A publication of Mobile County Public Schools, where Perseverance Propels Progress |
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#TeamMCPSS gave back to the community with a very successful district-wide toy drive! The annual Stuff the Bus campaign, with two school buses, Santa and Mrs. Claus and a host of volunteers, collected about 6,200 toys and gifts from 45 schools and Central Office over two days. At Central Office, the Board of School Commissioners joined Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill and the Central Office employees to donate to the cause. The Office of Communication would like to give special recognition to the students and staff at Grand Bay and Alba Middle Schools, who went above and beyond with their Stuff the Bus donations: Grand Bay Middle donated more than 1,300 toys, and Alba donated more than 500. Great job!
The Stuff the Bus campaign benefits needy students in the school system, and excess donations are given to the Salvation Army to be distributed to children throughout Mobile County. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Claus (Gary McGilberry and Joy McGough); Mike Herndon, Public Relations Specialist in the Office of Communication, who coordinates the drive; the MCPSS Department of Transportation, which supplied the buses and drivers; and to Burns Middle School LOTC cadets, who unloaded and sorted the toys and donations.
View the mcpssTV video story about the Stuff the Bus drive here.
View the "Unstuff the Bus" coverage here.
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Warriors win South's BEST robotics tournament |
Congratulations to Davidson High's RobotEx team, which won first place overall at the South's BEST 2025 robotics competition in Huntsville.The competition was extremely tough, with teams from across the Southeast. Davidson's team also took second place in the robot performance category. |
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Trumbauer Festival Winners: Drama students from seven MCPSS high schools qualified to compete in the state finals of the Walter S. Trumbauer High School Festival on December 5-6 at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The festival consists of acting competitions for high school students in 30 individual events, a one-act play festival, and a studio theatre one-act play festival. Students qualify for the state competition by earning a superior rating at the district competition. Read the list of award winners here.
MCPSS Honor Band: The MCPSS Fine Arts Division held Honor Band auditions for 600 MCPSS students from band programs in the district's middle and high schools. Auditions consisted of scales, prepared musical exercises, and sightreading. The students earning the highest scores were selected to participate in the 2026 Honor Band Festivals.
The High School Honor Band Festival will be held on January 13, 2026, at Theodore High School. The Middle School Honor Band Festival will be held on January 15, 2026, at Baker High School. The concerts are free and open to the public. Read the names of the Gold and Silver Honor Band students here.
All-State Choir: The Fine Arts Division also held auditions for the Alabama All-State Choir. More than 100 MCPSS students from choral programs in the district's middle and high schools auditioned; 40 high school students and 15 middle school students were selected to the choir.
These students are eligible to take part in the All-State Choral Festival, which will be held March 12-14, 2026, at Samford University in Birmingham. The Alabama All State Choral Festival is a three-day event that culminates in a professionally recorded concert and affords the top choral students from across the state to sing under the direction of a nationally recognized choral clinician. Read the names of the All-State Choir members here.
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Grants for educational initiatives |
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Congratulations to Baker High theater teacher Eric Browne, who received funding through the 2025 Extra Yard for Teachers campaign. The program is part of the Nominate a Teacher Classroom Grant Program, in partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation. |
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The Causey Middle School band has been awarded a $2,500 Power to Play grant from Alabama Power Foundation. The program, led by band director Kevin Threadgill, will use the funds to get new instruments and equipment. The Power to Play program supports music, arts, and athletic programs in Alabama schools and helps students shine both inside and outside the classroom. |
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Congratulations to Alma Bryant High science teacher Allison Odom, who received a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation to support her ongoing student-led recycling initiative. She and her students have collected plastic bottles and other recyclables from classrooms, school events, and athletic games to help reduce waste and keep their community clean. She'll use this grant to purchase supplies, including additional storage and organizational materials. |
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The annual Sounds of the Season music compilation from mcpssTV includes performances from choral groups across the district: Baker High, MGM, B.C. Rain, Dunbar Magnet, Grand Bay Middle School, Phillips Preparatory, Collier Elementary, Holloway Elementary, Nan Gray Davis Elementary, Old Shell Road Elementary, and Just 4 Developmental Laboratory. The individual performances will be posted on the MCPSS Facebook and Instagram pages.
Here is the link to view the full show on the mcpssTV YouTube channel.
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Congratulations to the Davidson High School Varsity and JV Scholars Bowl teams, which each finished the season undefeated and won the Mobile County Invitational championship. Alma Bryant finished second in varsity and Barton Academy was second in junior varsity. |
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68 Ventures Bowl players visit Miracle League
of West Mobile: Schmidt Family Park |
The 68 Ventures Bowl partnered with Mobile County Public Schools as part of its Player Service Project Day at the Miracle League of West Mobile: Schmidt Family Park on Monday. About 40 NCAA football players from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and the University of Delaware served as "buddies" to children with disabilities to help them play a Buddy Ball baseball game at the park.
The Baker High School band greeted the athletes as they arrived, and Santa came to visit with the Miracle League players.
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JROTC cadets are Bridging the Gap |
JROTC cadets from all 12 MCPSS high schools took part in the Bridging the Gap program, in which students and officers act out various scenarios involving the police, such as domestic disturbance calls and traffic stops. The students evaluated how the police and the suspects behaved in each scenario and discussed ways we can all work together to improve our interactions with others. This national program, developed in Mobile, is designed to rebuild mutual respect and trust between youth and law enforcement. |
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Board meetings and holidays |
Board Meeting: The Mobile County Board of School Commissioners will hold its regular board meeting on December 17 at 10 a.m.
The board's work sessions are recorded and uploaded to the mcpssTV YouTube channel. The board meetings are live-streamed on mcpssTV.
All meetings are held in the Board Room at MCPSS Central Office, located at 1 Magnum Pass in west Mobile.
Holidays: The school system will be closed from December 22 to January 2 for the Christmas holidays. January 5 is a Teacher Planning / Staff Development Day. The first day of the third quarter is January 6.
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New on mcpssTV: Catch the mcpssTV High School Basketball Games of the Week on Tuesday nights! The December 16 matchups are Williamson vs. Blount. The girls tip off at 6 p.m., and the boys' game follows at 7:30 p.m. Watch live on Comcast 15, Mediacom 85, AT&T U-verse 99, Roku boxes, Facebook or the mcpssTV YouTube channel. |
Nominate teachers and student athletes: Want to highlight a top-notch teacher or an outstanding athlete? Use these links to make your nominations for a Golden Apple or a Scholar Athlete award. |
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Make your donations count: Mobile County Public Schools is a participant in Goodwill's Good Samaritan Program. Use the yellow Donation Referral Card when you make a donation to any Goodwill Gulf Coast retail store, and Goodwill will give a credit voucher to MCPSS Student Support Services. (Donors will still receive a blue donation receipt for tax purposes.) The yellow donation cards have been distributed to all MCPSS schools; if you need one, please contact Sally Ericson.
The Student Support Services Department uses the Goodwill vouchers to purchase clothing and items for our families in need. |
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