Pelham City Schools officials told the board on Sept. 29 that the district earned multiple statewide and national recognitions this year and highlighted school events and community outreach.

The district's Panther Pride presentation summarized recent honors and student achievements and described fall activities across elementary, middle and high schools.

Nicole Knight, director of communications for Pelham City Schools, said the district placed in the top 20 of several rankings this year and noted that "it's really exciting to see us in the top 20 for all of those rankings again this year." She told the board the district ranked 14th in Alabama on one national ranking, was listed among the most diverse districts in the state, and was among the top 20 districts for teacher quality, according to the sources Knight cited.

Knight also told the board that Pelham High School was named among the state's top 10 high schools by U.S. News & World Report and that the high school recorded a 76% pass rate on AP exams this year, with 636 AP exams administered. Knight said that represented a roughly 20% increase in students earning qualifying AP scores and that over 40% of juniors and seniors are enrolled in at least one AP course.

The presentation included school-level recognitions: Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks named monthly student leaders; Pelham Oaks reported a local fire-safety poster contest winner; Pelham Park Middle School launched a new "Hey Day" to welcome students and build connections; and both Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks hosted grandparents' breakfasts and book fairs.

Knight thanked partner agencies that supported homecoming and other events, including Pelham Parks and Recreation, the Pelham Fire Department and the Pelham Police Department. She also reminded the public to "save the date" for the Pelham City Schools Foundation's fundraising event in February at the Pelham Civic Complex.

The board had no questions after the presentation and moved on to other agenda items.

Less central details: Knight said the district saw particularly strong AP participation and that grade-level leadership awards recognized teachers, support staff and students for character and leadership.