Alexander City honors five Benjamin Russell seniors who earned associate degrees through LEAP program

The Alexander City Council on May 5 issued a proclamation recognizing five Benjamin Russell High School seniors who will graduate with associate degrees from Central Alabama Community College.

The proclamation, read by Mayor Curtis W. Baird, named the students — Olivia Booker, Sarah Grace Jackson, Annabelle Gordon, Anna Michelle McCaleb and Kennedy Coy — and described the Leaders Excelling in Academic Pathways (LEAP) Fellows Program as an initiative that admits motivated students before high school and requires a rigorous academic commitment through their high school years.

The nut graf: the council framed the recognition as a celebration of academic achievement and local partnerships that allow students to graduate high school with college credit, which council and mayor said benefits both students and the community.

Mayor Baird read language crediting former Alexander Stephens Schools superintendent Dr. Keith Lankford and former director of career technical education Dr. Michelle Edwards with developing the LEAP Fellows Program. The proclamation lists the colleges the students plan to attend: Booker and Gordon to Auburn University; Jackson to the University of Mississippi; McCaleb and Coy to the University of Alabama.

City officials did not propose a legislative action tied to the proclamation; the item was ceremonial and no vote beyond adoption of the proclamation text was required. Council members offered congratulations during the meeting; the mayor noted the program as a point of pride and encouraged more similar opportunities for local students.

The council moved on after the recognition to routine business and committee reports. The proclamation contains no funding commitments or program changes; it serves as a formal commendation from the city.