Eight schools in Lee County were named to Gov. Kay Ivey’s list of official Alabama Bicentennial Schools. Additionally, three other schools in Lee County were given honorable mentions in the race to be named a Bicentennial School.
Two-hundred schools were chosen as Bicentennial Schools out of 400 proposals. Each of the 200 schools chosen will receive $2,000 grants to aid in the implementation of their projects they submitted.
Those eight schools in Lee County that were named Bicentennial schools are:
- Auburn High School
- Auburn Jr. High School
- Carver Primary School
- Chanticleer Learning Center
- Loachapoka High School
- Ogletree Elementary School
- Pick Elementary School
- West Forest Intermediate School
Another 56 schools were chosen as honorable mentions and received $500 grants to put toward their proposed projects. The three honorable mention schools in Lee County are:
- Auburn Early Education Center
- Richland Elementary School
- J.F. Drake Middle School
“It makes me so proud to see such a strong showing of schools participating in the program,” Ivey said. “It is an honor to recognize these outstanding schools and their projects as we head into Alabama’s bicentennial year. The Alabama Bicentennial celebration is about bringing communities together and getting all of our citizens involved. The schools being honored are a great representation of that goal.”
Ivey launched the Alabama Bicentennial Schools Initiative in December 2017. The goal of the initiative was to encourage public, private and homeschool students and teachers to participate in the celebration of Alabama’s 200th anniversary of statehood in 2019.
At the beginning of 2018, all Alabama K-12 schools were invited to submit a proposal that engages in outreach and improvement projects to connect their classrooms with their local communities.
The committees that reviewed the proposals consisted of local educators, community leaders and private citizens.
“One of the core objectives of the bicentennial is to get Alabamians thinking about what makes our state special and what they want it to be,” said Steve Murray, co-chair of the Bicentennial Commission’s Education Committee. “The terrific projects developed by the Alabama Bicentennial Schools will create opportunities for students to learn about the importance of community and to discover the ability they have to shape the future of their corner of the state.”
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