Cahaba River Is Focus Of VHECH Bicentennial Celebration

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL - As the state of Alabama celebrates its bicentennial in 2019, students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights have chosen to celebrate the milestone occasion with a year-long focus on the Cahaba River.

For the year, students will learn about the importance of life in the Cahaba River through hands-on field trips to the Cahaba River, Art Projects for a 2019 Calendar of #AllThingsCahabaRiver, and enrichment activities and challenges relating to geology, math and science.

"Our community, Cahaba Heights, is part of the Cahaba River Watershed. From Central Alabama Native Americans to the current residents of Birmingham, the Cahaba River has always provided life-sustaining water," VHECH teacher Katie Hicks said. "The Cahaba River, which runs through the heart of our state, is one of the most biologically diverse in the world, and it is recognized internationally as a critical river ecosystem."

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Hicks said the project at VHECH involves "educating students, faculty and the community about the dire need to care for our river." She said students are also using their creative talents to support the community by creating artwork for a 2019 calendar. The calendar will feature some examples of the artwork that students have made that represents life along the Cahaba River.

The proceeds from calendar sales will be donated to the Cahaba River Society in the spring of 2019.

Photo courtesy of the Cahaba River Society