Mobile County Public Schools -

September 16 is IT Professionals Appreciation Day! Thank you to the amazing MCPSS Information Technology Department, which supports and monitors 56,000 student devices; classroom technology and websites for all 90 schools; online resources for teachers; cybersecurity; the new MCPSS app; and much, much more! #PerseverancePropelsProgress #LearningLeading

Watch the High School Volleyball Match of the Week live tonight on mcpssTV! Baker takes on St. Paul's at 5:30 p.m. and you can catch the action on Comcast 15, Mediacom 85, AT&T U-verse 99, Roku boxes, Facebook and YouTube. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Did you know Bryant Career Technical Center has a new Shipbuilder School? Students at Bryant have been building small boats for the last few years. But now the school has upped its game, partnering with Birdon and MasterBoat to prepare its students for the industry under the guidance of company leaders who are dedicated to their success before they even leave high school. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Today, the 68 Ventures Bowl surprised Justine Wilson, a sixth-grade U.S. history teacher at Grand Bay Middle School, with a $1,000 grant as part of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers Week (EYFT). The grant was awarded in recognition of Mrs. Wilson’s dedication to her students and to her role as an educator. A 13-year educator who also serves as Social Studies department chair and the Scholars Bowl coach at Grand Bay, she was the MCPSS Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2025.

The 68 Ventures Bowl also plans to honor 10 additional teachers with $1,000 grants. Get more details and nominate a deserving teacher at www.68venturesbowl.com starting tomorrow, September 16, until October 31. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Give me an A! Alma Bryant was honored as the Cheer Squad of the Week last week by WKRG News 5. See the broadcast here: https://www.wkrg.com/high-school-football/wkrg-cheer-squad-of-the-week/cheer-squad-of-the-week-alma-bryant-high-school-hurricanes/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WKRG&fbclid=IwY2xjawM1H-xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhE9Ee1bUM9N5dDTKVWb7IZ-sANkFoBOURnUxklrtEcIozZzcMrvJK7arYS6_aem_kWiEmFUT-F9-kMAva18Hww/ #PerseverancePropelsProgress

High five! The Mary G. Montgomery baseball team visited J.E. Turner Elementary on Friday to help its Peer Helper Team with National Day of Encouragement and High Five Day. J.E. Turner students arrived to find colorful chalk designs, high fives and lots of encouragement. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Every day counts! Attendance Awareness Month is a time to emphasize the importance of getting to class each day. The MCPSS Attendance Department thanks all parents and guardians for their efforts to make sure that their students arrive on time and ready to learn. #PerseverancePropelsProgress #LearningLeading

Pre-K students at Just 4 Developmental Laboratory explored the Arctic this week! With Ms. James, they created polar bear winter crafts while learning about polar bears and their snowy environment. With Ms. Smoots, they built snowy houses decorated with marshmallows, sparking conversations about how people and animals live in cold places. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Congratulations to MCPSS Career Academies Supervisor Claire Minto, who has been named the ACTE Counseling & Career Development Professional Region 2 Award Winner by the Association for Career & Technical Education! This award is a recognition of her work to grow career tech partnerships and expand work-based learning opportunities for students across Mobile County. Because of her leadership and advocacy in the community, students are better prepared to connect what they learn in school to real careers. Ms. Minto is now one of four finalists nationwide for the National ACTE Counseling & Career Development Professional of the Year Award. #PerseverancePropelsProgress #LearningLeading

Ms. Hare's class at McDavid-Jones Elementary got a sweet lesson in math this week! Each student received a pack of gummy bears and got to sort, count, and graph them by color. Not only did this activity help students practice important graphing and data collection skills, but it also made learning hands-on and delicious. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Many MCPSS high school bands around the county invite band students from middle schools in their area to join them for a performance at the football stadium. This gives the middle schoolers an introduction to marching (as middle school band programs are typically concert band only) and also provides a sneak peek at where they could be in a year or two. Last week, Baker High School was joined by middle school band students from several schools in west Mobile. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Watch Williamson square off with Citronelle live on Friday night in the mcpssTV High School Football Game of the Week! Tune in at 6:50 p.m. tomorrow on Comcast 15, Mediacom 81, AT&T U-verse 99, Roku boxes, Facebook or YouTube. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Mobile County Public Schools has continued its streak of being the top fundraising district in Alabama for the American Heart Association, as two dozen schools raised more than $161,000. Hutchens Elementary was the top school, raising more than $22,000, and Taylor-White was second with more than $17,000. Lott and Causey were the top two middle schools and Citronelle was the top high school.

Five MCPSS students have been named semifinalists for 2026 National Merit Scholarships. They are: Owen Farmer and Sariah Hossain of Davidson High, Kennedy Lee and Lahleen Masterson of Baker High, and Collin Bendolph of Murphy High. They are among just over 16,000 semifinalists nationwide, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and earned this distinction by being among the highest-scoring students in Alabama on the Pre-SAT. The National Merit Scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2026. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

After first coming to Gilliard Elementary as a student teacher, Chastity Westry has now been at the school for nine years. She appreciates the engagement of the parents and the support of the administration. She enjoys teaching third grade because her students are becoming more independent. And she especially loves teaching math.

"It's my favorite because I struggled with it in elementary school," she said. "I needed a tutor and I was close to being held back. But I had a teacher that made a difference. She took the time to stay after school with me, and sent home extra resources with my mom. That stuck with me. I wanted to make that difference in other children's lives."
#PerseverancePropelsProgress

Watch live as Davidson takes on Alma Bryant on Wednesday night in the mcpssTV High School Volleyball Match of the Week! Tune in at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow on Comcast 15, Mediacom 81, AT&T U-verse 99, Roku boxes, Facebook or YouTube. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Fifth-grader Rylan Besaw loves math and social studies and takes advanced classes at Gilliard Elementary. "I got into history in first grade, which gave me a love for it, and I've always had a love for numbers," he said. Rylan also plays football and likes to read, particularly graphic novels and chapter books. He'd like to be an archeologist one day. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Yesterday was International Literacy Day and students at Davidson High School celebrated the power of literature with a number of projects:
-- Mrs. Faris’ Women in Literature class explored Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Sweat," writing hypothesized summaries using a curated word bank.
-- Ms. Callais’ seniors connected Beowulf to modern life through powerful visual projects.
-- In AP Literature, Ms. Wilhelm’s class is engaging with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" through thoughtful reading journals.
-- And in Ms. Shantazio's IB Literature class, students did a Symbolic Mapping activity for Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner", tracing key symbols and crafting thematic statements to deepen their understanding.
#PerseverancePropelsProgress

Big things are happening at Hurricane FFA at Alma Bryant High School! Bryant AG students welcomed their second calf of the year -- Wellington, born on campus during the second week of school. They're getting hogs ready for the State Hog Market Show at the Greater Gulf State Fair. And they're getting comfortable with equipment while working on beautification projects around campus. #PerseverancePropelsProgress

Several Mobile County schools celebrated and honored their grandparents last week with Grandparents Day celebrations. At E.R. Dickson Elementary, the grandparents of kindergarten and Pre-K and K were invited to campus for for "Grits and Grandparents." #PerseverancePropelsProgress