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Photo by Jon Anderson
Students in Hoover City Schools receive awards for their art, poetry and essays at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. From left are Fred Casey of Trace Crossings Elementary, who won the firefighter poetry contest; Alex Ritchey of Spain Park High School, who won an essay contest on peer pressure; Maggie White of Hoover HIgh School, who won an essay contest on peer pressure; Betsy Tidwell of Rocky Ridge Elementary, who won an essay contest about school resource officers; and Arayna Kjoja of Deer Valley Elementary, who won a fire prevention art contest.
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Hundreds of people attended the 2026 Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Trace Crossings Elementary School third grader Fred Casey reads a poem about firefighting at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley presents Deer Valley Elementary's Arayna Khoja with an award for winning the Fire Department's 2026 fire prevention art contest at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Deer Valley Elementary student Arayna Khoja receives an award for winning the Hoover Fire Department's 2026 fire prevention art contest at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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A fire prevention poster by Deer Valley Elementary student Arayna Khoja that won the Hoover Fire Department's 2026 fire pevention art contest.
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Hoover police Chief Clay Morris presents Betsy Tidwell of Rocky Ridge Elementary with an award for winning the Hoover Police Department's 2026 school resource officer essay contest at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Tidwell wrote her essay about Rocky Ridge school resource officer Ashlyn King, shown at left.
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Rocky Ridge Elementary fifth grader Betsy Tidwell and Ashlyn King, the school resource officer at Rocky Ridge, at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Tidwell won the Hoover Police Department's essay contest about school resource officers.
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The Silver Lining ensemble from Spain Park High School sings at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Hoover Parent Teacher Council President Jill Hunter speaks at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Hoover police Chief Clay Morris speaks at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley speaks at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Winners of the Hoover police and fire departments' art, essay and poetry contests pose for a photo with school system officials at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Winners of the Hoover police and fire departments' art, essay and poetry contests pose for a photo with city officials at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Hoover police Chief Clay Morris, left, and Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis pose for a photo with Spain Park High School senior Alex Ritchey, who won the Police Department's essay contest on peer pressure, at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
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Spain Park High School senior Alex Ritchey shares his essay on peer pressure with the audience at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Ritchey won the essay contest for Spain Park seniors and received a $1,000 scholarship.
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Hoover police Chief Clay Morris presents a scholarship to Hoover High School senior Maggie White for winning an essay contest about peer pressure at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. With them at left is Frank Barefield of Abbey Residential, who funded the $1,000 scholarship.
The Hoover fire and police departments this week honored students from three Hoover elementary schools and Hoover and Spain Park high schools as winners in the department’s fire prevention, firefighter poetry and Police Department essay contests.
The awards were presented at the Hoover Parent Teacher Council’s annual Hoover City Leaders Breakfast, held this year at the Metropolitan Church of God.
Fred Casey, a third grader at Trace Crossings Elementary, won the firefighter poetry contest from among all third graders in Hoover elementary schools.
Arayna Khoja, a student at Deer Valley Elementary, won the fire prevention art contest from among more than 230 entries in eight Hoover elementary schools.
Betsy Tidwell, a fifth grader at Rocky Ridge Elementary, won the Police Department’s essay contest, which focuses on essays about school resource officers. Tidwell wrote her essay about her school’s officer, Ashlyn King.
“She’s amazing at her job,” Tidwell wrote. “She helps and protects our school … She teaches us how to live in a safe environment. She also teaches us how to reach our goals in a safe way. We also play games about the topic we are learning and having fun, too. I love how she teaches in her own way and makes our class more interactive.”
King also makes students feel safe, Tidwell said. “If there’s ever a problem, she’ll fix it. If anyone is stressed, she’ll calm them. There is nothing she can’t do.”
King also has taught students what to do if they have to go in a school lockdown and helps with fundraisers and parties, Tidwell said. “Without Officer King, our school would not function properly,” she said. “I hope that Officer King stays at Rocky Ridge for a very long time.”
The Police Department also gave out $1,000 scholarships to winners of a senior essay contest at both Hoover and Spain Park high schools, with funding provided by Frank Barefield of Abbey Residential. The essays were about peer pressure.
Maggie White, the winner from Hoover High School, wrote he essay as a letter to her younger sister, Tess, who is a freshman at Hoover High.
“I know high school can be overwhelming, like you’re being pulled in a million directions, and everyone has an opinion on who you should be,” White said. “It’s confusing, frustrating and exhausting sometimes. You’re trying to figure out who you are while balancing school, friends, pressure and expectations, and it’s already so much to carry.”
White advised her sister that she doesn’t have to have her future completely figured out and to not limit the things she does in high school out of fear of what someone else may think of her.
“I missed out on so much more than I should have because I was scared,” White said. “I didn’t wear a toga on homecoming week because I was worried about being judged. I skipped football games because I told myself they didn’t matter, but really I was just afraid of feeling out of place. I regret not putting myself out there, not starting conversations first and not letting myself be seen. I waited for confidence instead of choosing courage, and now looking back, the things that hurt the most are my failures. They’re the moments I never lived and put myself in uncomfortable situations. So wear the toga, go to the football games, take a picture, walk into rooms like you belong there because you do.”
White advised her sister to stand up for herself and say what she feels.
“Say no when you need to. Some people won’t like you, and some will gossip, and some will be jealous, and that’s life,” White said. “Their opinions don’t define you. You do. Never let anyone take that from you and never forget who you are. … Try new things, make friends where you least expect it. Take chances. High school will challenge you. It will also show you how strong and brave you already are. I failed more times than I can count, but I’ve gotten up every time, and you can, too.”
Alex Ritchey won the essay contest among seniors at Spain Park.
Ritchey said that while encouragement from peers can motivate you to work harder or pursue meaningful goals, the challenge is in resisting negative peer pressure.
“You can successfully say ‘No’ to negative peer pressure by committing to a bigger ‘Yes,’” Ritchey said. “A bigger yes is a foundational principal or belief that provides direction and purpose for your life — devotion to family, faith, personal integrity, career plans, etc. This foundation acts as an internal compass or guide on which to base decisions and actions.”
For him, this bigger yes is his faith, he said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Spain Park High School senior Alex Ritchey shares his essay on peer pressure with the audience at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Ritchey won the essay contest for Spain Park seniors and received a $1,000 scholarship.
“When faced with any decision, including one in which my peers are pressuring me to do something, I evaluate by asking a more meaningful question: Does this choice align with what I have already said yes to?” Ritchey said. “I decide whether this action fits with my commitment to live according to my faith and to be the example of my faith to others. Saying no becomes less about rejection of my friends or their activities and more about loyalty to something greater.”
It’s easier to identify peer pressure when it’s a large ask that clearly goes against your ideal principals, Ritchey said.
“But sometimes peer pressure is just over a small everyday issue, such as staying out later than planned on a school night, skipping homework to socialize or going along with behavior that slightly compromises your responsibility,” he said. “While these decisions may seem insignificant on their own, they still shape habits, discipline and character over time. Applying the concept of a bigger yes to these small moments helps build a confidence and consistency needed for more serious decisions later on.”
People in attendance at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast also heard from Michelle Kong, a cofounder of the KultureCity nonprofit that strives to spread acceptance for people with sensory needs and make life experiences more accessible to them by making spaces and activities more accommodating for them.
Kong, who has an 18-year-old son whose senses easily get overwhelmed with loud noises or bright lights, said she and her husband once were told by a doctor that their son may never talk to them in a normal way, have friends or live independently. They were stunned by the doctor’s words, she said.
“An assumption was made for him about what he could or could not do,” she said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Dr. Michelle Kong a cofounder of the KultureCity nonprofit, speaks at the Hoover City Leaders Breakfast at Metropolitan Church of God in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
But sometimes, when people don’t understand other people when they’re talking, it’s not because the person talking is incapable, she said. It’s just that other people may not be trained to understand what the other person is saying or feeling, she said.
Also, people with sensory needs and their families often miss out on certain life experiences because they withdraw from places or situations where people may stare, make comments or judge the person with sensory needs, she said.
Kulturecity strives to change that by spreading awareness and providing people and facilities with sensory tools that help people who experience sensory overload calm themselves.
“Everyone ought to have a seat at the table,” Kong said. “Everyone should feel like they belong.”
Making change doesn’t require perfection, but “it does require awareness, courage and the first step to change,” Kong said. :And if we do it collectively and we do it together, we can absolutely do it.”
