There has been no shortage of changes in our school system in the past few years. These improvements have greatly impacted the experiences of students in Vestavia Hills City Schools, and with the announcement of the 1Rebel 1Future plan, will continue to do so for years to come.
Most recently, Vestavia has added several new campuses and conducted a rearrangement of schools. East and West Elementary welcomed grades 4 and 5, previously housed at Central Elementary. Dolly Ridge, a separate elementary school, was also added to accommodate for the growing population of VHCS students. Louis Pizitz Middle School also moved to a new and improved campus, giving way for a new 9th grade campus in the old Pizitz building.
The first class to attend the 9th grade campus was the class of 2024, serving as the inaugural class in the 2020-2021 school year. These recent adjustments have served as great improvements from the previous system; however, there are still aims for future improvement.
In July 2022, Superintendent Dr. Todd Freeman introduced the 1Rebel 1Future Plan at the July VHCS School Board meeting. The plan includes physical changes to facilities across the school system as well as improvements to programming. While East, West, Dolly Ridge, Liberty Park Middle, and Pizitz Middle would all receive renovation, Vestavia Hills High School would see the bulk of the transition.
The proposed renovation plan focuses on improving facilities for arts and athletics while the programming seeks to emphasize STEM and foreign languages.
This year, 1 in 4 middle and high school students at Vestavia participate in athletics, and 2 in 3 middle and high school students are active in the arts. It is also important to note that 45% of the class of 2021 at VHHS chose a STEM major in college, and 91% of the class of 2022 took a foreign language while at Vestavia.
The first change that would occur would be the relocation of the choral department to the current band room, allowing for the previous choral room to be used by the theatre department as a black box theater. The band department would receive an entirely new space fit for the 200+ students that participate in the program. The dance department would also receive a new practice space. Various arts and STEM classes would also move into newly-renovated spaces.
The plan also includes an expanded cafeteria and kitchen space as well as an outdoor plaza.
These new features would be located in the space where the side parking lot currently exists, posing a problem by eliminating much-needed parking spaces. However, the plan accommodates for this by relocating the tennis courts to the Central practice facilities, which would allow for their current home to serve as an extension of the front parking lot.
Athletics would also receive an upgrade in the form of a 50-yard indoor turf practice space. The indoor facility would also include new locker rooms and an improved weight-training space.
At the upcoming December school board meeting, Dr. Freeman will present the 1Rebel 1Future plan for official consideration by the Vestavia School Board. Freeman hopes a tax increase vote will then occur before the end of the school year so the plan can be implemented as soon as possible.
The elementary schools will see renovations first, but it is hoped that programming improvements will be seen across the board at the start of next school year. The tennis courts will be removed and replaced at Central first in order to avoid a parking shortage, and the rest of the renovations will follow.
Freeman aims for all the work to be completed in a three-to-four year time period, meaning if completed on schedule, renovations for the system will be completed by the 2027-2028 school year.
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