Bama Against Bullying donates to HALT program; district recognizes National Merit finalists and MathCounts winners

Barbie Perry, founder of Bama Against Bullying, presented a donation to Tuscaloosa City Schools on March 18 for the HALT anti-bullying program and described a new "Street Jam Kids" scholarship-based performance program that uses dance to spread anti-bullying messages.

"My name is Barbie Perry, and I'm the founder of Bama Against Bullying," Perry said. She told the board the organization has supported anti-bullying efforts in Tuscaloosa for 10 years and that the Street Jam Kids program invites students into a scholarship-based performance class that emphasizes positive role-modeling onstage and on social media.

The board also recognized academic achievements. Dr. Williams, principal at Northridge High School, told the board that all seven of the district's national merit semifinalists were advanced to National Merit Finalist status. Three finalists attended the meeting and shared brief remarks: one student said he is considering UIUC and Texas A&M and is waiting on Georgia Tech; another said he is waiting on Yale, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt; a third said he is deciding among UPenn, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M for electrical engineering and is weighing finances.

The board additionally recognized 2024-25 MathCounts West Alabama Regional winners and high-school perennial math competition winners. Students described favorite parts of the competitions, such as the speed rounds and team collaboration, and coaches and administrators were thanked for organizing teams across middle and high schools.

Board members thanked Perry and congratulated the students and coaches for their achievements.