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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Riverchase Elementary School first grade teacher Courtney Beam poses for a photo with her class after being named the faculty winner of the 2025 Hoover City Schools Finley Award for outstanding character among all faculty in the system on Feb. 26.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Riverchase Elementary School first grade teacher Courtney Beam with her husband, Jason, and son, Micah.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Finley Award winner Nia Brown poses for a photo with her parents, Booker and Khalilah Brown.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Finley Award winner William Russell. Below: Members of the Hoover High School Class of 2025 who were nominated for the Finley Award for outstanding character.
Some people have a knack for spreading warmth and kindness wherever they go — a natural care for others that is contagious.
Courtney Beam is one of those people.
The first grade teacher at Riverchase Elementary School was honored for her outstanding character on March 20, along with Hoover High senior Nia Brown and Spain Park High senior William Russell. The three received the 2025 Finley Award, given in honor of the late Berry High School coach Bob Finley, at the Finley Center in the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
COURTNEY BEAM
Parents of Beam’s students nominated her for the award.
“The way she loves her students, encourages them and supports them is truly a gift,” parent Laura Brooks said in a nomination letter. “She has a servant heart and is willing to step up in any situation to help those in need, all while having a smile on her face.”
The values Beam instilled in Brooks’ son have stayed with him, Brooks wrote.
“Mrs. Beam expects her class to conduct themselves with respect, integrity and self-control,” she wrote. “She teaches them to believe in themselves and take accountability for their actions, which is huge for these little minds she is shaping.”
Beam encourages her students with a gentle smile, kind heart and warm, inviting personality, Brooks wrote. She also uses an incentive program in her classroom to promote positive decision-making, behaviors and habits that allow students to learn and be rewarded for good work.
Melissa Carden, a former room mom who observed Beam during weekly visits to her classroom, wrote that Beam has a way of making people feel at ease.
“My son’s bond with her seemed instantaneous,” Carden wrote. “What is remarkable about this is that I would assert that every child in her classroom felt the same strong connection with her … When a child enters her classroom, Courtney wholeheartedly takes that child under her wing. She made it very clear from the time that we met her that, while educating our children was of extreme importance, making them feel loved and safe in her classroom was the ultimate goal.”
Carden also noted that Beam comes to work with a smile despite enduring many hardships in her life.
Beam and her husband, Jason, lost their oldest son, Tucker, to leukemia in 2009 and their 17-year-old daughter, Lily, to leukemia this past December. Additionally, Beam has battled thyroid cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, eye cancer and is now fighting cancer for a fifth time.
“She has been through more things in her life than most people should ever have to endure, and she still comes to work with a smile,” Riverchase Principal Taylar Posey said.
NIA BROWN
Brown was recognized as a well-rounded student who balances academics, leadership and service. She is president of the Student Government Association and a member of the Ignite Hoover Youth Leadership Program, Hoover City Schools Foundation Student Board, Hoover girls basketball team and The Worship Center Christian Church youth ministry and volunteer program.
She has maintained an impressive GPA while excelling in Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses, nominator Mo Finley said.
However, this award focuses on character, and Brown’s nominators had no shortage of praise for her.
“Nia is very compassionate, committed, selfless, teachable and influential,” wrote Monica Patton, the “next generation” coordinator at The Worship Center Christian Church. “As an ambassador [at her church], she often led her peers through challenging discussions and service projects while building and maintaining positive relationships. Nia is committed to getting the job done with excellence and encouraging those around her along the way. Her servant’s heart has often been the gateway for many leadership opportunities within her community.”
Brown’s personality is a magnet for those around her, Patton wrote.
“She often brings groups of people together from diverse backgrounds and thought approaches to effectively accomplish a goal,” she wrote. “She is committed to teamwork and prides herself on learning from others.”
Terri Coleman, lead counselor for Hoover City Schools, wrote that she has observed Brown throughout her life.
“From an early age, I remember her sweet spirit and desire to help others,” Coleman wrote. “She grew up in the church and began working with the children in the kids’ ministry, then once old enough, she secured a job in the nursery at another church. This is a tiny example of her love for children and helping others.”
Brown has volunteered countless hours at homeless shelters, toiletry drives, food banks, youth basketball camps and golf tournaments, Coleman said.
“Nia is truly a remarkable young lady with peers who truly look up to her,” Coleman wrote. “She is humble, kind, respectful and genuine. … She is not loud or boisterous, but a quiet and thoughtful leader who leads and supports her classmates, her friends and teammates.”
WILLIAM RUSSELL
Russell, chosen from among 357 Spain Park seniors, was described by faculty and nominators as someone who genuinely cares about those around him and treats others with kindness and respect.
“William is the type of student who inspires you as a teacher and lifts you up on a daily basis as opposed to you being the one to inspire them,” said Keri Ross, who taught him Advanced Placement statistics last year. “He probably did more for me than I did for him.”
Ross said Russell shows sincere appreciation for the efforts of others and is the least self-centered student she has ever encountered.
“He’ll stop by to visit me even though I don’t teach him this year and ask me how my family is doing,” she said. “He takes an interest in you as a person, not just as somebody who will fly into your classroom and fly out. If he can do that with adults, you know he’s doing that with his peers.”
Russell also is a high achiever. He has a 4.255 GPA and a 31 on his ACT. He is a Spain Park ambassador, National Honor Society secretary/treasurer, president of the Spain Park chapter of the Distributive Education Clubs of America, vice president of the National Business Honor Society and varsity swim team captain.
Last year, he took on six Advanced Placement classes while maintaining a demanding schedule as a competitive swimmer, Ross said.
Michael Zelwak, an English teacher who coached Russell in track and cross country, said Russell has a witty sense of humor that shows his creative and intelligent thought processes.
“He has the remarkable ability to maintain his perspective while fairly considering the thoughts of his peers,” Zelwak wrote in a recommendation letter. “Never does he disregard people with different beliefs. He is always respectful and kind. He embraces differences and is always willing to view life with an open heart. His mind is impressively perspicacious, and his willingness to acquire knowledge is astounding.”
While Russell is an incredible leader, he remains extremely humble, Zelwak wrote.
“In my experience, people with William’s aspirations tend to be disingenuous,” Zelwak wrote. “They do everything to look good on their resume, or they view their relationships with others as a means to an end. This is not William Russell. William is one of the most selfless and gracious people I have ever encountered. I can say with certainty that William Russell will do something remarkable with his life.”
