- Brooke, Whit, and Dr. Antonio Cooper talk with Vestavia Hills High School career and technical education teachers Justin Davenport and Hannah Peterson.
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The Alabama Literacy Act
September 2023 -- Podcast cohost Brooke Wedgworth, VHCS Director of Curriculum and Instruction, talks with Whit about the Alabama Literacy Act and how it will impact elementary-school students this year.
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VHELP's New Administrative Team
September 2023 -- Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park has an all-new administrative team this year. New principal Tiffany Marron and assistant principal Shealy McKinnon stop by to talk with Brooke and Whit about their journey as educators and their vision for VHELP.
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Community Partners
August 2023 -- Vestavia Hills "Partners in Education" group recently rebranded and refocused its mission as "Community Partners." In this episode, Community Partners coordinator Ali Pilcher joins Brooke and Whit to discuss the group's new focus and share how businesses can get involved in supporting our schools. Listen to the episode below.
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Setting the Stage for 2023-24
August 2023 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools superintendent, Dr. Todd Freeman, joins Brooke and Whit to celebrate the accomplishments of students and staff in the 2022-23 school year and kick off the 2023-24 school year.
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World Languages in Focus
April 2023 -- Vestavia Hills High School World Languages Department Chair Lisa McFadden joins Brooke and Whit to discuss why more than 9 of 10 VHHS graduates choose to take a world language in high school.
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Athletics in Focus
April 2023 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools Director of Athletics, Myra Miles, joins Brooke and Whit to talk about the accomplishments of the school system's sports programs and the 1Rebel 1Future initiative.
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2022-23 Teachers of the Year
March 2023 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools' Elementary Teacher of the Year, Megan Humphries, and Secondary Teacher of the Year, Amanda Jordan, join Brooke and Whit to share why they became teachers and their passion for creating a welcoming, friendly environment in their classrooms.
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K-12 STEM in Focus
March 2023 — In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park principal, Dr. Blair Inabinet, about the school's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Lab and how new opportunities in K-12 STEM learning could take Vestavia Hills City Schools to the next level.
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Appreciation of Diversity through Character Education
February 2023 -- One of the pillars of Vestavia Hills City Schools' mission is Appreciation of Diversity, and the school system fosters this appreciation through its focus on character development. In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with VHCS superintendent Todd Freeman and director of curriculum and instruction Antonio Cooper about the school system's partnership with Hope Institute to establish core values and instill character traits that last a lifetime.
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Ignite
January 2023 -- Vestavia Hills Elementary East fifth grade teacher Heather Hurt joins Brooke and Whit to talk about a new professional development opportunity made by and for VHCS teachers called "Ignite."
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Merlin
January 2023 — Vestavia Hills Elementary West recently added a facility dog, Merlin, to its school counseling team. In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Merlin’s handlers, school counselors Dawn Norris and Emily Foster, about how a facility dog helps meet the mental health needs of VHEW students and staff. Learn more about Merlin on his Instagram page.
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The Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus
December 2022 -- In the fall of 2020, Vestavia Hills City Schools opened a Freshman Campus to meet the unique needs of ninth graders. In this episode, Whit and Brooke talk with VHHS Freshman Campus principal Bill Mann and assistant principal Jennifer Brown about how the school is preparing students for their high school journey.
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Arts in Focus
November 2022 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools recently named longtime arts teacher Faith Lenhart as the district's first Arts Education Coordinator. In this episode, Faith talks with Brooke and Whit about the many ways students in grades K-12 get to experience the arts in Vestavia Hills City Schools.
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Next Steps
November 2022 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools is rolling out a new way for students and families to learn about academic opportunities for middle and high school students. The initiative, called "Next Steps," will include special nights for families to visit our schools and talk directly with teachers about our academic pathways. In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with VHCS Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Antonio Cooper, about Next Steps.
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The Healthy Schools Plan
October 2022 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools is partnering with Schneider Electric on a plan to improve the energy efficiency of all of its schools, a plan which should yield a savings of more than $1 million per year to the school system's budget. In this episode, Brooke, Whit, and Dr. Patrick Martin talk with Todd Smith from Schneider Electric about how the plan will improve the comfort of students and staff while also saving the school system millions of dollars.
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The Academy of Craft Training
October 2022 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools partners with a workforce development program called the Academy of Craft Training. At their campus in downtown Birmingham, students have the opportunity to learn industrial crafts including building construction, electrical, welding, HVAC, and interior-exterior finishes. Many students receive high-paying job offers upon graduation and unlock numerous postsecondary opportunities based on their skills and expertise in the construction industry. In this episode, Whit and Brooke talk with Academy of Craft Training Director of Education Russ Cofield, welding instructor Darren Ledbetter, and Vestavia Hills High School senior Emily Salas who is in the Academy's welding program. Follow the Academy of Craft Training on Facebook.
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Supporting Exceptional Students
September 2022 -- Each year, Vestavia Hills City Schools serves more than 3,000 students through the district's Exceptional Education programs which include students with special needs, English language learners, preschoolers, and gifted students. In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Dr. Sandy Ritchey, Vestavia Hills City Schools Director of Exceptional Education, about how the school system is working to support its exceptional students.
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A Look at VHCS Operations
September 2022 -- In this episode, Whit and Brooke talk with Dr. Patrick Martin, Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Services, about the school system's facilities and operations team that create a safe and nurturing environment for students and staff.
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Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment
August 2022 -- Whit and Brooke cover Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment programs at Vestavia Hills High School and take a look at how students are doing in those programs. Guests include Vestavia Hills High School assistant principal, Dr. Amy England, and VHCS director of curriculum and instruction, Dr. Antonio Cooper.
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Setting the Stage for 2022-23
August 2022 -- Vestavia Hills City Schools superintendent, Dr. Todd Freeman, joins Whit and Brooke to talk about the start of the 2022-23 school year and a new plan being unveiled called "1Rebel 1Future."
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2021-22 Teacher Appreciation
May 2022 -- In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Dr. Todd Freeman, Vestavia Hills City Schools superintendent, in a look back on the 2021-22 school year and the tireless work of the school system's teachers. Professional development is discussed as well as information about how families can learn about the school system's teaching standards.
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Arts in Vestavia Hills City Schools
April 2022 -- In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with two Vestavia Hills City Schools arts teachers who discuss opportunities for participation in the arts and why it's important for student development. Guests include Vestavia Hills Elementary East art teacher Lee Ellen Sharp and Vestavia Hills High School performing arts chair Faith Lenhart.
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VHHS Football Coach Robert Evans
March 2022 -- In this episode, Brooke and Whit sit down with new Vestavia Hills High School head football coach Robert Evans to discuss the football program, his memories as a VHHS alumnus, and what he learned about leadership from some of the school's legendary coaches. Learn more about football donation opportunities here.
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2021-22 Teachers of the Year
In this episode, Brooke and Whit sit down with Vestavia Hills City Schools' 2021-22 District Teachers of the Year to discuss their background and motivations for teaching. Guests are Elementary Teacher of the Year Cortney McKinney, school counselor at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights; and Secondary Teacher of the Year Jill Wiggins, English Language Arts teacher at Louis Pizitz Middle School.
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Teaching and Learning Updates
(January 2022) -- In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Dr. Aimee Rainey, Vestavia Hills City Schools' Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Rainey discusses some of the school system's recent work to enhance value and meaning in the work provided to students and provides a preview of future growth objectives.
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VHCS Gives Back
To Vestavia Hills City Schools students, unparalleled community support means more than just receiving; it is a reciprocal relationship where they see greater value in giving, serving, and loving others. They demonstrate gratitude by paying it forward. In this month's episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Vestavia Hills High School senior Nathaniel Bass about some of the ways he and his peers support the community through philanthropy.
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VHCS Athletics Update
In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with new Vestavia Hills City Schools Director of Athletics, Myra Miles. She brings more than 30 years of athletics experience to VHCS and is working on several new initiatives as part of the school system's athletics strategic plan. Learn more about VHCS athletics by visiting 1rebelathletics.com!
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Core Values and Character Development
Goal 2 of Vestavia Hills City Schools’ strategic plan pushes the school system to “embrace our leadership role in developing common understandings and shared community support for confronting the problems and challenges that impact the system, youth, and families.” Much of this goal is focused on work related to development of core values and character education in schools. In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Dr. Antonio Cooper, VHCS Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Blair Inabinet, principal of Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park, about how core values are making a real-world impact on student learning and development.
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Elementary STEM Learning
In this episode, Martha Martin, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park joins Brooke and Whit to discuss the school's new pilot program which provides STEM learning for all students.
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Strategic Plan Update
In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Dr. Todd Freeman, superintendent of Vestavia Hills City Schools. Dr. Freeman reviews the highlights of the school system's strategic goals and Annual Report while also looking ahead to the 2021-22 school year.
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Math Course of Study
In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Rachel Stockard, math specialist at the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), about the newly adopted Alabama Math Course of Study and how the new standards will improve math instruction.
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Kindergarten Readiness
If you're a parent of a child preparing to enter kindergarten, this episode is for you! Brooke and Whit interview Shae Harrell, 22-year veteran of kindergarten classrooms and current kindergarten teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East, on strategies for parents to help lay the foundation for their child's academic and social growth as they enter grade school. Parents can also find the Vestavia Hills City Schools Kindergarten Readiness Guide on our website at https://www.vhcs.us/domain/2549.
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Jerell Horton, 2020-21 Secondary Teacher of the Year
In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with VHCS Secondary Teacher of the Year Jerell Horton, Director of Bands at Vestavia Hills High School. Jerell discusses the concept of "Lego Leadership" and how he uses it to instill emotional safety and character in the band room.
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Heather Hurt, 2020-21 Elementary Teacher of the Year
March 2021 features two episodes highlighting the Vestavia Hills City Schools Teachers of the Year! In this episode, Brooke and Whit talk with Heather Hurt, VHCS Elementary Teacher of the Year. Heather is a fifth grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East. Heather discusses how she felt led to change careers from a successful real estate agent to elementary teacher, and how she works to instill a spirit of adventure in her soon-to-be middle schoolers.
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Alabama Literacy Act
In today's episode, Brooke and Whit discuss the Alabama Literacy Act with Erika Ponder, reading coach at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights. Strategies for parents to help their children with reading and literacy skills are included in this episode.
