Muscle Shoals Board honors students, recognizes App Challenge winner, Naval Academy appointee, ACT perfect scorers

The Muscle Shoals Board of Education opened a work session to honor student achievement across the district, recognizing elementary through high school winners in academic character awards, regional innovation competitions and statewide honors.

Board President (not identified in the transcript) welcomed families and said the recognition program began last year to spotlight academic achievement in addition to athletics and arts. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Nichols said, “Tonight, we are proud to continue that tradition as we honor students who exemplify the values of our school system through their hard work, perseverance, and integrity.”

The night began with presentations from McBride Elementary. Fifth-graders Carver Buffalo and Kenzie Bragg described school traditions such as the “coats of character,” awarded each nine weeks to a single student for integrity, kindness and courage. “These students don’t just do the right thing, they inspire others to do it too,” Buffalo said.

McBride teams and individuals also placed in the Shoals Spark regional innovation competition. The elementary teams recognized in the transcript included Team Hospital on Wheels (fourth place), Team Air B (third place) and Team Rover (second place). Mary Marshall VanSant, director of the Center for Learning and Professional Development at the University of North Alabama, praised the students’ ideas: “the ideas that your students come up with blow me away.” The Shoals Chamber of Commerce and the Shoals Spark organizers presented prize checks via Caitlin Burns, identified in the transcript as president of the Shoals Chamber.

Middle school teams from Muscle Shoals Middle School were also recognized: sixth-graders Pravi Talura and Kinley Richardson received third place; seventh-graders Izzy Pennington and Addison Maguire received second place for projects identified in the transcript as “Splash on the Shoals” and “Schulz Legacy.” Teachers and parent volunteers, including a teacher identified as Miss Osteen, were thanked for guiding the teams.

High school recognitions included announcements the board will honor two students at the May board meeting who were unable to attend this work session: Kate Scales, a Muscle Shoals High School senior named the state winner of the Alabama Governor’s App Challenge (the transcript notes she received her award in Montgomery from State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey and Governor Kay Ivey), and Natalie McCabe, a senior who earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Dr. Nichols said both students will be recognized at the May meeting.

Muscle Shoals High School presented additional individual honors during the session. Matley Carpenter was named the high school’s student of the year for the Shoals Scholar program. Seniors Caleb Pritchett and Davis Wood were recognized for achieving a perfect 36 on the ACT; Dr. Nichols provided national context from the transcript, saying that of about 1,300,000 ACT test takers in the referenced graduating class, “just over 3,000 students achieved a perfect score,” about 0.22 percent. Caleb Pritchett and Davis Wood were also named National Merit finalists, the transcript notes, after the earlier designation as semifinalists among roughly 1.5 million PSAT takers; the transcript states more than 16,000 were semifinalists and about 15,000 advanced to finalist standing.

Davis Wood additionally received the 2025 Region 8 Bryant Jordan Scholar-Athlete award, recognizing combined academic and athletic achievement; the transcript notes the Trojan soccer team will play in the first round of the playoffs at James F. Moore Stadium. Board members and district staff urged honorees and families to take photographs at a new backdrop in the hallway following the program.

No formal board actions, motions or votes were recorded in the portion of the transcript provided; the session items in the transcript are celebratory recognitions and presentations.