Student Spotlight – September 2024

OCS had a great time seeing so many of its students and families at the Back to School Bash. We’re looking forward to a great school year!

Congratulations to Lee-Scott Academy freshman golfer David Beard on an exceptional performance at the 2024 Billy Hall Memorial Invitational. Fresh off a state championship, David was named the Junior Champion!

Lee Scott Varsity and JV Dance Teams attended UDA Dance Camp at home this summer. The team was awarded three blue ribbons for their Pom and Hip-Hop routines. They received the Superior Award and received a bid to UDA Nationals. Lilli Scott Parker was named Drill Queen. The team had six team members named All American- Abby Grace Turner, Lexi Robinson, Mary Brentley Moore, Lilli Scott Parker, Ella Sheppard, and Brennan Walls. Varsity – Lexi Robinson, Mary Brentley Moore, Emma Carter, Lilli Scott Parker, Ella Sheppard, and Brennan Walls. Not pictured: Lizzy Gregory and Harper DeWitt. Junior varsity – Ava Dudley, Maddie Tally, and Abbie Grace Turner.

Earlier this summer, senior Jay Collins joined the National Electric Cooperative Youth Tour on a trip to Washington D.C.! High school students from around the country have been attending this week-long event since the late 1950s. Throughout the trip, students like Jay gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their Representative and Senators. Special events included touring national museums and memorials as well as a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Thanks for representing Lee-Scott Academy so well in the national’s capitol, Jay!

Auburn City Schools opened the doors to a new year filled with endless possibilities, exciting challenges, and countless memories waiting to be made. From the youngest learners to the Class of 2025, let’s make this year one for the books! Families, teachers, and staff—thank you for the unwavering dedication and support of an excellent educational environment for future thinkers. Together, we will continue to create a nurturing and inspiring environment for all students to thrive. Here’s to a great year of growth, discovery, and success!

The 2024 Future Tigers’ Football Camp kicked off at Auburn High School! From the first whistle, 1st-6th graders learned the fundamentals of football, with an emphasis on basic skills and techniques for playing defense, offense, and special teams. Varsity student-athletes were also on hand to provide individual attention while encouraging the next generation to improve their game with hard work and the values of sportsmanship.

With tunes echoing from all corners of campus, the Auburn High School Marching Band was in full swing for their first day of camp! More than 220 students followed their compasses to march to the beat and sharpen their sound in preparation for the 2024 football season with the theme “Dark Sails,” a swashbuckling take on pirate adventures. Be sure to catch AHSMB’s halftime show this fall in Duck Samford Stadium as they hoist the sails while capturing your hearts and imagination with a fantastic performance!

It was a great first day in the Opelika City Schools. Students and teachers were eager to be back in the classroom and begin another school year of learning, exploring, and growing. Wishing everyone a fantastic year filled with learning, growth, and wonderful memories.

This summer, four incredible student-athletes headed to Troy, Alabama, to compete in the 2024 Special Olympics State Games! Congratulations to Chase Edwards, Maggie Foster, Caleb Key, and Jonathan Smith for qualifying to represent Auburn and Lee County at the state level! Mayor Ron Anders shared words of encouragement and appreciation during a celebratory send-off, complete with Aubie and the entire ACS School Resource Officer Unit in attendance! It was a heartwarming moment filled with support and pride for our competitors. ACS wished all the athletes the best of luck as they ‘go for gold’ with courage and determination!

Sixteen dedicated leaders from Auburn City Schools recently attended UNITED: The National Conference on School Leadership in Nashville! With fantastic keynote speakers like Best-Selling Author Jon Gordon and specialized sessions about challenges and opportunities, these administrators gathered invaluable insights on innovative strategies and new mindsets. This knowledge will be instrumental in shaping the future of our schools. The commitment to excellence and continuous improvement ensures that ACS remains at the forefront of educational leadership. Stay tuned for exciting updates and initiatives inspired by this conference

Opelika City Schools welcomed 73 new teachers during New Teacher Academy, July 22-23. They spent three days learning about classroom management, curriculum and instruction, technology, and many other topics related to working in the Opelika City Schools. Special thanks to the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, Cadence Bank, and AEA for sponsoring meals and snacks during the week.

Congratulations to Opelika High School graduate Jaxson Freeman on signing a track and field scholarship to Spring Hill College!

Congratulations to Wilson Lowe, Josue Mejia, and Areiyion Miles, who proudly walked across the stage today at Auburn High School’s Summer Commencement Exercise. Surrounded by family and friends, these Class of 2024 graduates have reached a significant milestone, and ACS is so proud of their achievements. Here’s to new beginnings and bright futures ahead!

ACS marks the first day of the 2024-2025 academic year for teachers with an orientation filled with spectacular guest speakers, special activities, and PTO-provided breakfasts and lunches, ACS recognizes and appreciates the extraordinary effort principals and parents made to extend the warmest of welcomes to our extraordinary educators across the school system. As our teachers work diligently to prepare for the first day of school on Thursday, August 8, ACS encourages families to make plans to attend Meet the Teacher and the Open House opportunities in our schools next week. Enjoy the weekend and know ACS can’t wait to have students back in school!

The ACS Child Nutrition Program is ready to nourish students for the future! The CNP staff members started their school year with a local foods tour led by produce partner and provider Extreme Green in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Agriculture Industries and Training. The Institute of Child Nutrition provided additional professional development, as well as equipment training from Rational Ovens. A special thank you to Lee County Health Inspector Ashley Thomas for sharing her expertise with our employees. 2024-2025 will be a gold medal year for ACS serving students. Join us in the cafeteria!

Randy Gillon has been named the new head boys track coach at Opelika High School. “We are incredibly excited about hiring Coach Gillon to lead our boys track team. His immense knowledge of the sport and experience in college athletics will allow him to build upon the strong foundation of Opelika Track & Field,” said Kelli Fischer, Opelika High School Principal, “We look forward to watching this team thrive under his leadership.” During his career, Gillon has coached a pair of Olympians, 12 All-Americans, 15 NCAA championship qualifiers, 50 NCAA first round qualifiers, and 20 school record holders. “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the Opelika community, the students, and student-athletes of Opelika High School,” said Gillon. “God is truly amazing as this wasn’t something I was looking for. However, after much prayer, consulting my wife and trusted friends, I knew this was a step I was to take. I’m grateful  to Superintendent Dr. Farrell Seymore, Principal Kelli Fischer and Athletic Director Jamie Williams for this opportunity and for finding me suitable to lead this next era of the Opelika Bulldog boys track & field program. Gillon served as the assistant track and field coach for Auburn University from February 2019-June 2022. He was the assistant head track and field coach at University of Illinois from September 2014-June 2018. From August 2006 -September 2014, he served as assistant track and field coach at Michigan State University. Gillon received his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2000 and his Master of Science in Kinesiology in December 2002. He and his wife Nicole are proud parents of three children, Nia (age 14), Imani (age 11), and Elijah (age 9).

Lee-Scott Academy’s rising 7th grade students participated in a fun-filled day at camp. During camp, the students, led by our ambassadors, enjoyed getting to meet their teachers, learning more about their classmates and exploring campus. We are so excited to welcome these students to the Middle School.

Opelika City Schools had a fantastic day welcoming back all of the teachers and staff members to the 2024-25 school year.

It was a fantastic New Faculty Orientation for some of the newest educators at Lee-Scott Academy! Our new faculty members have had the opportunity to meet with staff and administration, tour campus further and become even more prepared ahead of their first day.
We’re excited to welcome these talented Lower & Upper School teachers to the Warrior family and look forward to a great year ahead.

It was a treat to have new families on campus getting a crash course of all things LSA ahead of their first day. We’re excited and grateful to have so many new faces on campus!
Thank you to all who attended New Family Orientation! If you are a family new to LSA this school year and were unable to attend, please be on the lookout for an email summarizing tonight from Mrs. Leigh Smith.

ACS Career Tech Director, Dr. Silvia Scaife, was recently selected as a “visiting faculty” member and presenter at the Tennessee Arts Academy at Belmont University. Each summer, the Tennessee Arts Academy attracts an enthusiastic group of K-12 arts educators for intensive music, theatre, dance, visual art, and arts leadership training. Dr. Scaife is one of 20 nationally recognized professors, academic instructors, and artists assembled from leading universities, schools, and arts institutions across the United States to present and share their expertise. As a former theatre director, Dr. Scaife serves as an elected governing board member for the Educational Theatre Association, is the mentoring coordinator for the Alabama Thespian Festival, and has adjudicated for Alabama, Georgia, and the International Thespians Festivals. With more than twenty-eight years of service in public education, Dr. Scaife continues to explore and implement innovative ways to foster a thirst for learning. Dr. Scaife is photographed with E. Frank Bluestein, a former Disney National Performing Arts Teacher of the Year and Executive Director of the Tennessee Shakespeare Co.

The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth Teen and World Championships were held in Perry, Georgia. Over 2000 contestants were at the Georgia National Fairgrounds for the competition and three were Lee-Scott Academy Warriors! Senior Claire McKay, sophomore Laney Payne and eighth grader Wesley-Kate Crocker all attended and competed well. Incredible job, ladies!

Rising sixth grader Edward (Eunseong) Lim recently achieved a remarkable feat at the USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge, also known as Summer Nationals 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, where he emerged as the Gold Medalist in the Y-10 Men’s Foil, a title that crowns him as a National Champion! Hard work, strategy, and the crowd’s energy brought Edward to the top of the podium in his division. Besides winning a National Title, Edward said his favorite thing about Summer Nationals is “I can see lots of new friends and try fencing new people; I can evolve myself by fencing other people that are better than me.” USA Fencing’s mission is to grow and promote the sport of fencing in the United States, honor its rich traditions, and achieve sustained competitive international excellence. ACS is proud of Edward for representing Auburn on a national stage!

With approximately 50 rookies and 30 dedicated student leaders, the AHS Marching Band is starting to take shape as they learn to play on the move. These talented student musicians are honing their skills in timing, formation, and managing the heat, all in preparation for “full-on” band camp, which will have around 220 students marching to the beat on July 22nd. The theme in 2024 is “Dark Sails” – a thrilling pirate adventure that will set the stage for some incredible halftime performances this football season.

Auburn City Schools held the annual New Teacher Breakfast! In a room full of excitement and smiles, ACS welcomed new faces across all 14 campuses. Several introductions included words of pride about being a product of Auburn City Schools or the long-awaited homecoming. What is essentially the first day of school for new personnel, this event marks the beginning of a new chapter for ACS as we embark on the journey of the 2024-2025 academic year. Over the next days, these teachers, coaches, and counselors underwent extensive training regarding policies, procedures, and best practices under the leadership of Curriculum Coordinators Drew Morgan and Betty Weeden.