'Selfless' Kathryn Stubblefield named 2018 Finley Award winner for Hoover High

The Finley Committee, a group that promotes character in the Hoover school system, today announced Hoover High senior Kathryn Stubblefield as the school’s winner of the 2018 Finley Award.

Each year, the group chooses a senior from Hoover High, a senior from Spain Park High and a Hoover City Schools employee as someone who exemplifies the strong character traits of the late Berry High School Coach Bob Finley.

Stubblefield, an 18-year-old from the Bluff Park area, is the epitome of everything for which Finley stood, said Jillian Thomas, who taught Stubblefield English for two years and worked with her as a Freshman Faces sponsor her first year at Hoover High.

“She is responsible. She is caring. She is respectful. She is humble, and she is a quiet leader,” Thomas told the senior class in an assembly in the school gym this morning.

Thomas said Stubblefield has a work ethic like she has never seen before.

“I have countless memories of this student huddled at a desk, working diligently to not just check items off their to-do list, but who invests time into truly learning and understanding the tasks at hand,” Thomas said.

Stubblefield excels in her academics, but she never lets that create arrogance within her, Thomas said.

“Instead, this student was the consummate helper, supporter and encourager — always willing to extend assistance to whomever and whenever they needed it,” Thomas said. “This servant-hearted nature was and continues to be a trend that attracts others to her like a magnet.”

Stubblefield is a leader and creative genius in so many ways on campus, whether it be with the junior or senior class officers, choirs or Teens Need Teens peer helper group, Thomas said.

“She has proven to be not only a great role model, but also a trusted friend and confidante to her own classmates,” Thomas said. “Her servant heart is so evident with every single interaction, always putting others’ needs before her own. When I reflect upon the legacy she has created over the years here at Hoover, the overwhelming descriptor for her is selfless. She is selfless in her service to others. She is selfless in her ability to help connect with classmates, and she is selfless in her time and in her energies.”

Volunteer service

John Kincaid, another teacher who nominated Stubblefield for the Finley Award, noted Stubblefield founded a club called Student Activism for Women, whose purpose is to empower girls through acts of service. This year, the club is learning about the Wellhouse, a group that serves victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and raising money to support the organization.

Stubblefield also volunteers to teach a hand chimes class to students in the first and second grades at her church, goes on mission trips to Panama, serves as a Hoover Belle and volunteers with groups such as the American Heart Association, Ronald McDonald House, Lakeshore Foundation and Children’s Harbor.

Hoover High Prinicipal Don Hulin said he can’t think of a better student to represent what Hoover High School is trying to do or to represent the Hoover school system and what Finley meant to the Hoover community.

Emma Tosney, one of Stubblefield’s friends, said Stubblefield is the perfect choice for the Finley Award.

She has a genuine heart for other people, always encouraging other people around her, Tosney said. If someone is sitting alone at a lunch table, Stubblefield is the one who will go to them and start a conversation, Tosney said. Everyone looks up to Stubblefield because of how loving she is, she said.

“When she is part of a team, she puts all of herself into it,” Tosney said, noting her commitment to groups like the Hoover Ambassadors and show choir. She is a dance captain in the show choir, and when people get a little crazy or out of hand at practice, Stubblefield isn’t forceful or harsh with her leadership, Tosney said. She kindly tells people to stop talking and listen and reminds everyone what they are there to accomplish, she said.

Stubblefield said receiving the Finley Award is a huge honor because she knows there were so many incredible nominees and she was thankful to just be among them.

Ray Hardman, a member of the Finley Committee who said Finley was his best friend, said 21 seniors at Hoover High and 27 seniors at Spain Park High were nominated for the Finley Award this year.

Stubblefield said she plans to attend Auburn University next year, majoring in either graphic design or history education.

The Finley Committee plans to make a more formal presentation of the Finley Award to Stubblefield at an awards banquet at the Finley Center on March 22. The Spain Park senior and Hoover City Schools employee who receive this year’s award also will be recognized at that banquet. Those winners have not yet been announced.