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Shades Mountain Elementary School faculty stand to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence during a ceremony at the school on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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Ethan Vice, a district director for U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, presents a flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol to Shades Mountain Elementary School in celebration of the school receiving National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama
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Shades Mountain Elemetnary School Principal Kevin Erwin talks at a ceremony celebrating his school earning National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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The Shades Mountain Singers perform at a Hoover Board of Education meeting at Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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Shades Mountain Elemetnary kindergarten teacher Amanda Whisenhunt talks at a ceremony celebrating his school earning National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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The Shades Mountain Singers perform at a Hoover Board of Education meeting at Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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Shades Mountain Elemetnary fifth grade teacher Al Dixon talks at a ceremony celebrating his school earning National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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The faculty and staff of Shades Mountain Elementary School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins, who is Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year, talks at a ceremony celebrating Shades Mountain Elementary School achieving National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
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The faculty and staff of Shades Mountain Elementary School poses for a photo with school district officials on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, after a ceremony celebrating the school earning National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status.
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Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama
Hoover school officials on Tuesday celebrated Shades Mountain Elementary School earning a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence designation even though the Trump administration canceled the program before schools could come to Washington, D.C., for a celebration.
Shades Mountain Elementary last year was one of five schools from Alabama to receive the Blue Ribbon designation, which honors high-performing public and private schools for overall academic excellence or significant progress in closing achievement gaps.
But when the Trump administration eliminated the program in August, the opportunity for a national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., evaporated.
The Hoover Board of Education this month moved its monthly meeting to Shades Mountain to conduct Hoover’s own celebration of the accomplishment with a ceremony in the school cafeteria, and the state Board of Education is celebrating the accomplishment on Thursday in Montgomery.
Katie Collins, Alabama’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year from Bluff Park Elementary School and one of five finalists for National Teacher of the Year, was at the Shades Mountain celebration Tuesday. She said she was pumped when she learned a school from Hoover had won the Blue Ribbon School award and just as disappointed when she learned the program was being canceled and there would be no national ceremony.
“Disappointments happen, but … they don’t define us,” Collins said. “At Shades Mountain, whether this recognition continues on a national stage or not, your impact is already written where it matters most — in the lives of every single student that you serve.
“Honors, titles and recognitions — they’re exciting; they’re cool, but you know what? The work behind them is what really matters,” Collins said. “Shades Mountain — your work matters. Your work is seen.”
Photo by Jon Anderson
Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins, who is Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year, talks at a ceremony celebrating Shades Mountain Elementary School achieving National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
Hoover schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox said when he first arrived as superintendent in 2023 and began looking at each school’s achievement data, he noticed that Shades Mountain was “just killing it.”
This past fall, Shades Mountain and Greystone elementary schools for the second year in a row were named as i-Ready Super Stretch Schools for helping students achieve extraordinary academic growth in reading and math. They were among only five schools in Alabama and 170 or so schools nationwide to earn the designation from Curriculum Associates, the company that makes the i-Ready diagnostic tests that students take at the beginning of the school year, midway through the year and at the end of the school year.
Maddox said he wanted to know how school officials could bottle up whatever is being done at Shades Mountain and take it other places.
“What you guys are achieving is absolutely amazing,” Maddox said. “It is a special place. It is a hidden gem, but it’s not a secret anymore. When you’re named a National Blue Ribbon School, you can’t hide it anymore.”
Maddox said the school system will be sending a small group from Shades Mountain to Washington, D.C., at some point for a similar type of experience they would have had if the U.S. Department of Education had not canceled its event.
Principal Kevin Erwin said whether or not the school is recognized in a ceremony at the national level, Shades Mountain is a great school because the faculty and staff there make it a great school.
Amanda Whisenhunt, a kindergarten teacher who has been at Shades Mountain since 2009, said it’s truly her happy place.
“I come to school each day excited and ready to begin a new,” she said. “Once those doors close, the outside world fades away, and my focus becomes my students and the meaningful collaboration I share with my teammates. Shades Mountain is truly a special place, a place where everyone is always welcome and deeply loved. The faculty and staff work hard each and every day, not because we have to, but because we genuinely enjoy what we do and believe in what we’re building together.”
The growth in student achievement reflects the heart and soul that is poured into them, Whisenhunt said. “The growth we see comes from consistent support, encouragement and love.”
Al Dixon, a fifth grade teacher who is in his eighth year at Shades Mountain, said that each faculty and staff member’s input is valued at Shades Mountain and that teachers support one another to help them all collectively get better.
The school also is led by two servant leaders — Erwin and Assistant Principal Leah Colley — who are willing to pitch in and help with any job or task in the school, Dixon said.
“They’re often the first to arrive and the last to leave, and they don’t lead by their position, but by example,” Dixon said. “That kind of leadership builds trust because it shows us that we are all in this together. They strike a delicate balance between freedom and accountability, trust and oversight.”
The school is successful also because of the community support, such as that offered by members of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Dixon said. Church members consistently show up to support teachers and staff with meals and snacks, and more importantly to support students who are in need of assistance, he said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Shades Mountain Elemetnary fifth grade teacher Al Dixon talks at a ceremony celebrating his school earning National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
“That type of care speaks volumes about what it means to truly serve a community,” Dixon said. “Shades Mountain works because we believe that every child matters, not just academically, but socially, emotionally and mentally.”
The faculty at Shades Mountain recognize one another’s strengths, respect each other’s expertise and know when to call for assistance, he said. They also work to remove barriers and give students access to opportunities they might not otherwise have, he said.
“We’re often described as the smallest elementary school in the district, but this recognition says that we are more than our size,” Dixon said. “We are more than our numbers. We are more than a small school tucked away off Alford Avenue. We are small, but we are mighty. We are small, but you will see us. We are small, but by God, we move mountains.”
Photo by Jon Anderson
Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama
