Monday, December 12, 2011

Mountain Brook ranks No. 13 in national quality of life rankings
Birmingham Business Journal
Date: Friday, December 9, 2011, 1:45pm CST - Last Modified: Friday, December 9, 2011, 2:15pm CST

Mountain Brook ranks high for quality of life, according to a new report.
Earlier this week, we told you that Mountain Brook ranked No. 4 in the South for quality of life in a new study by our sister publication, On Numbers.
To cap off its week-long look at quality of life, On Numbers unveiled its national quality of life rankings on Friday.
Mountain Brook also fared well on that list, checking in at No. 13 out of the 3,764 places in the study, which highlighted cities with healthy economies, light traffic, moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks and strong educational systems.
Vestavia Hills (No. 180) and Madison (No. 205) were the other highest ranked Alabama cities.
The city of Birmingham (No. 3,387) had the fourth lowest ranking in Alabama. The Magic City topped only Bessemer (No. 3,508), Selma (No. 3,616) and Prichard (No. 3,674).

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Mountain Brook Elementary picked for national program

Publication Date: September 7, 2011  Page: 01-S  Section: COMMUNITY NEWS  Zone: SOUTH  Edition: Volume 124 Issue 178
William Thornton wthornton@bhamnews.com

Mountain Brook Elementary is one of nine schools in six states - and the only one in Alabama - to be selected this year for a school improvement program.
The Learning Forward Learning School Alliance picked Mountain Brook Elementary earlier this year to be part of a professional learning program which aims at improving teacher performance by collaborating with other schools around the country.
Two years ago, Cherokee Bend Elementary took part in the program.  The alliance is sponsored by Learning Forward, formerly known as the National Staff Development Council, and then-Superintendent Charles Mason was serving as its president at that time.
Among the goals of the Learning School Alliance is to see that educators share ideas that will eventually find their way into classrooms. It also tries to foster high goals for student achievement, while giving teachers a chance to see how they can be met. Schools were also chosen in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas.
Belinda Treadwell, principal at the Mountain Brook Elementary, said the program is ''one of the most powerful things I've ever been involved in.''
''We're very privileged to take part,'' she said. ''When teachers are more effective, you have higher levels of student achievement.''
The program allows a team of teachers at the school to collaborate with teachers at other schools around the country, through conferences and webinars, sharing ideas about improving student performance. Teams look at school data, identify areas for improvement and programs to make progress. The group also shares mentors with schools and programs that have had success at other schools.
The program also allows teachers from other schools to find out what programs are working at Mountain Brook Elementary for implementation elsewhere.

A magical fit for Clara:

By ANNE WOOD





MBJH student Elizabeth Lindsey will play Clara for a second year in the Birmingham Ballet production of The Nutcracker. Photo courtesy of the Birmingham Ballet.



Elizabeth Lindsey traded in her ballet shoes for soccer cleats when she was only 3 years old. At age 10 she put on the ballet shoes again, and the first role she auditioned for she got. After only two and a half years of dance experience she was cast as Clara in The Nutcracker.

“She had tried everything,” her mother, Frances Lindsey, said. “She played soccer and other things for a while and tried a couple of different dance studios.”

Nothing seemed to stick the way ballet dancing did, though. Today, in her fourth year in The Nutcracker and her second year as Clara, Elizabeth has grown to know and love the story.

“My favorite part is the pas du trios,” she said. “It’s where me, the Nutcracker, and Drosselmeyer all dance together and get to do partnering.”

Elizabeth, who attended a prestigious, three-week summer intensive dance program in Philadelphia, has continued to impress her family, friends and choreographers with her skill in spite of the lack of experience.

“I remember when Elizabeth first auditioned for The Nutcracker about three years ago,” Birmingham Ballet Director Cindy Free said. “Even then, as a Gingersnap, she stood out as a promising and dedicated student. I’ve enjoyed teaching her at Birmingham Ballet Academy and seeing her progress into such a proficient young dancer as well as a smart young woman. The future is very bright for Elizabeth.”

Her performance is due in part to the countless hours she dedicates to dancing. Elizabeth, an eighth grader at Mountain Brook Junior High, is able to manage her studies, 18 hours a week of dance practice and still have time to see her friends.

“I am amazed that she does all this and still keeps an A/B average,” her mother said. “If the grades were being affected, then it would be too much.”

Not only does Elizabeth show no signs of slowing down, she truly enjoys the long practices. “I wish I could do more,” she said.

“She really does absolutely love it,” her mother said. “When [your kids] find their thing, as a parent, you are so excited.”

And she doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. “If I could fit into the costume again next year, it would be fun to be Clara for a third time,” Elizabeth said.

Go see Elizabeth, and other Mountain Brook dancers, bring to life the holiday classic Dec. 9, 10 and 11 at various times at the BJCC.

For more information and tickets, contact Cindy Free at the studio, 979-9294 or cindy@birminghamballet.com.

Mountain Brook ranks 4th in South for quality of life
Birmingham Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 10:37am CST - Last Modified: Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 12:24pm CST
Mountain Brook has the highest quality of life in the state, according to a new study.
Mountain Brook has the highest quality of life in Alabama and the fourth highest in the South, according to a new study by On Numbers.
The quality of life rankings, which considered economic health, traffic, cost of living, housing and education, featured several Birmingham suburbs among the top 100 out of the more than 1,300 Southern places considered in the study.
Vestavia (No. 49), Helena (No. 60) and Hoover (No. 88) all ranked in the top 100.
The city of Birmingham, however, ranked No. 1008 in the South.
West University Place, a Houston suburb, was the highest ranked place in the South.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Cross country teams win state:

By WILL HIGHTOWER




Cross country team members Taylor Jetmundsen, Andrew Leeds, Paul Styslinger, and Patrick Wilder pose with their state championship trophy. This was the fourth state title in a row for the boys and the ninth for the girls. Photo courtesy of Image Arts.



Another year, another title. For the senior runners on the Mountain Brook cross country team, winning the state championship is nothing new. The seniors, with some help from underclassmen, capped off their high school careers without having lost a state title. The boys won their fourth in a row, while the girls won their astounding ninth state championship in a row.



The boys came into the season looking for leadership after a strong senior class led by Jack Morgan graduated. As it turned out, there were plenty of runners waiting in the wings for their time in the spotlight. Junior Payton Ballard assumed the position of lead runner, with Nick Halbach, Jack Monaghan and Andrew Fix just behind. After a successful season that included wins across the state and the country, the varsity boys went into state thinking about closing in on their fourth straight ring.



“Our strategy for the race was just to push it, get out in front and catch up to the next fastest guy in front of you,” senior Brooks Kimberly said. Kimberly was called up to race at state at the last minute on Thursday night before the Saturday morning race. “We just wanted to break the other teams’ will, and I think we did that pretty well.”



The race, which was held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park, went like the Spartans had planned. Ballard finished first for Mountain Brook and third overall with a time of 16:08, equating to a 5:20 mile pace for the 3.1-mile course. Monaghan and Halbach came in next at sixth and seventh overall. Fix, who only hours later came down with a high fever, and Parker Morrow, whose time of 16:46 was a personal record, rounded out the top five for the Spartans. The top five are the ones who are counted towards the team’s overall point total.



“It’s pretty incredible to see all the work pay off,” Fix said. “Six years ago it would’ve been hard to imagine us where we are now. I never would’ve dreamt of being part of such a dominating team so far in the future. After the race, we all kind of found each other in the chute and just let it soak in. We were all in a little pain, but we were so amped up it didn’t really bother us.”



“It was extra special to hit that strong note going out on our senior year,” Kimberly said. “We have a fantastic team with great chemistry.”



The girls had an even deeper streak going into the race: a string of titles dating back to 2002. The entire time that these girls have been in high school, junior high – and hey, even most of elementary school – the Mountain Brook girls have been the very best in the state. This year, the girls weren’t going to let that winning tradition stop.



“We felt a little pressure going in,” junior Ann Sisson said. “But Coach Echols told us to just trust in our training and believe in each other, so it took the pressure off.”



Surprisingly, the senior class of girls is not as strong as the younger ones. Nina Brown was the only senior girl to run in the state championship this year. Juniors Mary Catherine Ellard and Sisson, sophomore Emily Bedell and freshmen Bailey Martin and Sanders Reed carried the team all year.

Sisson finished fourth overall and first for the Spartans with a time of 18:56.



Right behind her were Martin and Bedell, who had times of 19:07 and 19:15, respectively. Reed and Ellard finished eighth and ninth overall, rounding out a dominant top five for the Spartans. In fact, the girls had an overall score of 25 points. In a sport where lower is better, that number is a sign of domination. The next closest team? McGill-Toolen, with 78 points.



“It felt awesome when we crossed the finish line,” Sisson said. “There’s nothing like that feeling you get when all of your hard work has paid off and you achieve your goals.”



The sheer depth of the girls team is unbelievable, especially considering that most are young. Most of the girls will return for the Spartans next year, making expectations sky-high. After that, most of these girls could run at the collegiate level if they choose.



These days, the 6A cross country state championship has become a bit of a formality. Runners in the past came in with the mentality that the championship was anyone’s to win. But after nine in a row and four in a row by the girls and boys from Mountain Brook, the rest of the state has been relegated to fighting for second place. Look for more of the same in years to come.



Thursday, November 17, 2011

Mountain Brook Debate shows its skill at Spain Park Tournament

Congratulations to the Mountain Brook Debate Team for their outstanding competition at the first ever Spain Park High School Debate Tournament.

In Novice Lincoln-Douglas debate, Amelia Putnam and Dara Buggay both made the top 12 and Dara finished in fourth over-all.

In Supplemental Debate, Jack Fitzpatrick finished 6th place over-all.

In Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate, Kary Reynolds was 9th over-all while Alex Cordover was second and Stephen Yin was first.  Stephen and Alex closed out the semi-final rounds of Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate in dominant fashion leaving no need for a final round; it was all Mountain Brook!

In the Public Forum tournament, a bid to the Tournament of Champions was on the line.  There were over 57 entries from four regional states (North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee) competing but it was the hometown team from Mountain Brook who finished on top.  Congratulations to Jeff Rogers and Russell Day who earned the first bid to the tournament of Champions in Public Forum for Mountain Brook since our 2009 team of William Schreiber and Amanda Claire Grayson.  William and Amanda went on to 8 place in the nation and the National Championship and top 6 at the Tournament of Champions – so no pressure Russell and Jeff!

Congratulations to all the competitors!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mountain Brook ranks No. 14 in U.S. for brainpower
Birmingham Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 12:33pm CST

Mountain Brook is the smartest mid-sized city in Alabama by a wide margin, according to a new report from On Numbers.
The report, which looked at educational attainment data for communities across the U.S., said Mountain Brook ranks No. 14 nationally with a brainpower index score of 34.
That's nearly 10 points better than Vestavia Hills, which ranked second in Alabama, but only 130th nationally with a score of 23.9. Homewood ranked third in Alabama and No. 172 nationally with a score of 21.9.
Madison and Fairhope rounded out the top five in the state.
Stanford, Calif., ranked No. 1 overall among midsize cities.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Mountain Brook boys, girls win state cross country titles again

, November 12, 2011 5:12 p.m.
MOULTON – Mountain Brook High School swept the boys and girls Class 6A cross country championships Saturday at Oakville Indian Mounds Park.
The boys won for the fourth time in a row while the girls’ string now stretches to nine.
Spain Park’s Brandon Hazouri defended his Class 6A boys crown, running 15:45.04.

The Spartans got an assist in keeping their title streaks alive. Bus trouble threatened to bring them to an end.
"We got eight miles down the road and that was the end of it," coach Greg Echols said. "The bus driver just said, ‘Uh-oh.’ The needle went all the way to the top and smoke started coming out of the engine. We pulled over at a gas station and just parked it."
The Chelsea team turned around and picked up the Mountain Brook girls. Hoover delivered some of the Mountain Brook boys.
"Most of the cross country coaches in Birmingham are really good friends. We take care of each other," Echols said.
Ann Sisson, the leading Spartans girl, acknowledged it was an eventful morning. But Payton Ballard, the first of the Mountain Brook boys to finish, said the morning incident did not distract the annual contenders.
"We were just focused on running for ourselves and getting it done," he said.
Hewitt-Trussville’s boys again finished second to Mountain Brook. This time the margin was 45-93.
"It’s a bridesmaid thing, isn’t it?" Huskies coach David Dobbs said. "We battle them every week. We push each other every week. They are great competitors. Their depth vs. our not-depth, their tradition vs. our upcoming tradition. It’s great competition. I’d love the blue (trophy) but I’ll settle for the red."
Hazouri said he knew other runners were gunning for him after he won the 6A individual title last year.
"I just had to run my race," the Jaguar said. "You can’t get caught up in trying to do too much. I was just sticking to what I’ve done all season. Last year I had to catch someone. This year, I had to get out and hold it."
Roberts remained in the finishing chute after claiming her second straight 6A championship, saying "Good job" as others finished. She certainly did a good job herself.
"I felt really good," she said of her division-record performance. "I really wanted to run under 18. I was close but I really wanted to have a good last race to end my season in my senior year."
Lee hugged everyone he could after he crossed the finish line.
"This is what I’ve been working for all summer and all season long," he said.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Mountain Brook&lt 17, Hoover 9: A community win Village Living: Both Hoover and Mountain Brook came in at 8-0 on the year, and with a passionate home crowd at their back and the Region 6 championship on the line, the Spartans knew that they had to win this one. In fact, all week, there ...

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Mountain Brook council approves payment for handicapped accessible playground equipment: The council approved a $20,000 payment to help buy the equipment for the playground at Crestline Elementary.
Classroom Clips--Cherokee Bend Elementary School: The Cherokee Bend El­ementary School Booster­thon fundraiser began at a pep rally on Sept. 27 and concluded with a fun run on Oct. 7.
Classroom Clips--Brookwood Forest Elementary School: Lacrosse is one of the many field activities stu­dents participate in during Brookwood Forest Elemen­tary School physical educa­tion classes.
Classroom Clips--Mountain Brook Elementary School: Students at Mountain Brook Elementary have se­lected representatives to the 2011-2012 Student Council.

Monday, October 24, 2011


Mountain Brook debate team wins honors from National Forensic League Honor Society: There's no debate -- Mountain Brook High School has earned two honors from the National Forensic League Honor Society.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Mountain Brook 17, Hoover 9

, October 21, 2011 10:08 p.m.
Mountain Brook defenders Sam Centeno (19) and Win Cowden swarm Hoover's Josh Jackson in the Spartans' win Friday night at Mountain Brook. (The Birmingham News/Michelle Campbell)
Sometimes it is not about schemes or athletes. It's not the 40-yard dash times or the amount of Saturday players that draw the eyeballs of college recruiters.
Sometimes the reasons good teams beat other good ones is just simply who wants the victory more.
Hoover went to Mountain Brook on Friday night having won the last 16 games in the series. That went all the way back to those Berry High days.
The last happy Friday night for a Spartan after playing Hoover came back in September of 1984.
So that makes it easy to say Mountain Brook accomplished a lot Friday night with its 17-9 victory that secured the school's first region title since 2003.
That streak went the way of those "Members Only" brand jackets that were cool back in those days.
[More photos from Mountain Brook 17, Hoover 9]
The place was electric and it was a good 30 minutes after the game before a good-sized mob of Mountain Brook backers left the field.
It was clear by Thursday night that emotion was going to play a big part in Friday's contest. That's when about 65 or so students went to the stadium and began practicing.
The key word there was students. Mountain Brook's student section started practicing its cheers and pandemonium Thursday night for Friday's clash with unbeaten Hoover.
When they did, their boys were still on the practice field fine tuning every plan and ploy to battle the Bucs. They were supposed to have tunnel vision on Friday night, but they couldn't help but notice. The students used that opportunity to cheer on their Spartans at practice, too.
"They carried us this week," quarterback Edward Aldag said. "How could we not be inspired by that? ... They helped us so much. They didn't let up one second. Those guys did an outstanding job tonight and I am so proud of them. We knew right then when they did that there was somebody right there supporting us at practice. We knew we had to play for them tonight to thank them for that support."
Mountain Brook coach Chris Yeager said the school's "12th man" was a catalyst in the upset against the No. 2 team in Class 6A. The victory marked the first time a team besides Vestavia Hills beat Hoover in a region game since Pelham did in 1999.
It was one of those nights where it would've made sense to see the crowd hoist a Walker Byrd, a Coates Doss or Harry Reich up for some crowd surfing. Those fans were that happy.
The Spartans (9-0, 7-0) get a lot of mileage out of the line from the movie "300" that goes "The strength of the Spartan is the warrior by his side" but maybe it needs a touch-up for the newly minted Class 6A, Region 6 champions.
The strength of the Spartans was that jubilant crowd at the side of the field Friday night. It mattered. It never stopped mattering for 60 minutes.That energy channeled emotion into a team that was on the wrong side of the depth advantage with the Bucs.
When it was over, a few Mountain Brook players sauntered all the way to the far end of the field away from their fieldhouse. Those boys were spent, but they had their cell phones in hand.
The scoreboard was still up even after the crowds were gone at 10:30 at night. They clicked pictures of that score on their phones and walked back the other way. Those victors had smiles the size of shoulder pads.
No Hoover player would've likely snapped an image of a scoreboard if they would've won Friday night. The Bucs are so used to it. It's hard to picture them doing that after any game this year.
Mountain Brook was different. Every Spartan wanted it more Friday and they all got just what they wanted.
Jeff Sentell is the high school sports editor for The News.
Write to him at jsentell@bhamnews.com or follow him on twitter at @JeffSentell_ for updates on high school sports.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Icon Performance ICON Athlete / <b>Mountain Brook Volleyball ...: The winning formula for Mountain Brook has been the same during the volleyball season. The Class 6A ninth-ranked Spartans used strong ball control and a.
A Conversation with Mountain Brook Coach Chris Yeager in ...: It doesn't get any bigger than this as No.4 Mountain Brook hosts No.2 Hoover tonight at Spartan Stadium at 7. This is the game of this century in Alabama high school football. Chris Yeager's Mountain Brook Spartans and Josh ...


Saturday, October 15, 2011

High School PTO: School Board Announces E-Day : As you know, Mountain Brook Schools missed one day of school due to inclement weather in September. Based on the Board-adopted school calendar for 2011-2012, the make-up day would be May 29th, which is after ...
Mountain Brook 40, Thompson 13 - al.com:

Shelby County Reporter
Mountain Brook 40, Thompson 13
al.com
Mountain Brook's Gavin Golsan breaks a tackle on his way to a touchdown on a punt return against Thompson. (Butch Dill) Quarterback Edward Aldag threw for 217 yards as Class 6A fourth-ranked Mountain Brook rolled over Thompson 40-13 at Larry Simmons ...
Warriors fall to undefeated Spartans in region gameShelby County Reporter

all 3 news articles »

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Mountain Brook debate team wins honors from National Forensic: There's no debate -- Mountain Brook High School has earned two honors from the National Forensic League Honor Society.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hitting Home: Parents invited to anti-drug discussions:
After an unprecedented turnout for last year’s event, the Mountain Brook Anti-Drug Coalition and Mountain Brook Schools are inviting parents to home discussions for their second Hitting Home program.
“We have always felt that parent involvement is one of the most critical weapons for combating underage drinking, and we want to do what we can to encourage conversation about this topic,” said Leigh Ann Sisson, co-chairman of the Mountain Brook Anti-Drug Coalition. “We hope to see many parents this year.”
The event will held in homes on Monday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, visit http://villagelivingonline.wordpress.com/www.mountainbrook-antidrug.org.

The Boosterthon story Village Living: Mountain Brook Elementary Boosterthon participants. Back row: coaches Awesome Andrew, Johnny Rocket, Fast Forrest, A-Train, Jammin Josh. Middle row: Caroline Crafton, Delia Vandevelde. Bottom row: Sarah Kate ...

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mountain Brook 21, Homewood 14 - The Birmingham News - al.com:







Mountain Brook 21, Homewood 14
The Birmingham News - al.com
Homewood quarterback Stephen Baggett escaped this near-sack by Mountain Brook's Michael Resha in Friday's game at Homewood. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer) Just one more chance, that's what Mountain Brook quarterback Edward Aldag was looking for ...

and more »