VESTAVIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

All Photo Credits: Ruth Graham Our Vestavia Singers have had a great season. They hosted a successful Contempo at home, placed third in their division at the Hoover Showchoir Smackdown, scored second at the Albertville Diamond Classic, and landed third again at King of the Mountain—a special shoutout to Mary Pitts for winning best female performer! But honestly, show choir deserves respect and applause from the entire student body, not just this article. It might be one of

Photo Credits: Lily Xie The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools . Even though we’ve experienced of Vestavia’s coldest weather recently, many juniors and seniors at VHHS are already looking forward to a classic spring tradition: prom! From setting up groups to finding the dress, booking restaurant reservations to planning afterparties, a

Photo Credits: Claire Placzek New Orleans doesn’t know what’s coming for them, as French 5 from VHHS makes their entrance in The Big Easy. In order to learn more about French and Creole culture, French 5 went on a trip to New Orleans, where they would take part in learning about the culture, food, and history of New Orleans--a time filled with laughter, joy, and tours for native French speakers, as well as multiple visits to the original Cafe Dupont (where the beignets ri

Vestavia Hills Track and Field at the CrossPlex in Bessemer The Vestavia Hills Track and Field team delivered an outstanding performance at the CrossPlex Indoor Track State Meet that took place in Bessemer on January 31, 2026. The girls team claimed State Runner-up, earning 63 points with 9 girls in 17 events; additionally, the boys team, consisting of 12 guys in 16 events, won 4th place with a whopping 70 points!  Vestavia Hills’ outstanding track athletes competed in a v

Name: Tanya Athienitis Grade: 12th Fun fact: “I was born in Greece and lived there until second grade.” What’s your biggest hot take: I actually like exam week.  If you had a theme song what would it be: Lost by Frank Ocean What’s your roman empire: Sephora Where do you see yourself in five years: “I see myself in medical school five years from now” Name: Isabella Shunnarah Grade: 12th Fun fact: “I speak a little Arabic.” What’s your biggest hot take: “Oh easy, I do

Photo Credits: Linear Collider The Vestavia Hills Sadie Hawkins Dance took place on January 24 at the Civic Center, and it proved to be a huge success despite several obstacles leading up to the event. With unpredictable weather and concerns that the dance might be canceled, many students were unsure what the night would hold. However, thanks to careful planning and strong attendance, the evening turned out to be one of the most memorable school events of the year. This yea

During the spring semester, VHHS is excited for our new season of RISE. Each year, RISE brings students, faculty, and families together to support cancer research at UAB O’Neal Center. During this special season of RISE, it’s important to mark our calendars for some important fundraising dates.  First in January, the kickoff assembly featured Olympic-style performances and a torch lighting ceremony. After the kickoff assembly on January 24th, students danced and celebrated a

Photo Credits: Instagram, VHHS Rebel Marching Band at Mud Creek Marching Festival The new year, for many, is a time of self-evaluation and profound hope. The first of January inspires goals and promises of personal refinement (go check out our article on New Year’s Resolutions) and invites an excitement to leave the past year behind. Even so, our most popular anthem for the New Year, originally a Scottish poem, reminds us to step into the future with remembrance and apprecia

Every day, students pass through the hallways rushing to their next classes, leaving for early dismissals, or heading off to practice. In all of this constant movement, it’s easy to stay focused on our own routines without stopping to wonder about the lives unfolding around us.  While walking through the school one day, I felt this way about one of the fellow seniors in the class of 2026, Sally Grace Ward. Every single morning, she’s seen walking through the halls with her b

The second semester of school is always a whirlwind of varied emotions. We’re sad the break is over, tired from adjusting our sleep schedules, happy to see our friends, and stressed about our GPA. In this sense, school is really the same. But there’s a freshness that comes along with a new year—humans like a clean slate, after all. There’s a surge of motivation to embrace self-improvement and a sober determination to be the “you” you always wanted to be.  What better demonstr

By Audrey Kim and Aiden Billano It’s that time of year again: the time we get to decide how we’re all going to spend the next year. With course selection fast approaching, as you look at potential classes in Vestavia’s Next Steps Live Binder , you may notice a few new additions since last year. After listening to student interest, these new courses were proposed by teachers and approved by the Board of Education to be available starting this year. Unfortunately, these course

Photo Credits: dadot.com In early December, our Track and Field team began the official indoor season with the Magic City Invitational. Located at the Crossplex, our athletes spent their afternoons competing and supporting as they broke into the competitive season.  In the 60m ambulatory, Vaughan Rainer ran a 10.03, winning the event. In the 60m, Cance (Derek) Mills ran a personal record of 7.02, placing 7th in the overall meet and putting himself 2nd in the school’s record

Photo Credits: Astha Mehta On December 5th and 6th, the Vestavia Hills Speech and Debate team competed in Montgomery at Montgomery Academy. The Big GUMP Classic -- one of the most anticipated competitions in the region -- has always been a Vestavia Hills favorite. The adored clay trophies feature a variety of extravagant animals, and the competition is a great way for competitors to grow and learn. The team competed in a variety of events, including Public Forum, Congression

Photo Credits: Mrs. Hyde, several Math Team students involved with tournament preparation Each year, the VHHS math team hosts a tournament, garnering nationwide attention and over a thousand students, from 6th graders fresh off their first semester of middle school, to seniors in high school just about ready to leave. This year, on the weekend of December 6th, it was no different. With over half a hundred schools ranging from ASFA to West Point HS, a full alphabetical journe

Celebrate the Season Anyone associated with Vestavia Hills High School knows about one particular day in December reserved for a concert known as Celebrate the Season. This day is full of holiday-themed performances from the school’s arts programs---band, choir, dance, theater, and visual arts---bringing everyone together for an incredible display of holiday cheer. This year’s performance was just as spirited and fun-filled as the rest, adding to the many concerts that have

The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools Photo Credits: Tero Vesalainen / Getty Images To some degree, anyone who attends VHHS is privileged. And that is not a bad thing, necessarily, but it should be acknowledged that there are facilities, opportunities, and lifestyles we are accustomed to as Vestavia students that other students in our

Written by Bianca Lombo and Analiz Castellanos VHHS Poetry Out Loud What Poetry Out Loud Is, and How It Works Poetry Out Loud is a national competition designed to help high school students connect with poetry through its performance. Started in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation, which aimed to support schools in having a poetry program. By performing poetry aloud, the performer has a deeper connection to their emotions and the connotation the

Photo Credit: Sophia Chen FBLA, or the Future Business Leaders of America club, teaches students about business and leadership through many events and activities. From competing in local, state, and national tournaments to participating in leadership conferences, this group of students is expanding on skills necessary for the workforce by studying these key tools for events and learning from experienced speakers.  Their leadership team includes their President Emily Jin (se

Photo Credits: Shutterstock **The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools** 2025 was an eventful year both in Vestavia and around the world. At VHHS, notable events include the school shutting down due to busted pipes and the new FOCUS Act banning cell phones at school. In global news, a new pope was chosen, and Katy Perry supposedly went to

Photo Credit: Google Winter break is just around the corner, but before we get our long-awaited period of fun and relaxation, we have to get through the dreaded first-semester exams. Exams start in under a month, and unless you want to end up pulling an all-nighter the night before to cram, you should probably begin studying now. There are several useful study resources online: Quizlet for flashcards and quizzes, Knowt for practice tests (including free response questions),