Malia Riggs

Elmore Autauga News

The Autauga County Board of Education held their regularly scheduled meeting for the month of May, Tuesday evening. The Board honored many people throughout the district including everyone from show choir students, nurses to bus drivers of the year.

The Board honored the Show Choir for their numerous accolades this season. The Show Choir traveled over 2,000 miles this season, competing in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Spotlight is now the 5th-ranked small mixed-show choir in the Southern United States, and the 2nd-ranked in Alabama.

Brianna Poling of Prattville High School also won Best Overall Female Performer. A list of the Show Choir participants are at the bottom of this page.

Prattville Baptist Hospital and Autauga County school nurses presented the family of the late Sarah Melissa Banks, who was the nurse at Prattville High School. Banks passed away in April of this year. Her parents and son were present to receive the honors on her behalf.

Banks received the Daisy Award presented by the Prattville Baptist Hospital. This award is a recognition program to celebrate and recognize nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families, and co-workers. Recipients of this award exemplify extraordinarily compassionate care being provided by a nurse, according to the Daisy Foundation website.

“We just felt that we wanted to do something to honor Sarah Melissa, so she can be honored and recognized for the work that she has done. On behalf of Prattville Baptist Hospital and Autauga County School nurses it is an honor to present this award to her family tonight,” chief nursing officer at Prattville Baptist health Meg Spires said.

Banks was preceded in death by her sister, Bonnie Bishop. She is survived by her son, Greyson Kamerow; parents, Buster and Amelia Bishop; sister, Jessica Carroll (Trey) and nephews Eli and Owen.

Seven students from the Autauga County Technology Center, ACTC, will be participating in the Extended Learning Program during the month of June, helping other students at the elementary level in the summer programs throughout the district. These seven will be helping with activities while earning credits towards graduation.

The three students from Marbury High School are Melanie Perdue, Lauren Boyd and Maddie Shumway. The four students from Prattville High School are Isabella Goodwin, Kyaira Smith-Manor, Lily McKinnon and Malachi Asberry.

The Board also recognized the Autauga County bus drivers of the year. Vernica Smith is the Autaugaville Bus Driver of the Year. Misti Motley is the Billingsley Bus Driver of the Year. Scott Watson is the Marbury/Pine Level Bus Driver of the Year. Shelly Wainwright is the Prattville Bus Driver of the Year. Henry Golson, one of the ACS mechanics is the substitute Bus Driver of the Year.

“You guys are the first ones to have interactions with our students in the morning and the last person they see at the end of their school day. Thank you for all you do for the students of Autauga County,” Superintendent of Autauga County Schools Lyman Woodfin said.

The Board also paid tribute to the Teacher of the Year to third grade teacher Laura Fennell. Fennell teaches at Pine Level Elementary in District 5 and was awarded Teacher of the Year. She is the first teacher in Autauga County to make it to the top 16 in the state.

Woodfin and the Board also gave a warm welcome to three newly hired individuals to the district. ACBOE welcomed Mitchell Thorntonas the Daniel Prattville Elementary School principal, Jason Griffin as the Billingsley School principal and Dr. Antjuan Marsh as the director of curriculum and instructional services as the secondary supervisor.

The next scheduled board meeting will be held June 11th, 6 p.m. at 131 Washington Street in Prattville.

Participants of the Prattville Show Choir

Addison Barnes-11th

Aaren Bennett-12th

Loriana Bristow-10th

Madyson Bruce-12th

Jaci Cone-12th

Madison Cruse-12th

Sara Headley-12th

Louis Zeke Jones-12th

Ripley Kane-9th

Hudson Lee-11th