Cahaba Heights Named Alabama Bicentennial School Of Excellence

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL — Governor Kay Ivey announced this week that Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights had been selected as one of 21 Alabama Bicentennial School of Excellence. The announcement was made at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, where Ivey was joined by superintendents, principals, and teachers from the selected schools, along with legislators and other dignitaries from across the state.

VHECH also received a $5,000 Governor’s Award grant to support its continued commitment to student-led community engagement.

Launched by Ivey in December 2017, the Alabama Bicentennial Schools Initiative encouraged all public, private, and homeschool students and teachers to participate in the celebration of Alabama’s 200th anniversary of statehood.

In early 2018, all Alabama schools were invited to submit proposals for community service and engagement projects connecting classrooms with their local communities. In August 2018, 200 schools were selected as official Alabama Bicentennial Schools and received $2,000 grants to support the implementation of their projects.

Over the last year, Bicentennial Schools in every corner of the state developed projects that made meaningful contributions to their local communities. Ranging from oral history projects to community gardens to mentorship programs, these projects fostered new relationships between schools, students, and local citizens that will extend well beyond Alabama’s bicentennial celebration.

Alabama’s 200 Bicentennial Schools submitted their final reports in August 2019. Community leaders from across the state served on committees tasked with evaluating each project and selecting 21 schools, three from each congressional district, to receive the additional designation of Alabama Bicentennial School of Excellence. In addition to receiving the Governor’s Award grants, the Schools of Excellence will be invited to participate in commemoration ceremonies in Montgomery on December 14, the culmination of Alabama’s bicentennial.