Madison County School Board spotlights student competitions, AP gains and new grants during Jan. 23 meeting

The Madison County School Board met Jan. 23, 2025, at Madison County High for a regular session that included school recognitions and presentations from principals and students about academic and extracurricular achievements.

Board members heard about security upgrades and school-level grants, were introduced to a Future City team headed to a regional competition in Auburn, and received summaries of AP, dual-enrollment and co-op participation at Madison County High.

The presentations offered a cross-section of classroom and extracurricular work across the district and highlighted how local grants and district programs are being used to support instruction and student opportunities.

Miss Hancock, principal at Central Elementary School, told the board that "by far, the best part, we have some of our central school students here" and praised campus safety measures, including a newly enclosed front office and a full-time school resource officer. Hancock said all pre-K through eighth-grade students at Central enter through weapons-detection screening each day.

Central Elementary is applying for the A+ College Ready grant, which Hancock said would provide $80,000 in professional learning materials and a national curriculum if selected; she said the grant would support three years of training for teachers and leaders. Hancock also said the school recently received a $5,000 STEM lab grant to help offset the loss of a STEM lab teacher.

Hancock introduced a Future City team — Josiah Beach, Lillian Johnson, Bentley Parker, Cooper Wilson, Hudson Husband, Cyret Shard and Riley McLennan — who presented a seven-minute model and project summary. Future City is a hands-on, cross-curricular STEM program; Hancock said Central is the only Madison County school that participates in the international competition and that the team would travel to Auburn the next day for regional competition.

Kim Britton, principal at Madison County Elementary School, described student leadership programs and said ambassadors lead schoolwide community-service projects. "We recognize our students who are displaying Tiger Call," Britton said, describing weekly recognition for students who are prepared, responsible, hardworking and respectful. Britton also said her school is participating in the A+ professional development partnership for the next three years.

Miss Bennett, speaking for Madison County High, highlighted academic expansion and college-preparation efforts, saying the high school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses and has achieved "over 60% qualified scores" on AP exams. Bennett said many students also participate in dual enrollment and co-op programs and that about 80 students were enrolled in co-op this semester. She credited staff collaboration and professional learning communities for recent gains.

Superintendent remarks and district-level highlights noted a countywide honors band event, athletic successes at the middle-school level, and a $95,000 energy-savings grant received by Buckhorn High School in partnership with Huntsville Utilities. Director of transportation Mister Spears recapped bus operations during recent cold weather, saying staff completed inspections and had buses running within an hour after jump-starts when needed.

Board members also paused to note the death of Dr. Terry Davis, a longtime Madison County Schools superintendent, who died the morning of Jan. 23; the superintendent asked the community to keep Dr. Davis and his family in their prayers.

Less critical details: principals invited board members to visit other schools in the district as part of an outreach plan to host board meetings in different feeder areas during the year; a faculty-student volleyball game and other community events were mentioned as incentives and morale builders.

The meeting later moved to administrative business and formal motions (see separate article for votes and motions at the same meeting).